“Wow.”
He chuckled, sitting back in his chair, surveying me over his glass. I squirmed in my seat, fiddling with a strand of hair. The two glasses of wine I’d had certainly weren’t helping me resist his charm.
“I wasn’t thrilled. Rebelled every chance I had. But now I’m very grateful they insisted. Knowing how a kitchen works, what it takes to make customers happy is invaluable when drawing up strategies. I know which cost-cutting measures make sense, when to push for innovation or give the staff room to breathe.”
“Not to mention you have amazing cooking skills,” I added on a wink.
“That too. I take it you’re impressed enough to stop by again?” He fixed his gaze on me.
“Hmm....” I tilted my head playfully, crossing and uncrossing my feet under the table. He moved his legs, touching mine while also leaning forward slightly. My heartbeat was out of control, especially when he lowered his gaze to my mouth.
“That’s still up in the air. Depends on how entertaining you are.”
“I have to prove myself?”
“Something like that.” Oh Lord, what was I getting myself into?
“Challenge accepted.”
His gaze traveled downward, resting on my breasts. My breath caught.
“Tell me about you, Skye.”
“What do you want to know?”
“Everything.” His tone was so demanding that it felt as if he wanted to know all my secrets and desires.
“Hmmm, might be more than you can handle.”
“Try me.” If possible, his tone became even more demanding. “Tell me about your store. How did you decide to open it?”
“A combination of things. I’ve always had trouble finding the right bra. I had breasts really early, and it was hard finding something that wasn’t too sexy for a thirteen-year-old. Even in college, I kept modifying bras to fit me. It was a fun thing to do but also necessary. I studied biochem and then accidentally started working in fashion. One thing led to another, and Tess and I opened our online store. It went okay, but with lingerie... it’s best if you try it on. I love being in the store to help customers find the perfect items for them, and to help them feel confident in their bodies. We have so many clients coming in ashamed of their figures—no matter if they’re too curvy or too lean—but with the right items, their confidence just goes up. It’s my favorite part, besides working with my sister. I’ve always loved sexy lingerie, always wear it, so—”
I pressed my lips together, wondering if I’d shared too much. Sometime during my monologue, I’d started my third glass of wine. I glanced at Rob. Holy hell, there was so much heat in his gaze. My whole body reacted to him: my nipples tightened, and my belly flipped twice.
“Anyway, so Tess and I work with factories that also have small design teams. We create the initial product, experiment on ourselves and see how it looks and feels. Then we finalize it with said design teams and commission a small batch to gauge the feedback from our customers. If they love it, we order a large quanti
ty, and if it continues to sell over time, we keep it as a permanent item in our merchandise line.”
“Very smart.” His voice was a little rough, and the heat in his eyes was not lessening in intensity.
I needed to shift the focus to him. “What made you decide to come back to New York?”
His gaze clouded. He set his glass on the table, crossing his fingers in front of him. “It’s complicated. My sister just divorced, and her ex-husband was leading the operations of the East Coast restaurants. He’s gone now. I replaced myself in LA and took over the reins here.”
“It would’ve been easier to replace him though, right?”
“Yes, but I also wanted to be here for my sister and my niece. They’re going through a tough time.”
He cared enough about his family to make such a drastic change? I was simply melting. I was in over my head. Whatever he had in mind for tonight, I wasn’t going to be able to resist him. I was sure of it.
My body had been on edge the entire evening. And now, when he trapped me with that determined gaze, I didn’t know what to do with this heat billowing inside me.
“That’s very thoughtful of you. It’s important to stick together when the going gets rough,” I said.
“Exactly.”
“Your sister runs Dumont Gourmet, right? I looked you up and also found her.”