They weren’t friends on social media, but she’d stumbled on articles about him over the years. His sports bars were doing well. Really well. Despite herself, a flicker of pride flared in Farrah’s stomach at his success.
Farrah had walked into the meeting intending to quote $150 an hour, given this was her first freelance gig. Once she’d realized the client was Blake, she’d jacked the price up to $300, desperate for an excuse not to have to see him again. When he not only agreed but tripled her rate, Farrah nearly had a heart attack. Not even Kelly Burke commanded $900 an hour.
“He’s up to something. Be careful,” Olivia warned. “The boy is your kryptonite. Don’t do anything stupid.”
Not so much a boy anymore.
Farrah’s mouth watered when she remembered how good Blake looked. College Blake had been hot, but he’d possessed a boyishness common amongst twenty-two-year-olds. Grown-up Blake, with his stubble and lean muscles and confident, panther-like stride? He was fiercer, grittier, and he exuded a raw, hard masculinity that turned her knees to Jell-O.
“Like what? I’m designing his apartment. It’ll take a few months. That’s it.” The words rang false to Farrah’s own ears.
“Uh-huh.” Skepticism coated Olivia’s voice. “I mean it, Farrah. Stay as far away from Blake as possible. I’ve seen his picture in magazines from time to time. He’s still fine as hell, which makes him dangerous. Don’t sleep with him, and for God’s sake, don’t fall in love with him again.”
Now, that made Farrah laugh. “I won’t fall in love with him again.” She was horny, not an idiot. Her body may crave Blake, but she’d built enough defenses around her heart to keep an invading army at bay.
“Good.” Olivia sounded satisfied. “So, he’s Landon’s friend, huh? What are the freakin’ odds?”
“Well, Landon is from Austin.” Now that Farrah thought about it, she remembered Blake mentioning back in Shanghai that his best friend was a hotel heir. Landon was the one who’d floated him the capital to start his bar. Blake might even have mentioned him by name. Farrah couldn’t believe she didn’t put two and two together until now.
“So are millions of other people. God, this world is too small.” Olivia sighed. “Shit. My break is up. We’ll discuss later, okay? In the meantime, buy yourself something nice, like a big bottle of vodka. You need it.”
Farrah snorted. “Thanks.”
She hung up, took a deep breath, and unlocked the stall. Thankfully, the bathroom had emptied, and no one was there to witness what a mess she was.
Farrah splashed water on her face, letting the cool liquid fortify her.
Blake’s project would take a few months, max. She could go that long without giving in to her base desires. Right?
Another image of Blake’s dimpled smile and broad shoulders flashed through her mind, and heat sluiced through her.
Dammit.
Maybe it was a good thing she’d agreed to go on that blind date with Olivia’s co-worker. Hopefully, it’d take the edge off.
Farrah stared at herself in the mirror. Her reflection blinked back, uncertain and uneasy.
“Farrah Lin, what have you gotten yourself into?”
Chapter Six
“I received your questionnaire.” Farrah frowned at the paper in her hands. “Half the answers are blank.”
“I didn’t know how to answer them.” It was the truth. Blake couldn’t name a single design style if his life depended on it, much less which ones he liked and didn’t like. “Besides, I figured it’d be easier to discuss in person.”
His mouth tugged up into a smile when Farrah side-eyed him.
Sure, he could’ve tried harder to answer the questions, but the less he answered, the more time they’d have to spend discussing them in person.
Time. They’d never had enough of it. Not in Shanghai, and not at that all-too-short lunch meeting the other day. But now that Blake and Farrah were client and consultant, he was determined to milk every second they had together.
And no, Blake was not above petty ploys like leaving half his new client intake questionnaire blank.
Farrah walked through his apartment, examining the layout and current decor. “Landon wasn’t kidding when he said you didn’t have a lot of furnishings.”
“I moved here not too long ago. Didn’t make sense to buy a bunch of stuff myself wh
en I was going to hire a professional.”