Peter extends his hand to me. I rise from the table and we shake on the deal. “Pleasure to do businesses again, Peter.”
He gestures at Allie and says quietly, “Got a good one there.”
I nod in agreement, glancing at Allie as she smiles at Jenny, saying goodbye. I’m not sure what it is about this woman that holds my attention so intently. But I want to know more about her. Like, where do I touch her to make that smile center on me.
“Goodbye, Micah.” Jenny offers her hand to me, giving me a smile and a lascivious wink.
“Goodbye.” I offer her a cold, firm nod so there’s no confusion, reluctantly returning her handshake. She lifts her chin, a defensive move, I’m sure in response to my rejection, and follows Peter out of the restaurant.
“Did I pass your test?”
I turn, watching Allie bend over, giving me a fine view of her ass as she grabs her briefcase off the floor. Damn. My fingers twitch to slap such a perfectly round bottom. When she faces me, I lift my eyes to her face. “Test?”
“That’s why you showed up today, isn’t it?” She closes her notepad, placing her pen on top of it, and wrinkles her brow at me. “To see for yourself that I’m worthy of my new position?”
“Actually, no, that isn’t the reason,” I reply, voice hard. “But what I saw here today does impress me. I see why you were the top seller at Richardson. You’ve got a talent for handling clients.”
Her eyes go wide for a split second, but she recovers quickly, placing her notebook in her bag. “If you’re not here to check up on me, then why are you?”
Ah, a good question indeed.
I don’t know all the reasons that had me asking Liv where Allie was this afternoon, but I’m beginning to get better insight into why this woman is busting through my defenses, making me want her desperately, cracking down unbreakable armor. “Can I ask you something?”
“Actually, I really need to—”
I see how she’s nibbling her lip and how she’s looking everywhere but at me. Yeah, girl…I want to nibble that lip as much as you want me to. “Your boss wants to ask you a question, you don’t want to annoy him, do you?” I interrupt.
She snorts, lifting her head, giving me a small smile. “Using that one on me, are you? Clever.”
“Thank you.” I return the smile, inhaling deeply, catching hints of her flowery perfume. She’s clearly strong in her opinions, soft to those she cares about, and fiercely loyal. All of those reasons drew me to her, but there’s something more to her—something that even now makes my cock rock-hard. “So again, can I ask you something?”
She heaves a long sigh, resting her hands on her briefcase, atop the table. “What do you want to know?”
“Are you dating anyone?”
“No.”
“Well now, that’s interesting,” I comment.
She pauses, then asks, dryly, “Why is that so interesting?”
“Because I would think a single woman would be happy to receive flowers from me.”
Her eyes widen, and her skin flushes a bright red. “Is that why you came here? To find out why I refused your flowers?”
I nod. “Yes.”
“Unbelievable,” she whispers beneath her breath. Her pretty eyes narrow, and she zips up her briefcase before addressing me again. “Let me get this straight: you’re man enough to come and find out why I refused your flowers, but you aren’t man enough to deliver the flowers to me yourself?”
“Ah, so that’s what this is all about,” I murmur, now understanding. No woman has ever refused a gift from me. “You like the personal touch, hmm?”
Her lips part, and I’m expecting her to elaborate on her strong point of view. In fact, I’m hoping she will. These are things I need to know about her. It’s the way inside her head, and is exactly where I want to be. Instead, she says in
a cold tone, “Mr. Holt, let’s keep this a professional relationship. Is there anything else I can do for you?”
A few things come to mind, involving those pouty lips of hers. But I’m more concerned about why she’s so adamant to shut me out. I never deny myself lust, and I don’t understand why anyone would. “You can stop pretending this is just professional, Miss Parker.”
She looks away. Ah, a crack in her strength, vulnerability, indication of our shared attraction. When she glances at me again, she steps back from the table, her cheeks flushed deeper. “It can only be professional.”