“What’s wrong with rich men?” Dan asked with a smirk.
I shrugged again. “Nothing, probably. I just wouldn’t know how to act around them. If he took me to some sort of elegant event filled with fancy people, I wouldn’t know what to do with myself.”
I took Max’s razor and gently tipped Dan’s head forward to tidy up his collar line. It was a relief that the loud buzz made it hard to chat for a moment. This guy was a bit weird. But he was also almost uncomfortably handsome. It was tricky to keep my eyes in place so that it didn’t seem like I was staring at him.
It was also strange that my hands gravitated toward him as if they were magnetized. Brushing a piece of hair off the edge of his ear was normal with anyone else, but with him, it was a caress. I couldn’t quite make my hands behave.
Bringing out the duster, I quickly whisked away the stray hairs at the back of his neck. Then I was completely unable to stop myself as I leaned in, blowing gently across the back of both of his ears. I’ve never done such a thing before. I could see in the mirror that his eyes closed as he clearly enjoyed my breath across his skin. Did he feel this strange pull as well?
“What do you think?” I asked. “Just a little off the top, like you asked. And a bit of a tidy up around the sides.”
He turned his head back and forth, then his eyes flashed up to mine. “Perfect. Thank you, Katy.”
“You’re very welcome,” I smiled.
He stood up, towering over me, then his arm slid around me as he pulled me close to whisper in my ear, “You’re my new favorite stylist, little one.”
Then he hugged me. Actually, it was less of a hug, and more like a feeling of him... possessing me? His hands pressed gently against my back, moving across the thin fabric of my dress, his heat filling me and making me tingle. My hands automatically circled his neck, as he brought his face closer.
His lips brushed against my cheek so softly it could have been an accident. But it was definitely a subtle kiss. My breath caught in my throat as I looked up at him. Then he released one arm, pulling his phone from his pocket. “I need your number, little Katy.”
He unlocked his phone and entered my number as I told him, his thumb moving like lightning across the bright screen.
“I’ll contact you tomorrow and take you to dinner.”
Again, it wasn’t a question. But even though he was oddly demanding, the way his hand was still stroking my back, his deep eyes burning into mine, there was no way I could refuse.
“Okay. I’ll be done at six.”
His lips met my forehead for just an instant. He slipped me sixty dollars, which was more than double the price of a men’s trim, then he was gone. The bell jangled over the side door as I tried to breathe normally again.
CHAPTER TWO
* Dan *
I’d gotten this far in life by listening to my gut. Houses, cars, investments, my gut was never wrong. When hiring smart, trustworthy people, my gut reaction was more accurate than any reference or resume.
But never in my life have I had this reaction to a girl before. It was unsettling.
She was ethereal. A little angel come to earth. She seemed artsy. Creative. I could easily imagine her sketching flowers out on the huge back patio of my house, laughing with my housekeeper Rosa as they decided what we should have for dinner.
Her soft, delicate skin made my heart race. Her lovely dark hair made her look pale and precious. Her big blue eyes seemed so trusting, and so timid at the same time. She was obviously cautious, a bit nervous about the world.
So there was no way I could terrify her at the start of our brand new budding relationship by telling her that I’m one of the richest men in the city.
I knew that many people looked down on the rich these days, talking about hoarding money and wasting resources. But my father’s company had always been as eco-friendly as reasonably possible. Since I took over his company, I made sure that our environmental programs more than offset anything negative.
We also gave a ton of money to various charities and had education programs across the province. As soon as I explained all of this to Katy, she would know that I’m not an evil corporate overlord.
But I was definitely rich. I would certainly want to take her to fancy places. Just the thought of walking into my company’s annual gala with that sweet, curvy beauty on my arm filled me with pride.
It had been nearly impossible to stop myself from staring at her incredible breasts, and ample hips. Her plentiful hourglass figure actually made my mouth water.
Her pretty little doll face had seemed quite coy. She was definitely a shy girl, and I didn’t want to be the jerk to put her on the spot or make her feel more nervous than she already was. If I was going to win her over, I was going to have to stay undercover, in a manner of speaking, and get her to fall for me hard so that she wouldn’t judge me when she found out the whole truth.
Jumping into the back of my town car, I had Larry, my driver, take off before she could see. I immediately sent a text to Laura, one of my assistants, to find a low-key, casual but fun restaurant for dinner tomorrow night. I also asked her to find any arts events that were within walking distance of the restaurant.
It had been a long time since I’d been on a date without my car and driver. Mind you, it had been a very long time since I’d been on a date.