I slam the door closed.
“That how we’re gonna play it?”
She shrugs. “I’m not playing anything.”
“Good, let’s keep it that way, because I’m not the type you want to fuck with, sweetheart. Last night? Didn’t happen. You work for my company, you’re far too young for me, and most likely, you’ll be long gone from here inside of a year.”
“You good now? Got that off your chest?” She’s back to having her impenetrable facade up. “I have no interest in fucking with you, and you’re what? Maybe 10 years older than me? I don’t have daddy issues, Tyler, so my guess is, I’m not your type. Now can we get back to business for a minute before you leave, or is there some other vague threat you want to toss at me?”
I run my tongue over my teeth so I don’t grab her and finish what we started last night. I’ve known this woman less than 24 hours, and already I feel myself losing my grip on reality around her.
“You’ve got two minutes.”
“I’m sure you’re used to saying that to women.”
I can’t hold back my chuckle. “There’s that tongue again,” I mutter, but she just carries on.
“A few months ago, when Trent and I first started coming up with this campaign, he sent me a photo of you.”
I furrow my brows. “Why?”
“Because he saw what my vision was and knew you’d be perfect for it. I took that photo and did a poll of more than 1 million followers on social media, and you beat out 11 other guys by 94%.” She says each word slowly and emphatically.
“You might not think that’s anything big, but trust me, it’s huge. The people have spoken, Tyler, and they want you as the face of the Slade empire. And you’re actually a Slade, so honestly, it would be crazy to hire a random model for it.”
She’s not wrong there, but still, this is all too much. She must see it on my face, because she reaches out and places her delicate fingers on my hand that’s still resting on the door handle.
“If you promise to think about it, you don’t have to take me on that date tonight.”
I roll my eyes. “That wasn’t going to happen anyway.”
“Yeah, I figured. Wouldn’t be the first time someone stood me up.”
I give her a sideways look. “You’ve been stood up before? Hard to believe.”
“Why? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You know, you don’t have to be so defensive all the time. It just means that a woman who looks like you . . .” I stop myself as my eyes do that thing again where they slowly climb her body.
“A woman who looks like me what?”
The warm smile and the way her eyes go soft remind me to rein it in.
“Nothing. I’m late for the auction.” I pull my door open and climb inside. “I promise I’ll think about it.” I reach for the handle to pull the door shut when I see a small, satisfied smile spread across her lips, and it makes me pause. “Was this your plan?”
Her smile fades slightly. “My plan?”
“Throwing yourself at me at the fest last night. Make me think you’re into me so I’ll be more agreeable to your request?”
“You think you’re being agreeable?” she scoffs but doesn’t answer the question. I hook an eyebrow at her. “No, that wasn’t my plan, and for the record, I didn’t throw myself at you.”
“You begged me for a date. I’d say that’s some pretty hard throwing.”
“Don’t you have an auction to get to?” She rolls her eyes and crosses her arms across her chest, narrowing her gaze at me. “I can promise you one thing, Mr. Slade. I’ve never begged a man for anything and I never will.”
Fuck me.
If she only knew all the ways I’ve already imagined her begging. I bite down on my tongue to keep from saying something that will embarrass both of us. I chuckle under my breath.
“You’ve never met a man like me before, Miss Dyer.”
I shut the door and start the truck. Almost made it out of here without this damn woman getting under my skin.
Almost.