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But it was how he looked at me that absolutely demolished me.
It felt like being under a microscope, but in a way that made my skin heat and my cheeks flush. Like he could discover anything and everything he’d want to if he justlookedlong enough.
I should have insisted we did this in public.
“Have a seat,” he offered, his lip lifting up at one side.
“This is strictly business,” I insisted, hardening my voice. But my feet didn’t want to fucking move.
“I was under no impression that it wasn’t,” he laughed. One hand shot out toward the chair across from him as an offer, and I swallowed, nodding my acceptance.
I shouldn’t have needed that offer to move, but for some reason, my body decided it worked on his command alone. I stepped across the marble and onto the plush carpet that covered the floor beneath the seating area, sinking into the soft chair he’d pointed out.
If I was going to get through this, I needed to shut everything down. All of it, every bit of whatever wanted to come out. Ineeded to be cold. I needed to put on my professional mask, get this done, and then get the hell out.
I slipped my binder out of my bag and opened it to the questionnaire Emily had filled in. “How accurate is what you told Emily?”
His mouth popped open as he chuckled. “Is that her name?” he asked, shifting until he was leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. “It’s accurate. I didn’t hold back.”
I sighed and looked down at the first page of notes. I hadn’t even looked at it once—I’d managed to keep myself from giving in to my curiosity for weeks, but here and now, I had toreadit.
Some of it was obvious—things like being interested in women, his job, his position, his primary location. The fact that he lived inthisbuilding was a little bit of a surprise, coupled with the exact figure of his income that made me realize that spending sixty-five grand on a dance with me was a drop in the ocean for him. It made my eye twitch regardless.
But then there were other things, things that I wouldn’t have known, things that made me stop and fully read his answers.
Favorite thing to do outside of work?Spend time with my son, Lucas.
Favorite season?Winter. The lights, the Christmas markets, the chill, the snow. All of it. Even the worst parts, when Christmas is over, and it’s the dead part of the season.
Favorite music genre?Classical, indie, and pop. No, I won’t explain.
What is the first thing you look for in a partner?A pulse. (I’m sorry, Ava, he wouldn’t give me another answer. -Em)
What is your favorite thing in your life?Lucas.
Ideal date?A night at an art museum, finished with a glass of wine on my sailboat.
“Something wrong?”
I swallowed and lifted my gaze from the sheet. “No,” I lied. I just hadn’t been expecting that last one. “There are a few things that Emily didn’t get to when she interviewed you.”
“You mean when she pretended to be you?” His smirk nearly made me break my pen in half.
“I don’t know how relevant these will be considering you don’t actually care that much who you end up with, but I’d rather know and try to accommodate you,” I continued. I wasn’t going to give his question the time of day. “Do you have a preference on a?—”
“Idocare who I end up with,” he interjected. “Just because I don’t want some fantastical love story out of this doesn’t mean I don’t want to find someone I’ll be happy spending at least the next ten years with, if not more.”
My lip twitched into a scowl. I’d never been good at hiding what I was feeling, but I tried regardless, covering my mouth with the back of my hand.
“Hit a nerve?”
“I just don’t understand why you’re talking about it like that,” I snapped. “‘Some fantastical love story’. You make it sound like that’s something to turn your nose up at, like you’re better than other people for not wanting that.” I jotted down the phrase “fantastical love story”and put a giant X over it.
“I don’t think I’m better than other people for not wanting to fuck around with the silly idea oftrue love.”
I let him see the scowl that time. “See, you did it again. Silly idea. True love.Do you not hear that? Are you that dense? I’m not sayingtruelove is a real thing, butlovesurely is, and you’re acting as though I’m stupid for thinking that.”
His jaw hardened as he looked at me, a sea of piercing blue staring me down. “Ask me about my preferences, Ava.”
