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I stare at her, dare her to break the invisible force between our gazes. She doesn’t.
And damn, it’s hot.
Just when I think she may never speak again— “Excuse me?” comes out.
“I’m pretty sure I didn’t stutter.” I again resist the urge to smile, even though I’m sure my eyes are giving me away. “And I’m also sure there’s nothing wrong with your hearing.”
She clears her throat. “I’m not going to bed with you, Mr. Black.”
Yeah, she is. Already I see the signals. Her gaze darts from my eyes to my mouth, and her lips part when she eyes my shoulders. She’s interested.
“Call me Braden.”
She squirms slightly in her seat. Her brown eyes darken slightly to an almost smolder, and I can’t resist creating the image in my mind of her gaze meeting mine right as she climaxes.
It’s difficult, but I resist the urge to adjust my tightening groin.
I stay in control.
Finally, she speaks. “Are you always so blunt?”
“I find it useful in negotiations to lay most of my cards on the table outright.”
“I guess I didn’t realize this was a negotia
tion.”
“Everything’s a negotiation, Skye.”
She looks down, the first to break the laser focus between us. Nice. Her first act of submission. Where there’s smoke…
“This is dinner,” she says, “not a negotiation.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. Think about it. You have a reason for everything you do. You may not think it through, but your subconscious does. For example, you have a reason for accepting my dinner invitation.”
She returns her gaze to mine. “I do? Other than being hungry?”
“You didn’t have to accept my invitation to sate your hunger.” I lick my bottom lip, my mouth suddenly dry at the thought of her sating her hunger on me.
Her eyelids flutter slightly. “What other reason would I have?”
“You tell me.”
“I don’t know. Maybe I want to be seen with you.”
“That’s a crock.” I hold back a scoff.
“How do you know?”
“Because you’re working for Addison Ames. You work behind the scenes. You’re not interested in being seen just for the sake of being seen. You’re interested in furthering your career, and you’re willing to put in the time.”
She clears her throat. “Maybe I want to—”
“Stop this game, Skye. There’s only one reason you accepted, and we both know what it is.” I burn her gaze with mine. “You want to go to bed with me.”
I’m not wrong. I expect resistance. Appreciate it, even. This isn’t a woman who’s interested in my money or my prestige. This is a woman who’s willing to do what it takes to get ahead by working, not fucking. Why else would she have taken a job with Addison Ames? Scrubbing toilets would be more pleasant.
She draws in a breath. “You said you lay most of your cards on the table up-front. Most, not all.”
