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  “Oh, whatever, like it’s so hard to do.” I dismissed his comment because of the anger coursing through me.

  “Now look here princess, I’m very good at my job, and you wouldn’t survive a day doing what I do,” he spat out, his blue eyes suddenly a darker shade. Like the color of clouds before a storm.

  “And you wouldn’t survive a day doing what I do,” I refuted, tartly. “Don’t flatter yourself into thinking you would.”

  We were both breathing heavily by now, and our chests were pressed against each other, adrenaline coursing through our veins. I was suddenly aware of how painfully close we were, and how difficult it was to discern the difference between being angry at him and being attracted to him.

  Was it possible I was feeling both at the same time?

  His eyes flickered down, and I found my tongue darting out to lick my lips briefly. He watched the movement, his entire body poised like a panther about to strike.

  “Nia,” a voice called out from somewhere, but I ignored it. My entire body seemed to be rooted to the spot, and I was unable to move.

  “Nia!” The voice was a lot more incessant this time, and I tore my gaze away to find Heidi standing at the entrance with her arms crossed over her shoulder and an amused look on her face.

  I shook my head and blinked rapidly to clear whatever spell I was under, and I instinctively stepped backwards, needing as much distance between us as possible.

  “What’s wrong?” My voice sounded dazed and confused as I was underwater or something.

  “Renee and his crew want to run something by you,” Heidi said. “I can tell them you’re busy.”

  “No, that’s okay.” My feet propelled me forward of their own accord. “Heidi this is Mr. Donovan.”

  He held out his hand gave her a warm smile. “Jesse Donovan, nice to meet you.”

  “I’m Heidi, likewise. You work for Mrs. Montgomery, too?”

  “It’s my first time actually. It’s not what I expected at all.”

  I could feel his eyes burning holes into the side of my face, but I refused to look at him for fear that my facial expressions would give me away.

  “Let’s go see about Renee,” I said, tightly. I began to push Heidi forward without pausing to look back, and she tried to dig her heels in as she waved at Jesse weakly.

  “What are you doing? He’s gorgeous!” Heidi protested as I looped my arm through hers and practically dragged her forward.

  “He’s also bad news.”

  “How do you know that? You can’t have been talking to him for that long.”

  “I wasn’t, but I know enough,” I responded as we weaved our way in and out of the staff of people who were diligently attending to their work like I should be.

  “Enough to know that you want to jump his bones, right?” Heidi elbowed me. “You’re running away from a man like that, seriously?”

  “Heidi, trust me, the man thinks event planning is beneath him,” I mumbled, distractedly. “Why would I go on a date with a man like that?”

  “Are you sure he meant it that way?” Heidi sounded so disappointed that I wanted to laugh. She barely knew the man, but she wanted to defend him.

  “I confronted him, so yeah, I know what I’m talking about,” I informed her as we rounded a corner where Renee and his crew were hard at work. He gave me a questioning look and pointed at the swan.

  I swept my gaze over it critically before I gave him two thumbs up. He pretended to wipe his brow in relief as he turned to talk to his boys.

  “Is that what you were talking about?” Heidi sounded skeptical.

  I turned my gaze on her. “What else did you think we were talking about?”

  “I don’t know, it looked pretty cozy from where I was standing.” Heidi waggled her eyebrows suggestively. “You two were practically undressing each other with your eyes.”

  “We were not,” I objected, weakly.

  Who was I kidding though?

  I was thinking about his mouth on mine two seconds before Heidi interrupted, and if we had stayed like that, I would’ve caved. Shamelessly, I would’ve thrown myself at him. I wouldn’t have minded in the least bit that I was draped all over him in a place where I work.

  “Uh-huh, keep telling yourself that, but damn, honey, you should’ve seen the look on his face.”

  “What look?” I asked, in a small voice not sure that I wanted to know. It was one thing to have my fantasies where I assume he feels the same, but it was another to hear that it wasn’t even remotely close to the truth.

  Heidi looked left then right as if she was about to tell some sort of state secret. Finally, she leaned her head close to my ear and mouthed. “He looked like he was about to eat you up.”

  “Be serious Heidi, I think you spend too much time reading erotica.” I rolled my eyes at her.

  “Nia, I’ve been happily dating the same guy for over a year, and I know what that look means. Trust me, if I hadn’t interrupted, he might as well have thrown you over his shoulder and had his way with you.”

  I laughed. “What makes you think he is that type of guy?”

  “Tall, ruggedly handsome, and with eyes the color of a deep ocean? Honey, he might as well have walked off the pages of a dirty novel.”

  Chapter 3

  She wasn’t right.

  She couldn’t possibly be.

  The part where he wanted me, that is.

  The other half of her statement, I was more inclined to agree with. He did look like he walked fresh off the pages of a toe curling erotica. What can I say?

  Heidi wasn’t the only one who indulged.

  Some of them were so poorly written, I would cringe the whole way through, but every so often, I’d come across a really good one, and it would leave me breathless in all the right ways.

  I had no idea what it was about women and erotica that made them mix well together, but I wasn’t about to go questioning it. I enjoyed it as much as the next person.

  In any case, it wasn’t what I was supposed to be thinking about.

  Why would a guy who was as attracted to me as I was to him demean my job like that? Was it some kind of ploy to get me to like him? Like reverse psychology or whatever.

  If it was, he’d seriously screwed up.

  His chances had dropped dramatically the second he opened his mouth and started bad mouthing event planners. That was a sealed deal for me. I’d like to think I was pretty tolerant of a lot of things, but arrogance just wasn’t something I could get past.

  I had more self-respect than that.

  Even if it had been too long since I’d been with a man, and he made my blood boil just by looking at me. I scowled as I swung the refrigerator door open and yanked out a tub of ice cream. I began shoveling it in my mouth as I leaned against the counter and sighed.

  The rest of the event had thankfully gone off without a hitch, and I hadn’t seen Jesse Donovan for the rest of the night. Not that I was looking or anything, but it seemed odd that he wasn’t around hacking or whatever.

  I did overhear some of the female staffers gushing about how hot he was, and I had to keep from rolling my eyes at them. They sounded like a bunch of high school girls gushing over the start quarterback, but who was I kidding?

  I’d probably be doing the same if he hadn’t turned out to be a colossal jackass.

  Even then, I couldn’t deny his good looks.

  And damn those eyes.

  He could probably get women to drop their panties on the spot with just one heated look. The man practically oozed sex appeal, and I had fallen for it, hook, line and sinker.

  As I was leaving, I thought I spotted him out of the corner of my eye, but he ducked his head and left before I could be sure. It shouldn’t matter anyway. I had nothing to say to him, and I’m sure he had nothing to say to me.

  It was good that he ducked out when he did because I was starting to like him up until his comment, and I might’ve even made a move or something. I didn’t trust myself right now, that much was clear.

  Traitorous body.

  “Why are you spearing the ice cream?” Heidi asked as she stepped into the kitchen, barefoot and in a shirt that was just past her knees. Her hair was tousled, and she had that sleepy satisfied look on her face that came when one was satiated.

  I heaved a sigh. “I’m not. Did I make too much noise?”

  Heidi hopped onto the counter and dug her spoon in. “Don’t worry, you didn’t. Roy wore me out.”

  “I didn’t know Roy was here today.”

  “Yeah, you were out of it when we got home, and you seemed pretty tired, so we were careful not to make noise.”

  I smirked. “You two not make noise? You practically wrote the book because of how loud you can be.”

  Heidi flushed. “We’re not that loud, come on.”

  “Uh-huh, okay. How about I just record it next time as proof? Not that I need any more reminders seared into my brain,” I teased.

  They really were a good couple, though. Roy worked at a tech company, managing their software. He was tall with dark blonde hair, but more importantly, he adored Heidi.

  He treated her like a goddess, and she adored him right back. It was hard to compete with that, and I’ll admit being around that all the time made me want to hold out for that.

  Which is why I was doomed.

  It was hard to find a love like that, even harder to maintain, and with my luck, I might not even get anywhere close. I’d dated a compulsive liar, a serial dater, a commitment phobe, and a man who was very much into mind games.

  Only one of them had actual potential, and he turned tail and ran when things started getting serious.

  It was hard to figure out where
the problem was, but after a while, I realized that I needed to stop dating people based on potential, and start based on facts. That had made the numbers dwindle, but it was better for me in the long term.

  That way I could weed out the ones who just wanted to mess around.

  “Hey, how did it go with that guy you went on a date with the other night?”

  “It went fine with Aiden, I guess, or at least I thought it did, but he hasn’t called me, so I’m not sure,” I pursed my lips as I cast my mind back.

  “Are you sure you didn’t just miss his call?” Heidi asked hopefully as she swung her legs back and forth.

  “I’m confused. I thought you were rooting for the hacker.”

  “Rooting? You make me sound like a fangirl?”

  “You can be,” I pointed out as I eyed her over the spoon of ice cream.

  “Who’s to say you can’t have fun with both until you figure out which one you want?” Heidi waggled her eyebrows as she gave me a Cheshire grin.

  “You make it sound like they’re both beating down the door.”

  “They could be pretty soon. Based on what I’ve seen with Jesse, this isn’t the last we’ve seen him. Now, I have no idea about Aiden, but he’s a musician, and you know what they say about musicians and their hands.”

  I made a gagging noise. “How do you manage to make everything sound dirty?”

  “It’s a talent few people possess,” Heidi boasted as she puffed out her chest. “Watch and learn young grasshopper, I can teach you.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “How to be dirty minded? I think we’ve already got you to cover that aspect.”

  “But having two dirty minded people can be so much fun,” Heidi complained. “Come on, turning anything I say into something suggestive is a blast, don’t you want to try it out?”

  I leaned my hip against the edge of the counter and smirked. “I bet you can’t make anything dirty.”

  “I’ll bet you the dishes for a week,” Heidi challenged as she crossed her arms over her chest and gazed at me expectantly.

  “You’re on. Alright, let’s see.”

  Hmm.

  I needed to make this hard for her because I had actually seen her ability to do that on the spot, and she was good. I just had to figure out how take her down at her own game.

  I frowned as I found myself drawing a blank.

  Meanwhile, Heidi was on the counter continuing to swing her legs and looking as smug as ever while I continued to struggle.

  “Problems?” Heidi asked, sweetly.

  “This is harder than I thought,” I admitted as I blew a strand of hair out of my face.

  “Told ya,” Heidi pointed out. “So you can try to salvage your pride by admitting defeat now or later. It’s up to you.”

  “It’s not over yet,” I retaliated as I held up my spoon in her face.

  Heidi held up her hands in mock surrender. “Wooo, threatening me with a spoon? What are you going to do? Throw ice cream at me?”

  “How did I get stuck with such a childish roommate?” I asked out loud.

  “Hey, you love me anyway.”

  “Eh.” I shrugged as she playfully punched my shoulders.

  “Oh, by the way, we have a new client,” Heidi said, suddenly. “I wanted to tell you, but I completely forgot.”

  “Already?” I was surprised. Usually when I did a big event like this, there was a lull before the next client, and it gave us time to recharge before diving right in.

  “Yeah, she said she heard about you, and she’d like you to plan her daughter’s birthday.”

  I placed my head between my hands and groaned. “Not another little girl’s party. Not after what happened today.”

  “Don’t worry this one doesn’t sound as uptight,” Heidi assured me. “I can screen her if you want, and if we have a Mrs. Montgomery 2.0, we can pass. We did good with the last one, so we can afford it.”

  I started making noises in the back of my throat as I debated if that was the right thing to do. It certainly wasn’t professional, but a person was allowed to have moments like that every now and again.

  “I’ll get her on the phone tomorrow and see if I can figure out what she wants then make a decision,” I said, finally.

  “I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist the challenge.” Heidi hopped off the counter, handed me the tub of ice cream and sashayed towards the direction of her bedroom. “Enjoy your erotica while thinking of those two fine men.”

  “I’m not thinking of the two men,” I half whispered, half yelled.

  “Sure, sure.”

  “I hate you,” I scowled.

  “I love you too, Nia.” She chuckled as she closed the door behind her.

  ***

  “She’s a huge Doctor Who fan,” My client admitted sheepishly as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She was a petite blonde with freckles over her nose and brown eyes. Overall, I liked her. She seemed like the easygoing mom, the fun type that kids loved to be around.

  But, I was still trying to figure her out.

  “Your ten-year-old is a Doctor Who fan?” I asked, surprise coloring my voice. “I didn’t know kids that age knew the show.”

  Marlisee, my client, threw her head back and laughed. “I know, right? But her Dad and I are huge fans. It’s actually how we met. We’re both Whovians.”

  “Coincidentally, so am I,” I confided. “I think I know what to do with this.”

  She looked ecstatic when I said that. “Excellent, so when can I expect you at the house?”

  “Tomorrow at say noon?”

  “Perfect.”

  ***

  “I’m so sorry I’m late, Aiden,” I apologized as I slid into the booth across from him and sighed. He was dressed in a polo shirt and a pair of jeans that suited him, and he looked mildly concern as he gave me a small smile.

  “That’s alright. Is everything okay?”

  “Yeah, work emergency.”

  I slid my jacket off and adjusted the straps on my top as I smiled up at him. “How was your day?”

  Tonight, I decided to wear a knee length flowing skirt, and a flowery top that complimented it. I knew I made the right decision when I saw Aiden eye me appreciatively.

  “It was good. The corporate world is crazy.” He clasped his hands in front of him as he gave me an easy smile. “So, what would you like to order?”

  “I’m not sure what’s good here.”

  “If you’re a meat fan, the steak is really good,” he offered as he signaled the waiter.

  “That sounds good. Can you order for me while I go to the restroom?” I stood up and grabbed my purse.

  “Sure.”

  I gave him a quick smile as I squeezed in between the waiters and headed towards the restroom. What happened next seemed to be in slow motion. One minute, I was a few steps away from the restroom, and the next, a waiter tripped in front of me and spilled the contents of the plate all over the front of my blouse.

  “I’m so sorry, Miss,” he stammered apologetically as he stared in horror.

  I looked down in dismay. “It’s fine. These things happen.”

  The waiter began panicking as his head swiveled left then right, no doubt looking for his manager who would skin him alive if he knew this happened. I gave his shoulder a quick pat.

  “Don’t worry about it, seriously. No one needs to know.”

  I wasn’t going to get him in trouble because of my blouse. It was just a silly piece of fabric, and he was a person. Besides, waiters were the most underrated people in the world. It took real dignity to serve people and put up with the crap they had to put up with.

  He shot me a grateful look as he insisted on helping me out.

  I waved his comments away and headed towards the bathroom. I grimaced as I stared at the mirror. It wasn’t that bad, but I definitely couldn’t keep the top on. I had a crop top on underneath, but it would expose my midriff and my belly button piercing, which I wasn’t in the habit of doing, but I saw no other choice.

  It was either that or smell like spaghetti and meatballs for the rest of the night. I chucked my top off, pumped some soap into my hands and began to hand wash my top. Once I was satisfied the stain was at least partially gone, I switched on the dryer and began the laborious process of airing out the blouse.