Page 36
Story: Billion-Dollar Dating Game
‘You revise deals all the time. It’s a normal part of business.’
‘Right.’ He huffed a breath. ‘Well, revision works both ways. You want an amendment, then I get one too.’
She hesitated and looked at him warily. ‘What amendment do you want?’
‘You’ve sprung this on me. I need a little time to figure it out. I’ll let you know.’
She shook her head. He was quick, he could come up with something here and now. ‘I can’t agree if I don’t know the details.’
‘You’re going tohaveto trust me—more than just being honest.’ He suddenly smiled. ‘That’s the real challenge, isn’t it.’
‘As if it isn’t for you?’
Ignoring the passers-by on the street, he stepped in even closer and lowered his head towards hers. The intimacy seared—it might as well only be the two of them in the world. She was certain he was about to kiss her—indeed, as he spoke, his lips almost, almost brushed hers.
‘You want your learning journey, Skylar? All you have to do is say yes.’
CHAPTER TEN
SKYLARSTRUGGLEDTOBREATHE. Her pretty rented dress was short. She had only a thin slip beneath it and a tiny scrap of silk beneath that. But she was still too hot and she couldn’t release enough of her nervous energy either. She’d said yes, of course, but this wasn’t the straight-to-bed evening she’d secretly been aching for. He’d brought her to dinner at one of those restaurants that you needed to book a year in advance. Unless you were a young billionaire with half the internet following your every move. Then you could just walk in and be given the best table. And waste a whole lot of time. All she wanted was to be alone with him. In bed. Now that she’d said yes, Skylar was appallingly impatient.
‘You want to share some mini plates?’ he muttered.
She nodded. ‘You pick.’
She watched him study the menu. It took an age—and all she did was note how his dark shirt and trousers emphasised his handsome features. He was stunningly good-looking. But it was the gleam in his eyes and the twitch at the corner of his mouth that got her the most.
He was good-humoured. And a tease.
Eventually the dishes he’d selected arrived—plate after plate of small snacks. So many plates. She nibbled to be polite. To pass the too slowly ticking time. To her surprise, he picked as little as she did, before he suddenly pushed his plate away and vehemently sighed. She arched her eyebrows at him.
‘I’m not hungry,’ he growled in answer.
‘Then why did you order all this food?’ She gestured at the laden table.
He rolled his shoulders. ‘I was trying to distract myself.’
‘From...?’
He shot her a sizzling look.
‘We didn’t need to come out to dinner,’ she said quietly.
He released another massive sigh. ‘Yes, we did.’
She’d forgotten about the public aspect to their dates. ‘Well, now what?’ she asked, seeing as dinner was done for them both. ‘Should we go to a club?’
‘No.’
‘You don’t want to go dancing?’
‘I really want to dance with you,’ he ground out. ‘Just not in public.’
‘Aren’t we supposed to be seen in public? Aren’t we here right now for the photos that waiter is surreptitiously taking?’
‘No,’ he contradicted her shortly. ‘We’re here to slow down.’
‘To...what?’
‘Right.’ He huffed a breath. ‘Well, revision works both ways. You want an amendment, then I get one too.’
She hesitated and looked at him warily. ‘What amendment do you want?’
‘You’ve sprung this on me. I need a little time to figure it out. I’ll let you know.’
She shook her head. He was quick, he could come up with something here and now. ‘I can’t agree if I don’t know the details.’
‘You’re going tohaveto trust me—more than just being honest.’ He suddenly smiled. ‘That’s the real challenge, isn’t it.’
‘As if it isn’t for you?’
Ignoring the passers-by on the street, he stepped in even closer and lowered his head towards hers. The intimacy seared—it might as well only be the two of them in the world. She was certain he was about to kiss her—indeed, as he spoke, his lips almost, almost brushed hers.
‘You want your learning journey, Skylar? All you have to do is say yes.’
CHAPTER TEN
SKYLARSTRUGGLEDTOBREATHE. Her pretty rented dress was short. She had only a thin slip beneath it and a tiny scrap of silk beneath that. But she was still too hot and she couldn’t release enough of her nervous energy either. She’d said yes, of course, but this wasn’t the straight-to-bed evening she’d secretly been aching for. He’d brought her to dinner at one of those restaurants that you needed to book a year in advance. Unless you were a young billionaire with half the internet following your every move. Then you could just walk in and be given the best table. And waste a whole lot of time. All she wanted was to be alone with him. In bed. Now that she’d said yes, Skylar was appallingly impatient.
‘You want to share some mini plates?’ he muttered.
She nodded. ‘You pick.’
She watched him study the menu. It took an age—and all she did was note how his dark shirt and trousers emphasised his handsome features. He was stunningly good-looking. But it was the gleam in his eyes and the twitch at the corner of his mouth that got her the most.
He was good-humoured. And a tease.
Eventually the dishes he’d selected arrived—plate after plate of small snacks. So many plates. She nibbled to be polite. To pass the too slowly ticking time. To her surprise, he picked as little as she did, before he suddenly pushed his plate away and vehemently sighed. She arched her eyebrows at him.
‘I’m not hungry,’ he growled in answer.
‘Then why did you order all this food?’ She gestured at the laden table.
He rolled his shoulders. ‘I was trying to distract myself.’
‘From...?’
He shot her a sizzling look.
‘We didn’t need to come out to dinner,’ she said quietly.
He released another massive sigh. ‘Yes, we did.’
She’d forgotten about the public aspect to their dates. ‘Well, now what?’ she asked, seeing as dinner was done for them both. ‘Should we go to a club?’
‘No.’
‘You don’t want to go dancing?’
‘I really want to dance with you,’ he ground out. ‘Just not in public.’
‘Aren’t we supposed to be seen in public? Aren’t we here right now for the photos that waiter is surreptitiously taking?’
‘No,’ he contradicted her shortly. ‘We’re here to slow down.’
‘To...what?’
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