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reaction bending her out of shape?

Alex glanced down at the documents. Thumbing through them, she did some quick calculations. It was a substantial sum.

“Admit it,” Charlotte said, having regained her mildly arrogant composure. “You’re impressed, right?”

Glancing up at her, Alex quirked h

er eyebrow.

“Everything in your background screams that you’re not a risk taker,” she said, studying her lovely face. “But o paper you’re brazen . . . and I get the sense you like playing with fire. How am I supposed to determine what’s true?”

Charlotte smirked, but her energy shifted into nervous.

She masked it well but not perfectly.

“Why does it have to be either or? I’m low risk where it counts.” As she spoke, Charlotte’s attention dropped to Alex’s lips. She made no e ort to hide it.

How far was Charlotte willing to go? Alex leaned in unnecessarily close to drop the stack of papers on the desk.

When she did, her chest grazed Charlotte’s arm. She didn’t move an inch.

“Does that mean there’s a place where risks don’t count?” Alex pressed as her pulse quickened.

Licking her lips, Charlotte tilted her head to the side, exposing her long, smooth neck. Alex’s attention fixed on the beauty mark near her collar bone, so like the one near her mouth. “I suppose nothing would qualify as much of a risk if it didn’t count,” she conceded. “How about you, Alex?” Her smirk was hungry. A house cat teasing its prey.

“Do you take risks?”

Alex couldn’t help being amused. This girl had no idea who she was. Alex wasn’t the mouse; she was the panther perched in the trees watching her play. Charlotte was undoubtedly aware of her own beauty. Did she ever use it as a tool? Was she trying to use it on her?

“Risks are a part of life, aren’t they?” Alex returned the question to sender without opening it.

Charlotte smirked. “I didn’t take you for the coy sort. I answered your question. Won’t you answer mine?”

Alex’s skin warmed as her pulse kicked into a trot.

Charlotte wasn’t backing down. How far was she willing to go with the game?

“Did you really answer me?” Alex challenged.

“Better than you answered me,” she replied after a throaty chuckle.

She was right, but Alex wasn’t prepared to admit it.

Glancing at the invoices, she brought the conversation back to the beginning. “Why did you really negotiate new payment terms? Why do you want to impress me?”

Charlotte’s gaze was steady and laser focused, but Alex’s slipped down to her lips and the little beauty mark she found herself wanting to taste. In the low light and in such proximity, she decided Charlotte looked a little like Cindy Crawford. Had anyone ever told her that before? Did she have any idea what House of Style was?

Charlotte’s top lip twitched but she didn’t smile. “This isn’t the first time you’ve asked me something like that. How subpar is your sta if you’re so shocked at my work ethic?”

Charlotte left her lips parted and her head tipped to the side. The international sign for kiss me . Is that what she

wants? The thought sent a new pulse of heat tearing through her body. It didn’t matter what Charlotte wanted; Alex wouldn’t dare. There were too many ways for that to blow up in her face.

“I’ll review these in the morning,” Alex said as she grabbed the papers. “Thank you for your hard work and dedication.” She sat in her chair and rolled under the desk, giving Charlotte no choice but to move or get her toes run over. She picked up a pen and started jotting down some nonsensical notes on a pad.

“Yeah, no problem,” Charlotte replied, obviously bewildered by the sudden change in Alex’s demeanor.

She couldn’t really think anything was going to happen between them, could she? Judging by the open disappointment on Charlotte’s face as she said good night and walked out, she had some unmet expectations.