Page 22 of A Mutually Beneficial Proposal

Jack drags his dark gaze over to me, appraising my chest and waist before my face. “And you’d be?”

“Jack, this is Ella Danes,” Owen answers for me.

“Well, Ella. You could have only landed yourself a better date if I’d gotten my hands on you first,” Jack says with a wink.

It takes every effort I possess to prevent a sneer from appearing on my face. This man is even worse than my thoughts had briefly conjured while I’d been getting ready.

I take a breath, finding my calm before speaking, and lean my head on Owen’s shoulder. “I don’t know about that, Jack. Owen came to me shirtless and with a tantalizing offer I just couldn’t refuse. That’s pretty hard to beat.”

Two of the men next to us make unnatural sounds at my comment, and one or more of the women gasps. However, Jack seems to be well-versed in word combat and he’s not backing down.

“A real man doesn’t need to spend hours in the gym to tantalize a woman, Ella,” he replies, giving my body another slow onceover.

The acid in my mouth burns when it’s forced back down my throat, but I manage to plaster a smile to my face. “I guess that depends on the woman.”

Jack cocks his head. “I guess so.”

Owen shifts uncomfortably. “We’re going to grab drinks. Does anyone need anything?”

Jack is still staring at me, and nobody answers Owen. I’ve once again made things worse, but this time I couldn’t care less.