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“Most people think it’s a nice problem to have. It’s not. I get so beat down by people who judge me by my looks.” Crossing her legs casually, Candy leaned forward and rested an elbow on the bar to casually dangle her hand an inch above Dax’s knee. “That’s why I signed up with EA International. I can’t meet men the traditional way.”
Her body language screamed I’m into you. The benefit of understanding human psychology—people rarely surprised him. And Candy was legit. He’d stake his life on it.
“I get that. Who wants to meet someone in a crowded bar, knowing they only came up and talked to you because of your face?” Dax sipped his wine and realized somewhere along the way, he’d actually relaxed. He was on a date with a nice, attractive woman and they had several things in common. It was comfortable ground. “You like football?”
“Sure. It’s mindless, you know? Easy to follow.”
He did know. That was why he liked it, too. Wakefield Media took 99 percent of his gray matter on a regular basis; it was fantastic to veg out on Sundays, the one day a week he didn’t focus on work. “We should catch a game sometime.”
Elise might very well be legit, too. Candy was exactly his type, almost to the letter. Dax’s neck went a little hot. Wasn’t that an interesting turnabout? People in general might not surprise him, but Elise almost never failed to.
“I’d like that.” Candy smiled widely enough to display a mouthful of expensively capped teeth. “Tailgating is my favorite part. It’s like a six-hour party every Saturday and Sunday.”
Dax liked a good party. But six-hour parties...every Saturday and Sunday? “You watch college ball too?”
“I guess. Is that who plays on Sundays? I forget which one is which. I, um, actually don’t watch the game most of the time.” Laughing, she shook her head carefully so that strands of hair brushed her bare shoulders and drew attention to her cleavage simultaneously. It was impressive. And it was his turn to give her some signals in kind. He knew this dance well.
Candy’s phone beeped. His was on silent, which he considered an unbreakable date rule. Obviously she didn’t subscribe to it.
“Oh, pardon me,” she tittered in that fake way designed to make it seem like an accident her phone wasn’t off, when it was anything but. “I have to check in with my friend so she knows you didn’t slip something in my drink and drag me ino a dark alley.”
“No problem.”
Okay, she got a pass on that one. It did make sense to be safe.
As she thumbed back a reply and then another one, Dax glanced at his own phone while his date texted with her girlfriend.
He had a couple of texts himself. As Candy was still facedown in her phone—likely sending messages to her female posse about Dax with the words “delish” and “rich” in all caps—he glanced at his own messages. They were both from Elise and, for some reason, that made him grin.
How’s it going?
Must be going well since you’re not answering.
His smile widened as he responded: She’s great.
And left it at that. Elise could wait for her full report. While Candy finished texting what must be half the female population of Dallas, Dax sipped his wine and amused himself by imagining a certain matchmaker cooling her jets as she waited for additional details. Which he wasn’t going to give her until he was good and ready.
* * *
Elise sat on her hands so she couldn’t tap out a reply. Dax was on a date with Candy and she had no business bothering him with inane text messages.
But there was so much riding on this. Of all the women in her database, Candace Waters had the best shot at keeping Dax from vilifying Elise’s company. Well, and obviously she wanted Candy to find the love of her life too. Dax was charming, sinfully hot even with his clothes on, and quick on the draw with that intelligent sense of humor. What wasn’t to like? If you were into that kind of man, which Candy totally should be.
But what if Dax didn’t like Candy? “She’s great” didn’t really say a whole lot, but then they’d only just met. Elise had to give them both a chance to find out more about each other and trust the process that she herself had created.
To keep her hands busy, she tried typing up copy for an ad campaign that needed to go out immediately. January was just around the corner, which was traditionally a demanding time for EA International. The one-two punch of Christmas and then Valentine’s Day got people motivated to find someone special.
