Chapter 8
CHASE
Irefuse to let Ivy Bloom get to me.
Will I be able to successfully ignore everything about her that makes my body throb?
God, I hope so.
It’s not just her knockout looks or that innocent sex appeal she brandishes like an unconcealed weapon. But the fact that she doesn’t seem to be fazed by me—Chase Hunter—well, that’s a turn on.
How one woman can so quickly consume my thoughts, is beyond me; especially after I spent only a few hours with her last night.
Yet, from now on, I’m treating this as nothing more than a business transaction. Our arrangement is simply that—an arrangement. And once the assignment has been fulfilled, it’s bon voyage, nice knowing you.
“Mr. Hunter?” Lottie calls me through the intercom. “There’s an Ivy Bloom here to see you, sir. She, um, says you’re expecting her. Shall I show her in?”
I glance at my watch. 10 a.m.Right on time.
Last night, the two of us ended dinner after dessert and were both too worn out and full to carry on. So I asked her to meet me here today, at my office, in hopes we’d be able to finish sorting out the details of our impending…production.
“Yes, Lottie. Please show Ms. Bloom in.”
I rise from the desk chair and readily scan my reflection in the floor-to-ceiling mirrored wall. Indigo Armani jacket; black dress shirt and tie; blue, purposely-faded, jeans; and my favorite pair of Salvatore Ferragamo shoes.
No wonder she called me stuffy. Quickly, I lose the tie, toss it into my desk drawer, and undo the top two buttons of my dress shirt, believing that’s enough to kill Mr. Stuffy.
Lottie swings my office door open, an amused look painted all over her face. “Here you are, Ms. Bloom. Would you like coffee? Tea? Water?”
Ivy steps in, looking like a slice of heaven in a white, form-fitting pantsuit. Instinct makes me glance to the ceiling and silently pray for strength to keep my eyes, along with my fast-growing heart rate, in check.
This is a business transaction.That will likely be my pitiful mantra for the next several days.
The words, “I think I’m good, Mrs. Adams. Thank you for offering,” part from Ivy’s heart-shaped lips, painted the same color as her sexy stilettos. All I can think of is how it would be to kiss them. Her lips that is, not the high heels.
Lottie’s dark browns crash-land on me like a hawk vetting its prey. She mouths,very pretty, as she backs out of my office, slowly bringing the door to a close.
With high heels noticeably hitting the marble-tiled floor, Ivy takes a few steps toward me. She’s a tall glass of water: long, lean, with miles and miles of curves I’d love to hug. She tugs a loose strand of hair behind her ear and produces a mind-blowing, feisty, smirk. “Shall I have a seat? Or are we gonna conduct this meeting standing face-to-face.”
I cough into my fist. “Oh, yes. Please, have a seat,” I say, jerking my chin in the direction of the chair facing my desk. “And thank you for coming here today. This really shouldn’t take long. We were able to iron out several details last night.”
She sits, legs crossed, and I settle down into my chair, the mantrabusiness transactionplaying on repeat in my head.
“So, where did we leave off?” I rock back and forth in my seat, biting the tip of a ballpoint pen.
Ivy removes the file folder out of her purse. “We left off at Evelyn having a British accent.”
I laugh. “At least that will add a spark of fun to this whole thing.”
Her eyebrows hitch up. “You don’t think this will be fun?”
“Lying to my mom and dad isn’t something I view as fun, Ms. Bloom.”
She taps her fingernails along the folder and I notice her nail color is red today instead of yesterday’s pink. “You do realize the ball is in your court, right? It’s not too late for you to back out, change course, and come clean.” She pauses, head tilted, her eyes assessing me. “Or we can embrace this, and have fun pretending to be a happily engaged couple.”
“I’ll accept the latter. So let’s get our ducks in a row and pull off an award-worthy performance.” I sit up in my chair, turn off my computer to ward off any distractions. “Okay, what’s next?”
“What kind of food does your dream bride love to eat? You know, is she a meat lover or a vegan?”
