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His direct approach was crude and alluring at the same time, leaving me squirming in my seat—and not because I was offended, but because it was so hot. An ache began to form between my thighs, and the devil on my shoulder started doing fist pumps in the air.

Alexander allowed his gaze to drift lazily over me, causing excited butterflies to dance in my belly. I was thrilled he was back to his usual, salacious self. But even so, I still had to be cautious. He was dangerous, and I was like a moth to a flame. I had to ease into this gradually or risk being burned.

“Mixing business with pleasure is risky. What happens if things don’t work out with us personally?” I asked. “I don’t want to end up jobless and back to square one.”

“We’re both adults, Krystina. And as long as we keep it casual, I don’t think we’ll have an issue with managing our business dealings.”

“Well, I don’t do casual sex if that’s what you’re after. I think two people should at least date a few times before jumping into bed,” I replied evenly, proud I was able to keep the tremor out of my voice despite my racing heart.

“That’s very unfortunate,” he said, shaking his head.

“Why is that?”

“I don’t date, Krystina. It tends to complicate things that are much better off kept simple.”

Bullshit.

“Then explain the hundreds of redheads you’re constantly photographed with,” I spat out, a little too harshly. It was a gut reaction, a defensive move based on instinct, and I fought the urge to slap a hand over my mouth. I heard the level of contempt in my voice and regretted it almost immediately.

This was not going the way I had planned, even if I was just winging it. I was the one to start this line of conversation. Being a bitch every time he said something I didn’t like would get me nowhere.

“I must say, your own background check on me wasn’t very accurate,” he pointed out. His mouth twitched like he was trying to hold back a smile.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t have a slew of connected people on my payroll. I had to make do with my trusty friend Google,” I scoffed, though I was thoroughly embarrassed my slip up had inadvertently revealed I had researched him.

“You shouldn’t believe all the filth that can be found online,” he said, showing a hint of disgust beneath his calm demeanor. There was a cool gleam in his eyes, and his jaw tightened. “The things you’ve seen or heard about me are based on pure speculation. I’m a wealthy man, and I am expected to attend numerous functions, many of which require a date. I’m not sure if the two redheads you saw pictures of could classify as hundreds, but either way, they were mere acquaintances.”

“So, you didn’t sleep with either of them?” I questioned, not that it should matter one little iota. After all, I had already committed myself to no personal details. But those curvy redheads were definitely more than tempting with their come-hither smiles, and I was compelled to know the answer nonetheless.

“The answer to that is completely irrelevant, but I’ll indulge in your curiosities. No, I did not fuck either woman,” he admitted. His change of verbiage did little to help the trust factor. He must have sensed my disbelief because he let out a long sigh, then adapted a more placating tone. “You can think what you want, but I have very little in common with those women. Their needs are very different from mine. I’m a man with a variety of sexual interests, Krystina. Knowing that about myself, I deliberately stay away from women who don’t share my desires and adhere to the rules I’ve set for myself. There are no false pretenses that way.”

Rules?

I wasn’t that far removed from the dating scene. He made his sexual exploitations sound like business arrangements.

“You know what? Forget I even asked. You make it all sound so damned complicated,” I muttered, shaking my head.

“It’s not complicated at all—at least it wasn’t until I met you. For some odd reason, I find myself breaking many of my rules when it comes to you.”

“Such as?”

“Well, take tonight, for example. I just told you I don’t do the dating thing, yet here we are. This is, in many ways, a date—and well out of the norm for me.”

“Is that why you keep referring to tonight as a meeting? Dating isn’t in your rule book?” I asked tauntingly, rolling my eyes at him. “I mean, really. Even if you only go out with someone once, you have to have some sort of relevant conversation before jumping into bed. That’s what defines a date. You can’t just walk up to a girl and say, ‘Hey baby, let’s fuck.’ It doesn’t work like that.”

“Don’t be crude, Krystina.”

“My, my. Aren’t you the pot calling the kettle black?”

The right corner of his mouth twitched again, showing me he was fighting back a smile. However, I wasn’t finding this conversation even remotely humorous. It was frustrating.

Scraping the last bit of food around on my plate, I processed everything he had told me over dinner. The plan that I had begun to construct in my head was turning into a complete flop. This was never going to work. He had made so many mysterious implications tonight—rules, privacy, undefined sexual preferences. Whenever I thought he was being forthright, he would say something that would throw me for a loop.

Am I really that naïve? What is he trying to tell me?

One thing was certain—if I wanted to explore this thing between us, whatever it might be, there would be no testing the waters. But before I dove in head first, I needed some straight answers from him.

“Look, Alex. I’m not entirely sure why I decided to meet you tonight. The longer I sit here, the more I’m convinced this is all a bad idea. So please, give it to me straight. What exactly do you want? And no more guessing games, or else I walk,” I asserted.