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My breath was shaky when I hung up. Holy hell. How could a simple phone call leave me all out of sorts like this? So on edge?
I had no idea what to expect tomorrow. Maybe he’d be just as much of an ass as he’d been in his office and make the decision not to take him on as a client an easy one.
Chapter Four
Reid
The laps cooled me off, helped clear my mind. I’d never been a gym rat, though I did cycle every afternoon, but I loved swimming. By the time I’d finished my three miles, I was cutting it close. I’d lost track of time. I rushed back to the penthouse and had just finished buttoning my jeans when the receptionist called.
“Reid, Ms. Connor just got in the elevator.”
“Thank you.”
The ding of the elevator sounded a few seconds later. I sucked in a breath when Hailey Connor stepped out.
I was fucked.
I’d thought my reaction to her in my office had just been a momentary lapse. I’d been wrong. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. She was wearing a simple white dress. Again, she wore absurdly high heels that made it too easy to imagine her legs wrapped around me.
I stretched out my hand. “Ms. Connor. Thank you for coming here, on the weekend, no less.”
I shook her hand, determined to stick to formalities, to ignore the tightening of my jeans. The joke was on me, because instead of letting her go, I wanted to pull
her closer.
“No problem. You sounded like you wanted to get the ball rolling right away on the phone, so I thought it’s best to hurry up. Strike while the iron’s hot and all that. Before you changed your mind.”
By her tight voice, it was clear she hadn’t forgiven me.
“I apologize again. My assistant had informed me about the meeting about five minutes before you arrived. No doubt she didn’t want to give me a chance to cancel. I don’t appreciate being blindsided.”
“Clearly. Let’s set a few things straight. This is how our cooperation is going to work. I’m going to ask you questions. Some might make you uncomfortable. I need you to answer them anyway. And I need you to be completely honest. I also need you to follow my advice. These are my terms.” She gave me a daring smile that only fired me up more. I could count on one hand the people who disagreed, hell, even challenged me.
“Your terms?” I asked incredulously.
“Yes.”
“We’re doing this on my terms. I’m the client.” I stepped closer, enjoying the sight of her licking her lower lip. She straightened, pushing her chest out, but her cheeks turned pink.
“No, you’re not. Not until I agree to sign you on.”
Her brown eyes flashed. Her body language told me she’d stick to her guns no matter what. The longer I looked into her eyes, the more challenging her gaze became.
Working with her wouldn’t be easy. I was certain of that. I should have told her I could contact another PR agency. Instead, all I wanted was to close the distance between us, claim her mouth, kiss her on my terms, have her bend to my rules.
“I promised I will cooperate. So, I will.”
I took a step back, gesturing toward the living room. “Come on in. Want to have a drink?”
“Since I’m not driving, why not?”
I led her to the enormous bar area, which had a glass wall next to it. The penthouse had been designed for entertaining. I never did. I’d always been that way. Just one more thing Marion had been unhappy about. I lived here because it was practical. I only needed three minutes to get to my office.
“What do you want?”
“Can you make a dry martini?”
“Sure thing. Let me find the ingredients.”
