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“What about her?”
“Is she involved in the gala? The company?”
David shrugged, and she ignored how the fabric tugged at his broad shoulders. “No. The company’s mine.”
Rose nodded absently. “You throw these things often. Why? Good tax break?”
He rolled his eyes. “Sure, princess. You know, it’s so refreshing being around you. Most people actually like me, you see. So it’s nice to mix things up a bit.”
She shook her head and he laughed, enjoying making her uncomfortable, relishing getting under her skin in any way he could.Thiswas why he ended up with bowls of punch dumped over his head.
“Are you single?” he said, startling her out of her thoughts and leaving her gaping for a second as her heart seemed to jump a little in her chest, heat instantly rising to her cheeks, and Rose wanted to scream at her traitorous body for giving away her embarrassment.
“Married to my work,” she said a beat too late, smiling sweetly and opting to ignore her flushed skin. “Do you have a guestlist yet? Or a theme?”
“Black tie, open to anyone with enough money to donate. I hear your specialty is for creating something fresh and unique, so the theme should really be your thing, right?” Rose half-nodded, half-shrugged. It was true that she kept her events interesting, enough so that half the appeal was that the guests wanted to know just what she might have created this time. “Don’t you want to know if I’m single too?” Blake leaned forward a little, his forearms resting against the table as he looked at her, looked and looked until she felt dizzy.
“I’m afraid I’d have to care about the answer in order to ask,” she bit out, willing her hands to remain steady as those blue eyes attempted to work their charm on her. “Besides, I’m no stranger to the gossip columns. We all know you don’t date, Blake.”
“David,” he said, mouth forming his name almost sinfully slowly, pink tongue sneaking out to wet his bottom lip, and Rose was scared by how attentively she watched. Eyes deepening to warm pools, he smiled slowly as he leaned forward in his chair, placing his forearms on his knees and emphasizing the muscles in his arms. “Don’t you think it's high time we got to know each other better, Rose?”
She couldn’t remember the last time he’d said her name rather thanDuLoeorprincessand half-wished she could go back in time to undo ever having heard the way his mouth moved around the syllables. “I already know you far better than I ever could have wanted to, Blake. Dream on.”
A silent laugh seemed to ripple through him as he sat back again. “Don’t worry, I will.”
Rose scowled. Was he like this with everyone or did he just take particular pleasure in winding her up? She didn’t think for one second that David Blake was actually interested in her. Maybe he wouldn’t be opposed to sex, but that’s because he was Blake, not because she was Rose. “I think we’re done here. Email me the relevant details and a brief. I already have someone in mind to help me with the décor. I’ll brief them and let you know what they come up with. I’ll update you on any final decisions.”
“Of course,” he said, annoyingly handsome face smooth and impassive. “I’ll walk you out.”
“I’d decline, but I think I’d get lost.”
He laughed as he stood, and it truly was a crime that someone so irritating could fill out a suit as well as he did. “I wanted to have plenty of room to work with when I designed this place.”
She was genuinely surprised that he’d designed the whole place, given its bright and homey feel. “Did you decorate it too?”
“With Cara’s help, yeah. She lives here too. We have separate floors.” Rose tried, and failed, to hide her surprise. He laughed. “I know it’s shocking that I’m more than just a pretty face, but what did you expect?Horizonsis an interior design company after all.”
She shrugged. “I actually didn’t know that before yesterday.” She had never cared enough to look into what Blake’s company was or did, had known nothing about it beyond their yearly charity gala. But she had been begrudgingly impressed by all the companiesHorizonswas affiliated with – office design sounded fairly boring to Rose, but to bethego-to for workspace design for such big clients was a real accomplishment.
They walked in silence until they came to the end of the winding staircase and she turned to shake his hand. She could andwouldbe completely professional. Her hand still in his grip, Blake pulled her slightly closer and unthinkingly she angled her head to better position their lips, watching his as he spoke.
“Interesting,” he murmured, his eyes flicking across her face, and anger was a warm flush in Rose’s chest as she quickly took a large step back. Blake smiled smugly, those dimples popping out. “Working with you is so much fun, princess. Can’t wait to hear all those ideas in your pretty little head.” He released her abruptly and began walking back the way they came, and Rose could only stare.David Blake thought she was pretty?A hand gripped her elbow and she almost jumped out of her skin.
“Jesus, Cara!” Her hand splayed on her chest as she stared at the petite woman for a second. “You completely startled me.”
“Yeah, you did seem a little… distracted,” Cara said with a grin as she nodded in the direction of Blake’s retreating figure. Rose winced, belatedly realizing what it looked like she’d been watching as Blake strode away.
Rose sighed. “He’s a very distracting man.”
Despite that, she’d made it through the meeting without killingorkissing David Blake. She was calling it a win.
* * *
When work didn’t takeher outside of Cincy, Rose spent the majority of her time at one of the DuLoe’s hotel complexes. The penthouse atThe Hartbelonged to her for as long as she wanted it, off-limits to the public. The DuLoes owned a lot of property, but none felt quite as much like home to her asThe Hart.
There was an unfamiliar bustle to the hotel when Rose walked through the glass doors later that day, something about it setting her on edge as she watched the hotel manager, Louis, grimacing at the phone while he sat behind the large wooden front desk.
Rose called a greeting and Louis looked up, his auburn hair tousled and his angular face a little red from scrubbing his hands across his stubbled jaw. He hung up the phone as she walked over, and concern made her brows furrow as she leaned against the edge of the chest-height counter.
