“Will that bother you?”
“Hell no. Will it bother you?”
“Not in the least.”
They rode in silence for several minutes before his curiosity got the best of him again. “When are you going to tell me what the hell is going on? If Matthias sent you as a bribe or something, then—”
“I assure you, he didn’t. You’ll get a full explanation after dinner, Mr. Burke. Besides, we’ve arrived.”
The limo rolled to a stop at a steak house. Jade had consulted with the hotel concierge before deciding on this restaurant and giving the address to the limo driver. The family-owned establishment advertised wholesome food at reasonable prices. The location wasn’t elitist, and the interior looked like the set of a Gene Autry movie. The large dining room was dim, relieved only by pools of golden light cast by lanterns suspended from the ceiling.
Jade was pleased with her selection as they were escorted to a corner table by a hostess wearing a fringed leather skirt and western boots. Mr. Burke would feel less conspicuous here than in a more expensive restaurant.
He ordered a draft beer from the cocktail waitress. Jade asked for a soda and lime. He spoke a terse thanks when the drinks arrived. As he sipped his beer, Jade covertly watched him, wondering what he would look like without the beard. He neatly whisked specks of the beer’s head off his mustache, which covered his upper lip and rode nicely above the fuller lower one.
His hands, she noticed, weren’t soft. They were working hands with callused knuckles. The nails were clipped and clean, but they hadn’t been buffed to a high gloss. Work gloves had left faint tan lines around his wrists. The strong arms that had impressed her through the binoculars appeared even stronger up close. Today he was wearing a plaid flannel shirt over his tank top. It had been left unbuttoned. The sleeves had been ripped out. His exposed chest had certainly impressed the cocktail waitress.
“When you’re finished, do I get my turn?”
Jade lifted her eyes from his chest to his face. “Pardon?”
“Do I get my turn to scope you over as thoroughly as you’re looking at me? It might get sloppy if we tried to ogle each other at the same time.”
The arrival of the waitress kept Jade from having to reply. Briskly she placed their order. “My guest will have your largest steak cooked medium rare, french fries, and salad. I’ll have the small filet mignon. We’ll order dessert later.” She slapped the menus into the waitress’s hand, then faced her companion.
He was gripping the beer mug so tightly that his knuckles had turned white. His voice vibrated with anger. “I’m a big boy, Miss whoever-the-hell-you-are. I can read a menu and order for myself.”
She hadn’t been scoping him out, at least not in the way he imagined, and his remark about her ogling him had made her mad. “I apologize for the rudeness. I sometimes do that without thinking. It’s a bad habit of mine.”
“Are you going to tell me what I’m doing here with you?”
“After dinner.”
He muttered a word that wasn’t in keeping with civilized dinner conversation. “In the meantime, may I have another beer?”
“Of course.” By the time he was finished with his second beer, their food arrived. He fell on it ravenously, leaving Jade to wonder when he had last eaten a good cut of beef. He used his utensils correctly, but quickly.
“Would you like another steak?” she inquired gently, leaning across the table toward him. The instant she adopted that compassionate tone of voice, she realized she had blundered.
He regarded her coldly. “No.”
He was refusing more out of pride than because his hunger was appeased, but Jade let it drop. Their plates were removed. He curtly declined dessert and merely shrugged when she suggested coffee. “Two coffees,” Jade told their waitress. Once they had been served, she began her explanation.
“I was at the construction site this afternoon when you were arrested, Mr. Burke.” She watched his eyes for signs of reaction, but there were none. They remained steadily on her, registering nothing. A flicker of surprise or interest would have been expected. The lack of one was disturbing.
“I was impressed with several things. For one, you weren’t afraid to speak out and hold your ground even though your opinion was unwelcome and unpopular. That demonstrates conviction and courage, which are attributes I’m looking for. I need someone tough.”
A laugh originated as a low rumble deep in his chest. “Well, I’ll be damned. You sure went to a lot of trouble.”
“Yes, I did.”
Resting his forearms on the table, he leaned forward and spoke to her softly over two cups of forgotten, cooling coffee. “Now I get it. You’re looking for adventure because your rich, successful husband is a workaholic who’s too busy making a buck to pay attention to you. Or maybe you found out that he’s banging a girl in the typing pool and you’re out to get him back.
“You happened by today when all that excitement was going on and got wet over a hard-hat fantasy. So you had your chauffeur drive you down to city hall, and—being the rich, powerful, and bossy bitch you are—pulled a few strings that got me out of jail. Is that it?”
Complacently, he eased back in his chair. “Okay, fine. I’d hate for you to be out that trouble for nothing. For a thousand dollars, I’ll fuck you all night long.”
Chapter Nineteen