Captivated by the Millionaire

Still, she couldn’t help but feel somewhat giddy. Jordan had to know countless people here where he’d grown up. She had no doubt there was more than one woman who wouldn’t waste any time in showing up at the front door of his building if he called with any type of invitation.

“I think that would be lovely, Jordan.”

He flashed another smile at her, even more effecting than the last one. “Great. We can start with lunch. Unless you’ve eaten already?”

The car service from the mainland he’d provided her with had come equipped with a beverage bar and a cooler case full of snacks. Jess had allowed herself to indulge in a bit of the finer gourmet chocolate. The ride had been quite long, after all. Probably the smoothest, richest chocolate she’d ever had, made from the finest cocoa. So she wasn’t particularly hungry. But this wasn’t an offer she was going to turn down.

“A girl’s gotta eat lunch,” she replied.

* * *

“Since both our respective soirées include dinner, I insist on treating for lunch,” Jess declared as they stepped off the elevator and into the lobby of Jordan’s high-rise building. And what a grand lobby it was. Even the most luxurious hotels she’d stayed at, and there hadn’t been that many, didn’t really compare to the grandeur of this entryway. A huge cement flowerpot filled with exotic, colorful branches sat atop a marble stand in the center of the area. Heavy burgundy curtains hung from immensely tall windows off either side. Elaborate, decorative artwork adorned the ceiling.

A fully uniformed attendant held the glass door open for them.

“So nice to see you again, Mr. Paydan.”

Jordan gave the man a nod and a wave as they exited.

“That’s not necessary, Jess,” Jordan said in response to her offer as they began to walk. “You’re here as my guest. Lunch is on me.”

He was only half right. “And you’re to be mine in return. I insist on lunch being my treat.”

Jordan shrugged. “So be it.”

Jess released a sigh of relief that he wasn’t going to argue. She wanted to contribute at least a little given everything Jordan was providing for this trip. But then a nagging twinge of apprehension blossomed in her chest. What if the place Jordan had in mind to eat was woefully out of her league? And her budget?

A distinct possibility. She looked around their surroundings. A bright red, foreign-looking sports car rolled smoothly down the road next to them. An older woman in a crisp navy suit and impossibly high-heeled stilettoes walked by with a tiny Pomeranian in her handbag. Even for Manhattan, they seemed to be in a particularly swanky part of town. She looked down at her faded jean leggings and scuffed-up tennis shoes. Why hadn’t she thought to pack something nicer? Unlike her, Jordan, of course, seemed to fit right in.

Well, she couldn’t back out of her offer now. Her pride wouldn’t let her. Her one major credit card was an option. Though it was perilously close to the limit. She’d spent way too much on art supplies for her classroom at the beginning of the session. The center didn’t provide much in the way of materials. Not for all the projects she liked to have her students create. Plus, she always tended to go a bit overboard when buying paints and brushes.

Jordan was making small talk about all sorts of New York spots but she was too wound up to listen.

Her mind conjured up the worst-case scenario—she would sink right into the floor in humiliation if the restaurant declined her card in front of Jordan. Maybe she could sneak into the back and offer to come back later and wash dishes.

She was so preoccupied and nervous about that prospect that it came as a bit of a startle when Jordan suddenly stopped. They’d walked much farther than she realized. In fact, the area she found herself in seemed completely different than the first couple of blocks past Jordan’s building.

“Earth to Jess.” Jordan waved a hand over her face. “We’re here. This is the place I had in mind for lunch.”

A diner. They were entering the doors of an old-fashioned fifties diner complete with a wraparound counter and padded seat booths. A near giddy sense of relief washed over her as they found a table. Her bank account could definitely handle a diner meal even in this metropolis.