“I’m not getting a fucking haircut,” he said.
I lifted my chin. “Do you understand why I’m here? My brother—your business partner—sent me. Because you need to get ready for the meeting with this Okato person.”
“Okada,” he corrected me. “Kaito Okada.”
I shrugged. I’d said it wrong just to bait him. Now he looked annoyed, so it had worked.
“I don’t need a haircut to meet Kaito Okada,” Dane said. “I don’t need whatever Aidan told you I need. Okada and I can talk just fine.”
“Are you going to meet him in basketball shorts?” I said.
He scowled. “I can buy clothes.”
“Uh huh. And how often do you buy clothes, Dane?”
He shrugged.
“How many suits do you own?”
“I am not wearing a fucking suit.”
“I think, for a deal this big, that you probably are.”
He scowled some more. Even his scowl was handsome. He used to scowl from behind his glasses, but now, with his man bun and his bulk, the effect was much more dangerous.
“You’re outvoted,” I told him. “This isn’t just about you—it’s about the other partners as well. And they want me here to dress you, so there’s nothing you can do.”
I nearly crossed my fingers behind my back. I had no idea if the other two partners were on board with my brother’s plan. The odds were good, because Alex and Noah would want this meeting to go well, just like Aidan did. They’d back me up if it came down to it, I was sure.
“How did Aidan convince you to come here, anyway?” Dane asked. “It can’t be because you missed me so much.”
I felt a stab of pain at that. I hadn’t missed Dane because I hadn’t let myself miss him. I’d buried everything and kept marching forward, determined not to look back. “I have a full life in New York, thank you very much,” I lied. “Lots of work, lots of friends, and lots of boyfriends.”
Did he wince? It was hard to tell. If he did, he buried it quickly. “That’s nice,” he grumbled. “I’m glad.”
“This is a paid assignment,” I said, because we had to be clear. I was not here because I had the urge to see Dane Scotland, smell his skin again, see if he could make me laugh. Or come. “Tower VC is paying me a fee. If you want to be an asshole, then the company is paying me for nothing. Because I’m cashing the check regardless.”
Dane’s face went calm, his dark eyes reflecting on something. “Okay, a paid assignment. I get it. I guess I could use some new clothes. And I hate shopping.”
I narrowed my eyes. “You’re giving in?”
“Sure,” he said. “The sooner we start, the sooner you’ve done your job and it’s over with. Am I right?”
I shook my head. “You aren’t getting rid of me. Aidan has me at the Langham for the next week.”
That surprised him. “A week?”
“Until Okada gets here. Aidan wants to be sure you’re ready. He wants me to take you to some fancy restaurants, that kind of thing.”
He snorted. “He thinks my table manners are that bad? Like I don’t know which fork to use or something?”
I crossed my arms. “Do you know which fork to use?”
His gaze lit on mine. “Do you?”
We stared each other down for a second, and I felt that stare—deep in my belly, tingling in my breasts. That stare was very familiar.
“Of course I know,” I said, lying again. “I go to some fancy fashion events in New York. I get invited all the time.”