Damn, I wanted her to stay. I didn’t care if we talked about me or not. In fact, I preferred if we didn’t, and talked about her instead. I wanted to know why she’d chosen this career, why she was so adamant to talk to my sister. Did she get so personally involved with all her clients, or just me?
She rose from the table.
“I just have one more thing for you. The contract. Read it, and after you sign it, you can mail it to me.” She took a stack of papers from her purse, laying it on the table.
“So, you’ve officially decided I deserve to be your client?”
She gave me a sassy grin. “Well, yes. You’ve made an impression today.”
“Good enough to persuade you to have another drink?”
“Oh, no. Don’t get ahead of yourself.”
“Wouldn’t dream about it.”
“One drink was enough.”
“Was it?”
She cast her gaze down, then quickly back up before pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. I was making her nervous. Did it make me a bastard that I enjoyed it? The way her cheeks flushed a little when I shifted closer, until there were just a few inches between us. The way she’d averted her gaze after I asked her to stay, as if she didn’t trust herself to say no if she looked me in the eyes.
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“I’ll be in touch. Send me your sister’s number and the signed contract at your earliest convenience.”
The business tone was back on, and she glanced at the elevator. She wanted to get out of here as fast as possible. Probably the best course of action, but all I wanted was to find an excuse to keep her here.
“I will.”
“Have a great evening, Reid.”
She hurried to the elevator, and I barely held back from going after her. Jesus. How had we gone from being at each other’s throats in my office to this?
Chapter Five
Hailey
All my nerve endings were on fire as I slid into the back seat of the black Mercedes again, sinking on the soft leather.
The car smelled like sandalwood and pine. I’d noticed it on the way here too. Now I associated the smell with him, even though he wore no cologne.
All my senses had been assaulted since the moment I’d stepped off the elevator.
The penthouse was pure understated elegance. Hardwood floors, granite counters, black leather on the chairs and couch.
Seeing Reid in ripped jeans was a shock, but he wore them well, and that shirt had been a bit damp, as if he hadn’t toweled off completely before putting it on.
We’d had a battle of wills back there, and he had a dominating personality. That appealed to me on a visceral level. He’d wanted to be in charge, and I’d almost let him. Reid Davenport was dangerous to me. It was too easy to cross a line, and too difficult to backpedal.
We hadn’t made as much progress as I’d hoped tonight, but I couldn’t have possibly continued. When I’d asked about Marion, I’d expected something like irreconcilable differences, or him not putting up with her diva behavior anymore. I had not expected to reopen a gaping wound. Reid’s words had been so raw, they betrayed how deeply he was still hurting. There was no way I could have continued questioning him. I hadn’t wanted to twist the knife more.
I’d have to go about this differently, find a way to pose questions that wouldn’t automatically make him question himself. Yeah, that was just about as impossible as it sounded, but I was going to fight for it.
When he’d talked about his family, I’d decided on the spot that I’d go through with helping him even if I had to fight his own broody ass to achieve it. I was a sucker for men who would do anything for their families, and they were few and far between.
On Monday, the office was bustling with energy. Cameron held a weekly team meeting, where we brought each other up to speed regarding client acquisition. Occasionally, if someone’s case turned out to be more complex than anticipated, they required additional manpower.
I loved working at Hollywood PR. The work was as varied as the clients. I was never bored. It had been a big change from my previous jobs. After college, I interned for a real estate developer for nine months, then an oil company for another six months before ending up working as a business consultant for years.