Rick had warned her, and even offered to cancel the date, but she’d told him no. They had gone through her contract, and had even completed a magazine interview she had for that evening. It had only taken an hour, but the segment wouldn’t come out until next month.
When her buzzer rang, she grabbed her bag, and rushed outside, going down to the main door where Hunter was waiting for her.
“Hey,” she said. He held a bouquet of roses, taking her back a little. “Oh wow, they are beautiful.”
“I thought you wouldn’t be ready, but I can see I was wrong.”
She laughed. “You’re used to a woman keeping you waiting.”
“Something like that. The roses will keep in the car.”
“Are you sure? I can run them up. I didn’t know what time our table would be ready,” she said.
“It’s fine. Come on.” They were back on the road less than five minutes away. “I booked a seat at an Italian place.”
“Yum. Pasta is my favorite.”
“I know. I read it on one of your social media pages.”
“Do you do social media?” she asked, curious.
“No, I don’t.”
She gasped. “The shock, the horror. How can you not do it in this day and age?”
“I’m sure I’m not the only one that doesn’t.”
She couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s fine. Really. Rick does a great deal toward my page. I wouldn’t have a clue what to post anyway, and we’re together most of the time. It makes sense.”
“You don’t think your friendship is a little … close?”
“I could say that about your very male PA. Daryl is always around you.”
“He’s not right now.”
“Neither is Rick around me. He’s on a date. I set him up on one of those dating agencies. He works me to the bone if he’s not kept occupied, and this is me doing that.” She ran her fingers through her hair. “He loves to work, and I love working. We have a very balanced working friendship.”
“So I’ve got nothing to worry about with him.”
“I think we should be clear right now exactly what this is. Are you wanting to talk contract? Or is this something else?” She watched as he drove the streets. The scent of leather was heavy in the air. She doubted his used this car all that much.
“You want me to be clear?” he asked.
“Very.”
“Okay. On the business front, I want you to work with Elise. If we’re being honest, Elise is a distant cousin, and no, I’m not working with her because of that. I think you and she will hit it off. You both have that design edge, and know what to do and how best to do it. Me, I know business, I know how to get the best out of someone. On a personal side, I want to fuck you. I want you in my bed, with my dick inside you. When it comes to what I want, I don’t take any chances. Just seeing you in that dress, it’s taking a lot of control not to tear it off you, and have you right now.”
“Wow, you really don’t waste a moment, do you?” She wasn’t at all surprised by what he wanted. Hunter Reynolds had a reputation, and Rick had warned her. She wasn’t after love, or settling down. It had been a long time since she had been with anyone, and none of the men she had been with had ever made her feel this way. Still, she didn’t want to cause a conflict of interest because she did look forward to working with Elise. “I don’t like drama,” she said.
“I don’t believe in wasting time.”
“You read my motto?”
“Of course I did. We’re here,” he said, pulling outside of a very expensive looking Italian place. There were paparazzi out front, but she was used to having random pictures taken. Hunter asked her to wait, and she sat while he waved at the cameras, and then opened the door. Taking his hand, she climbed out, putting a hand to her hip as she smiled. She wanted Elise to get the best coverage she could get. Fortunately, Hunter didn’t linger too long, and they were seated, and already given menus on what to order.
“You handled that well,” he said. “They were asking who the designer was, and you kept your cool.”
“I’m not going to unveil Elise until she’s ready. She is so proud of everything she has done, and I’m proud for her.” She looked through the menu, seeing several items she wanted to eat.
“Please tell me you’re not going to eat a salad or anything.”
“No. I don’t want to eat a salad. Everything sounds amazing, but I will have what I always do when I’m eating somewhere new. The carbonara.” She closed the menu, and took a sip of her wine, taking a breadstick to nibble on.