She tore her gaze away, snapping the connection. The haze enveloping him dissipated. He sat back in his chair and stirred his salsa with a tortilla chip. Analyze the situation. Don’t let it control you, he admonished himself.
He was having a physiological reaction to an attractive woman. It was understandable. His last relationship, if it could be called that, had ended three months ago and the quest to find new capital for Ruby Hawk had taken over his time and concentration since then. He liked sex and he missed having it.
But it wouldn’t be with Danica. Yes, she had arresting eyes as well as tantalizing curves under her clothes that begged to be explored. And her brain was pretty damn appealing too. She was smart and perceptive, with a fast wit he enjoyed. He respected the way she stood up for her work in his office. And he was glad she accepted his invitation to dinner. They could have easily talked in the office the following morning. But he didn’t want to wait to hear her insights, watch her gaze sharpen as she arrived at a new conclusion.
Still, she was his recruiter. For his wife, damn it. An affair with his consultant would not be a sensible prelude to a marriage. For all that he resented the situation Nestor had put him in, it did bring up a point Luke needed to think about sooner rather than later for maximum benefit. What good was creating a legacy if one didn’t have offspring to carry it on? But unlike his parents and their multiple trips down the aisle, his marriage would be based on intellectual compatibility, similar upbringings and mutually agreed-upon goals. Should they come to an agreed-upon parting of the ways, it would be because common sense and rational prudence demanded it.
He popped the tortilla chip into his mouth. It made a satisfying crunch.
He still wanted to kiss Danica though.
She cleared her throat, a rosy glow high on her cheekbones, before placing the file folder in front of him once more. “So. Now that we’re no longer hungry, can we discuss my work?”
“Fine.” He opened the folder and ran his gaze down the list of fifteen names before closing it and handing it back to her. “No.”
“What?” she sputtered. “I did what you asked. None of the women work in tech, and they meet your education and work-experience requirements. Yet you barely looked at it.”
“I invited you here so you could have the correct input for your job. This list precedes our dinner. Therefore, it’s inherently flawed,” he pointed out with impeccable logic.
She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “Let’s start over and pretend this is an actual executive search. Why is this position now open? What is the business rationale?” When he hesitated, she gave him a quick smile. “Confidential, remember? I signed an NDA.”
It still smarted to know he’d miscalculated so poorly, but Danica’s judgment-free gaze soothed some of the sting. He cleared his throat. “Nestor and Irene Stavros... The closest word is blackmail.”
She blinked at him. Her pen didn’t move. “Of all the things I expected to hear, that didn’t make the top one thousand.”
“Irene and I...” Used each other for sex when no one else was around? Were friends with only one benefit? It sounded crass even to think.
“Had a fling,” Danica supplied. When he raised an eyebrow, the spots of color returned to her cheeks. “I did a thorough internet search on you. For work purposes only,” she hastened to add.
“Had a fling,” he agreed. It was close enough. “It started in college. It was off and on after that. However, when I started Ruby Hawk, I called it off for good.”
“Any particular reason?”
“Does it matter?”
She gave him a stern look. It made her appear only more delectable. “I thought the purpose of this meeting was to give me the necessary input.”
“Irene is very competitive. So am I. It’s what drew us together. We enjoyed one-upping one another. Taking turns on top. In and out of the...classroom.”
Her tongue darted out to wet her lips. “I see,” she murmured, bending her head over her pad.
“But when I discovered she wanted to extend our relationship—and competition—to Ruby Hawk, that was enough for me.”