She waited thirty seconds, but didn’t change her mind. This time, the decision was sticking.
“Okay,” she said to the empty table. “I guess I’m going to marry Jackson Weathers.”
Chapter 8
Jackson
* * *
Jackson Weathers paced the floor of his office. For the second time this week, he was nervous and it drove him crazy.
Emma was on her way up to see him. She’d told him that she’d made her decision and was coming to speak to him about it.
And now he was terrified she was going to say no.
He’d been pleasantly surprised by how much fun he’d had on their date. It was something that he’d done hundreds of times, but she made it fresh and fun. He loved that she actually enjoyed eating and could hold a conversation that wasn’t entirely about herself or celebrity gossip.
And that kiss. He’d taken three cold showers to deal with the feelings that popped up each time he thought of that kiss. She was something special and he could only hope that she was going to come up here and say yes.
He wasn’t sure what he’d do if she turned him down.
A timid knock on the door drew his attention.
“Come in,” he said, hoping it didn’t sound too forceful. He didn’t want to scare her away.
Her dark hair peeked into the room followed by bright hazel eyes. She smiled as she opened the door and walked the rest of the way in.
She wore a smart business suit. It was obviously well worn, but it fit her well. The gray material hugged her curves and he found himself wishing that the demure hem of the skirt was about six inches higher.
It was everything he could do not to grab her and take her right there on his desk.
“Mr. Weathers, I’m here to discuss your offer,” she said, sounding like she had practiced the line several times. It was rather endearing.
“Please come in,” he greeted her. He pulled out a chair for her to sit and hurried around to sit at his desk. “I’m anxious to hear your reply.”
She settled into the chair, taking her time. She was making him wait and they both knew it. His foot bounced under the desk as he watched her cleavage rise with every nervous breath.
“So, what did you decide?” Jackson asked, keeping his voice light.
“After much consideration, I have decided to accept your offer, provided you make some changes.” She handed him a thick stack of papers and crossed her legs. She sat up perfectly straight and held herself with the cool confidence of a lawyer.
“What kind of changes?” he asked, flipping over the first page of the document and looking through it.
“First, I want one more date before I officially accept. I want to make sure that we have the right kind of chemistry to make this work.”
“I don’t think chemistry is an issue,” he told her, but she didn’t change her expression. “But, another date to confirm that this is a good partnership is a fine. Done.”
“Good. I want you to plan it.”
“That should have been mentioned before I agreed,” he scolded gently. She kept her head up. Likely her lawyer told her to do this to put him off balance. “But, I still agree.”
“Good. Second, I want my own place. I want it in your building.” She swallowed hard, stopping herself before she could say too much. Her lawy
er had coached her well.
“That may be difficult,” he said, drawing this out a little bit. “The building is in high demand.”
She opened her mouth, stopped, and raised her chin. “That is your problem to figure out. It’s something I want. My own residence in your building.”