“She’ll want an explanation. Once I confess, then I’m hoping she will forgive me.” Jared met Finn’s quizzical gaze. “There’s something there. But I needed to get her to the beach for that first date. I want her to know I’m serious.”
“Hope? That’s your plan?” Finn laughed. “How often do you walk into a meeting with a potential investor and hope they’ll hand over their cash? You don’t. You make damn sure they walk into that first meeting ready and willing to give you what you want.”
Jared nodded slowly. “I can’t keep teasing her with pictures that hide my face. She’ll get suspicious.”
“Nicole will probably run a background check and realize Philip Ryder doesn’t exist. Or if he does, he lives in Ohio. The way I see it, you have less than twenty-four hours to make damn sure she’s happy to see you tomorrow.” Finn stepped closer and slapped him on the back. “She’s at the bar right now.”
Jared turned away from the ocean. Through the private club’s glass windows, he spotted Lucy. Her blonde hair cascaded down her back. A strip of bare skin played peek-a-boo with her long locks. “Can you cover for me when the Tennyson heirs show up? I told Lou I would be here tonight. He’s planning to talk my ear off about potential investments.”
“You’re leaving?” Finn asked mildly.
“I’m borrowing your sister.” He was going to fix the problem before it rose up to bite him in the ass. “I’m going to ask for her help. But first . . . ” He pulled out his phone and started typing. “Mr. Arm Porn is sending another message.”
“You’re competing with yourself?”
“I prefer to think of it as setting myself up for success.” He hit send and then headed for the door.
He stepped inside the private club’s expansive dining room. The space was a riot of color. Peach walls, teal accents, starfish mounted to the ceiling—the event looked like an underwater banquet with enough food to feed an army. Too bad half of the well-dressed attendees were on life-long diets.
Skirting the crowd, he made his way to the bar. He plucked a bite-sized crab cake off the buffet as he breezed by and popped it into his mouth. When he reached his destination, he claimed the stool beside Lucy. He signaled the bartender and ordered a beer.
Then he turned to her. “You were right, Princess.”
Lucy arched an eyebrow. Her big blue eyes stared at him over the rim of her martini glass. “Say that again.”
“Not curious what you’re right about?” he asked.
“We’ll get to that.”
He reached out and brushed a strand of hair off her shoulder. Then he leaned closer. She smelled like vanilla and fresh spring
air—nothing like a woman who owned a pair of handcuffs. But then, things weren’t always what they seemed. With his lips mere inches from her ear, he murmured, “You were right, Lucy. Everyone needs saving eventually. And tonight, I need you to rescue me.”
Chapter 11
Lucy mentally paged through her portfolio of smiles and came up empty. She’d watched Jared’s winding approach in the mirror mounted behind the bar. He’d glided through the crowd, plucking food from the buffet before moving on. He’d walked as if he expected the other guests to clear a path for him—and then admire his perfect, rich backside as he walked past them.
A man like Jared Mitchell didn’t need saving. Not tonight. And probably not in the future.
But he wanted to score a win after Lucy had walked away from him at his restaurant. She slid off her stool and claimed her drink from the bar’s polished wood surface. “I’ll play along, Jared. But I can’t sneak off to the kitchen, or into the supply closet.”
Her phone pinged from her handbag. She set it on the bar and released the clasp. Withdrawing her cell, she glanced at the Fated for Love alert.
A new message from Philip Ryder.
Perfect timing.
She set down her drink and opened the link to Fated for Love.
Dear Naughty in Pink,
I’m at a work event and I can’t stop thinking about your pink handcuffs. Have you used them before?
Your handcuff-obsessed suitor,
Philip
She read the words a second time. Why did he want to know? Beneath his amazing muscles and pitch-perfect words, was he a possessive jerk? Was that why he was still single? Or was he into super-kinky sex?