I huffed, not very gracefully, and went inside to get food. After I placed my order, I dug in my wallet for my debit card, only to find it missing. Recalling the morning’s coffee, I had dropped the card into my bag instead of putting it back, a habit I’d been trying to break for sometime.
My stomach rumbled loudly, and I glanced out the window to the back of Gray’s head. How could the back of someone’s head be soperfect?
I pointed outside to where he sat as I tucked my wallet back into my pocket. “Actually, I’m joining that man out there. Put it on histab.”
A little cheeky, but if he wanted a date, he’d get a date. I walked back out and took the empty chair next tohim.
He glanced up from the pages again, and his perfect eyebrows rose in question. “Why, Miss Vale, are you followingme?”
I rolled my eyes. “No, actually, I’m joining you forlunch.”
His eyes widened, and he snapped the book in his hand shut.War and Peace.Ofcourse.
“I was under the impression you weren’t interested inme.”
I gave him a sickly sweet smile. “Oh, I’m not, I just forgot my debit card and decided you could buy my lunch since you want a date so badly. The least I can do is sit with you after youdo.”
He chuckled softly. “Touché. I reserve the right to kiss you then when we arefinished.”
I leaned back and crossed my arms, trying to put as much distance as possible between us. “You reserve no suchthing.”
I wouldn’t admit it to him, but he intrigued me. What would a millionaire playing theater director want with me? Relationships like that never worked out, and the less wealthy partner of such a pairing usually regretted the entire affair. Maybe he had a wife in England and a title he was running away from. I let out a long-suffering sigh and glanced out at the square. Watching tourists was one of my favorite things to do in thecity.
His voice dragged me away from the calm I was just starting to grasp. “What if I told you that by the end of this date, you’ll ask me to kissyou?”
I focused back on him and his Michelangelo face, trying to replay what he was saying. When I caught up I scowled. “I’d say you need to adjust yourmedication.”
Another of his damn smiles. “Is it a wagerthen?”
If he wanted to play games, I could play games with him. “What do I get if I win? Besides the pleasure of not kissing you? Which to be honest, doesn’t really seem like aprize.”
He smiled again. I was beginning to think he enjoyed rejection a little too much. “I promise I will stop following youaround.”
Ah, sweet vindication. “I knew you were following me.Why?”
He shrugged. “Maybe if you win, I’ll tell you. Or should we save that for our nextdate?”
He had my attention now, and the cocky bastard knew it. “Not doing something you shouldn’t do anyway really isn’t a win-win for me. You suck at the rewardsthing.”
His smile disappeared, thank God, and he leveled me with a serious look. Like we were about to negotiate a peace treaty between our warring countries. “What do you want then? And don’t be afraid of yourimagination.”
I leaned in and narrowed my eyes. Mocking his business-like stare. “I want you to approve the theater upgrades so we can get our drop door.” I’d been wanting one installed because I was sure the next feature I took over would need it—at least if I had anything to say about it. But the underground parts of the theater were flooded and off limits. It would take some maneuvering with the government to get it all working. My manager, one of the guys in between my level and Gray’s, had basically told me to forget aboutit.
“And if Iwin?”
I leaned back now as our faces had somehow continued to inch closer and closer during the exchange. “You’ll already get a kiss. What more do youwant?”
“If we are being fair here, my prize is considerably disproportionate toyours.”
I shrugged. “I guess that depends on how bad you want to kiss me. She says to herstalker.”
He chuckled and shifted in his chair to smooth out his perfectly tailored trousers. “How about if I win, we go on a real date? You let me do thiscorrectly.”
The waitress chose the perfect moment to sit my sandwich on the table between us. He pointed to my innocent lunch. “Case inpoint.”
I glared, but scooted across the concrete to get closer to my food. “Were you a lawyer in anotherlife?”
Something dark passed over his features like a cloud blocking out the sunlight. Gone as fast as itarrived.
