“Someone will pick him up if you don’t, and I have a feeling you would live to regret that decision.”
She shrugged. “Maybe, but it’s my mistake to make. Trying to bulldoze me into signing him is not the right approach. Not with me, anyway.”
I’d thought she couldn’t impress me any more than she already had, but I’d been wrong. This woman was not only highly intelligent and stunningly beautiful, but she refused to budge on her principles, and I respected the fuck out of her for that.
“Just promise me you’ll give him a fair hearing. He’s green, and he’ll probably clam up when you talk to him.”
She scooped up a forkful of mashed potatoes, ate it, then pointed her fork at me. “I said I’ll meet with him, and I will. But your contract is separate to his. You can’t tie the two together, Joz, no matter how much you want to.”
“I may need to go to the hospital.”
Her eyes flared, then dropped to my untouched plate of food. “Why?”
“Because you just put my balls in a sling.”
She pinched the bridge of her nose but couldn’t hide a smile. “Damn straight. And if you want to give them a chance to recover, you’ll rethink your terms. I’m happy to agree to three plus two and giving you full creative control, but your third non-negotiable needs to become negotiable, or I’m walking away.”
Before I could answer, a raised voice from a few feet away drew my attention. One of the women I’d seen filming Aspen and me having a disagreement was in discussions with what looked like security. Another table was being questioned, too. I raised an eyebrow in query.
“Every person who makes a booking has to agree to a privacy clause,” Aspen said, obviously knowing what was happening without having to look. “We get a lot of celebrities at our hotels,and they deserve to enjoy their stay or have a meal in peace without being filmed. Those guests broke the rules, meaning they’ll have to delete whatever footage they gathered, and then they’ll be escorted outside and barred from this or any other Kingcaid hotel.”
Wow.
“I need to stay in Kingcaid hotels more often.”
“Yes, you do. I may put it in your contract.” She winked, and I fell that little bit harder.
Three parties were escorted from the restaurant before the commotion died down to the previous low hum. Aspen and I fell into a comfortable silence as we ate our food, more comfortable than I could recall in a long time. Maybe ever. Once our plates were clean and we’d ordered dessert, she relaxed back in her chair, her hands casually resting in her lap.
“So, do we have a deal?”
My lips raised on one side. I knew when I was beaten. “Put what we discussed in writing, and I’ll have my lawyers and my manager look it over. But… yes, in principle, we have a deal.”
“Without Presley?”
“Without Presley, though it’s worth restating that if you don’t sign him, future you will regret it.”
“Regrets are pointless, but thank you for your observation. Oh, and Joz, just to be clear, you can flirt all you like, make countless innuendos, but I never mix business with pleasure.” She leveled me with a firm stare. “Don’t make me putthatin the contract, too.”
I laughed. “I hear you loud and clear. Shame, though. I bet we’d be dynamite.”
“You mean a disaster.”
“That’s your word, not mine.”
After dessert, we left the restaurant and entered the lobby. I automatically put on dark shades and lowered my head. I’dfound that avoiding eye contact was the best way of avoiding attention from fans or the press. Surprisingly, Aspen walked outside with me, where my driver waited in one of the VIP parking spaces.
She thrust out her hand. “Looking forward to working with you.”
I shook it, trying my best but failing miserably to ignore the jolt of electricity that shot up my arm. “Likewise.”
She dropped my hand and turned to leave.
“Hey, Aspen?”
Pausing, she pivoted. “Yes?”
“The flirting. It’s just my personality. If I made you feel uncomfortable, I apologize. That was not my intention.”
