“Ben,” Ellie said, “your mentor will be Jack Gallo.”
***
“Have a seat.” Jagger gestured to the guest chairs on the other side of his desk. “I need to speak to my assistant for a moment.”
He stepped out of his office, leaving me to look around. Tall windows showcased the New York City skyline. I bet it was amazing at night. There was a conference table to the left with eight chairs around it, and the right side of the room held a more intimate seating section with a couch and two matching upholstered chairs. Built-in bookshelves lined the wall behind the desk. I leaned forward for a closer examination of those.
Four of the six shelves were packed with books. I perused the titles with interest. What someone reads can tell you a lot about the person. Jagger’s were mostly nonfiction—bestsellers about Bill Gates and Warren Buffet, books about coding and the stock market, nothing uniquely personal. The shelves above held some awards and framed photos—one of him in a cap and gown, standing with a woman I thought might be his mother, one of him surrounded by people as he rang the bell at NASDAQ, and another of a woman with her arms around two little girls. But the one I spent the most time checking out was of him in military fatigues. He was smiling, his arms stretched out around a group of six men. He looked different, younger and with short, buzzed hair, but there was no mistaking those striking blue eyes and the sharp cut of his jawline. Next to it was a small framed photo of a little boy wearing only a diaper and a military combat helmet that was five sizes too big for his head. I picked it up to look for resemblance, wondering if it was him, but there was none.
Jagger came back into the office, shutting the door behind him. He shrugged his suit jacket off and swung it over the back of his chair before sitting. He unbuttoned the cuffs of his crisp, white dress shirt and began to roll up the sleeves. My eyes found unexpected lines of black andgray ink wrapped around muscular forearms. I didn’t even realize I was staring until his voice startled me.
“Most are from the military.”
My eyes jumped to meet his. “Hmmm?”
“You were looking at my tattoos.”
Yes, but only because they’re attached to the sexy arms. “Sorry. I’m not sure why, but I guess I didn’t expect you to have any.”
He flashed a hint of a smile. “Expectations usually lead to disappointment, Ms. Holland.”
“Not in this case.”Oh, Jesus Christ. Did I really just say that?
Jagger raised a brow. “Good to know.”
I shook my head. “Sorry. That was inappropriate.”
“I appreciate candor.” He tilted his head. “Do you?”
“Yes, very much.”
“Good.” He smiled. “So let’s both be candid for a moment, shall we?”
“Oh-kay…”
“There’s an attraction here.” He motioned with two fingers back and forth. “Between us.”
I blinked a few times before shifting my focus over his shoulder to the framed picture of the little boy with the helmet.
“Look at me, Sutton,” he said sternly. “Eyes over here.”
I adjusted my gaze to meet his.
“Thank you. As I was saying, there’s an attraction here. Perhaps if we acknowledge it, it will be easier to deal with each other over the next few months. The cat-and-mouse game doesn’t work as well when you take the mystery out of the chase.”
Jagger was clearly waiting for me to speak. But I was at a loss for words. “I’m not sure how torespond.”
“With honesty. Are you attracted to me?”
My cheeks heated. But Jagger’s stare didn’t relent, and I wound up looking away again.
“I’m about ten seconds away from coming around to that side of the desk and pulling my chair right next to yours so you can’t avoid me, Sutton. If you don’t want that, you might want to redirect your attention right now.”
My eyes jumped back to his, and the jerk flashed a triumphant smile. “Good. Perhaps I should go first? I’m very attracted to you. I was from the first time I saw your photo, but there’s something more here. Do you agree?”
It felt like he could read my mind with the way he was looking at me, so I had no choice but to be honest. I nodded.
“Excellent.” He smiled. “Now, that wasn’t so difficult, was it?”
