“Not like them.” She touched the top of his hand as if to emphasize the point. “You hired me to do a job. I know what you want, and I’m being highly compensated,” she explained in a calm voice. “It’s a fair and even exchange, a business transaction.”
Good, because the thought of hurting her slayed him. “Thanks for clarifying that.”
“No problem.”
She kept her hand on him, and he enjoyed her touch. That was something he’d missed last night—the contact with her.
Amusement twinkled in her eyes. “Now if you wanted me to do your homework so you could play football. Or were trying to steal my work and promotion while saying how much you loved me. Or wanted me to make another woman jealous while asking if I wanted to spend the holidays with you, then it would be another story.”
Losers. They didn’t deserve Hadley. “I’m sorry they hurt you.”
She appeared resigned, not upset. “It’s that adage about kissing frogs. I just wasn’t ready to kiss more after that.”
What about now? Blaise’s fingernails dug into his palms. He didn’t like thinking about her kissing anyone past, present, or future that wasn’t him.
He needed to change the subject. “Does it bother you that the guy in the movie is using his boss to get what he wants?”
Hadley shot Blaise a sideward glance. “He’s not using her.”
The serious expression on her face, the way her lower lip stuck out, and her matter-of-fact tone was adorable. She would hate him using that adjective, but it was true.
“His boss wants to stay in the country,” Hadley continued. “He wants to be an editor. Nothing’s secret or hidden.”
“They’re transparent.”
“Exactly.” She set her tea on the coffee table. “And that’s what I’ll look for when I date again.”
When, not if.
Interesting.
“I mean, someday. Family and business are my priorities. I have little spare time.”
“Same.” He liked how they could talk so easily about things. “It’s why I date, but only casually. Zero time for anything more.”
“Any ex-girlfriends?” If she was trying to hide her curiosity, she was failing.
He forced himself not to smile. “No.”
“But you’re rich and handsome.” Her befuddled tone was cute, and her compliment made him sit taller.
“I wasn’t always rich,” he joked.
She laughed. “But you’ve always been handsome.”
“Not even close,” he admitted. “In school, students knew me as the malnourished nerd. I’m sure I was number one on the school’s undatable list.”
Her lips parted. “They had one?”
“Well, if there’d been one, I’d have been in the top position. In college, I worked two jobs, so there wasn’t time for anything else. And now, I’m still busy.”
“So it’s work keeping you from dating, not your…past?” Hadley asked.
She meant his parents. Dr. Alvarez had brought up something similar during their session, but that was his job. However Hadley... “If the matchmaking doesn’t work out, I see a future for you in counseling.”
Her face scrunched. “Huh?”
“I visited my old therapist today.”
