Suddenly his eyes land on me like two cobalt lasers, and his steps falter. We stare at each other, both seemingly transfixed, and my butt shifts in the chair.Did this damn thing shrink in the past three seconds?
This melding of the eyeballs should feel awkward, but somehow it doesn’t. Until the woman places a hand on his arm, and he drags those sapphires away from me. He inhales, holds it, and then blows it out before focusing on the well-dressed woman again.
“Thanks again for coming in today, Perri,” he says, and I’m struckby the deepness of his voice. It’s rich and smooth, bourbon with a hint of sweet, dark chocolate.
I give myself an internal eye roll. That sounds like something Jules would put in one of her books.
All the air is sucked from the room when he enters. His voice is bourbon with a drizzle of dark chocolate and makes my pussy tingle.
Maybe if the whole football thing doesn’t work out, I can become a romance author. And is my pussy tingling? Why yes, I believe it is.
Cut it out, Jordie. You have a boyfriend.
My attention returns to the couple, and I see the adoration in the woman’s eyes as she gazes up at him. “Thanks, Phoenix. It was fun.”
His smirk is chock-full of cocky smugness. “Oh yes. A lot of fun. I’ll talk to you later.”
Fun? Were they in there banging while I was waiting?
Perri rises on her tiptoes to kiss Phoenix’s cheek. “What are you doing tonight? Want to take me out on the town?”
“Sorry,” he replies. “I have to get home to Reece. It’s our date night.”
Wait, wait, wait. Hold on a damn minute. This asshole has a woman at homeandhe’s with this Perri person? The freaking audacity! My pussy tingles have ceased to exist. In fact, my vagina has frozen to aTitanic-destroying iceberg level inside my cotton panties. There’s nothing less appealing to me than a cheating man.
I’m fuming by the time Perri departs, flashing a friendly smile and waving at me on her way out. I honestly have no idea what my face is doing right now, but I think I return her greeting with a weak smile.
“Jordie, so nice to see you. Sorry about the delay.” The volume of Phoenix’s voice startles me, and I turn to find him directly in front of me. How the hell did he get across the room so quickly and without me noticing? This dude is sneaky like a cat. Probably one of those unneutered tom cats who prowl neighborhoods looking for females.
“It’s fine,” I say with as much politeness as I can muster. His eyes roam over my face, his mouth curving up on one side, and I squirm beneath his blatant inspection. “Wh-why are you looking at me like that?”
Now both sides of his lips arc upward, making twin dimples pop on his cheeks. The look is unfairly attractive.
“I’m sorry for staring, but you are an absolute knockout. This is going to be fantastic.”
Does he think I’m going to hook up with him? How many damn women does this jerk keep on the line at one time? Well, that just won’t do.
I prop a hand on my hip and raise my chin a scant inch, ready to put him in his place. “Do you know the Dwayne Johnson rule, Mr. Hale?”
“Like, the actor?”
“Yes.”
He shakes his head. “No, I don’t guess I do.”
“The rule says that to determine if something is appropriate to say to a woman, you first ask yourself, ‘Is this something I would say to Dwayne Johnson?’” I cock my head to the side, giving him all the attitude. “So why don’t you try again?”
He pauses for a long moment before saying, “You have a great chest.”
I feel my face transform several times over the next few seconds. First shock, then a frown, and then… goddammit, I can’t help it. Just as Phoenix winces like he’s expecting a knee to the groin, I burst into laughter. He met my sass with sass, and I have to admit, he delivered the perfect comeback.
Phoenix chuckles, and those stupid dimples come to life again. Internally, I name them Thing One and Thing Two, like Dr. Seuss’s characters who are capable of causing mass chaos. In a woman’s panties. Other women’s. Definitely not mine.
With a gentle hand between my shoulder blades, much like he touched Perri the homewrecker, he urges me toward his office. I hope he doesn’t think he’s going to get lucky with me. If he’s still needy, he can just call one of the models for the company. I’m sure they’d all be more than willing.
Once inside, he closes the door and gestures toward a seating area. His office is different from the waiting room, much more masculine, with a sturdy oak desk and forest-green leather furniture. I eye thecouch and wonder what kind of action that thing has seen, so I decide my safest bet is the matching armchair that sits adjacent.
Phoenix Hale takes the couch, leaning forward with his forearms resting on his thighs. “First of all, I’d like to apologize for commenting on your appearance, Jordie. I don’t want you to think that’s why Hale Cosmetics wanted to partner with you. Yes, our company focuses on physical beauty, but we also appreciate and celebrate the inner beauty of a woman, and you have that in spades.”
