Page 17 of Just a Little Tempted

I thought about Harry Frazier—how he’d tried to avoid meeting with me, how defensive and temperamental he’d been when we finally sat down together. He’d acted as though I was wasting his time by expecting an explanation for the quarterly losses. In the end, he’d agreed to provide more detailed financial statements and to meet again in six weeks. Raina hadn’t let him leave the office until that follow-up was scheduled.

“Fine,” I conceded. “I’ll admit that it’s better to have a good relationship with business partners. But I don’t like the idea of jumping through hoops for the man.”

“Notus.” Liam’s smirk sharpened. “You.”

I stared at him. “What?”

“I can’t schmooze the guy. I don’t have time with the product launch approaching. There’s too much to handle at GalvaTech.”

“So you wantmeto win him over?” I asked incredulously.

This wasn’t how we operated. I was the numbers guy, the behind-the-scenes investor who monitored financial reports and drafted contracts. Liam was the one who worked directly with companies, who charmed executives and smoothed over rough patches. We had different strengths, which made us effective partners.

“You can handle it.” He sounded entirely confident. Flattering, even if misplaced. “Alexander will be at the gala for The Vitality Initiative on Saturday. I have two tickets.”

He pulled them from his pocket and placed them on my desk.

I stared at them with undisguised reluctance. The Vitality Initiative was a worthy cause, raising money for global health concerns and focusing on disease prevention. I would have been happy to write them a substantial check. But attending a black-tie event with the express purpose of charming a potential partner sounded like just about the worst way to spend a Saturday night.

But Liam wasn’t really waiting for an agreement. We both knew I’d do it because it was good for business. Alexander was looking to expand within the year. We couldn’t afford to wait for Liam’s schedule to clear.

“Okay,” I said with a heavy sigh. “I’ll take care of it.”

“You should bring Raina with you.”

The emotions that rushed through me were immediate and unexpected. Excitement. Anticipation. A warm pressure behind my ribs that I couldn’t quite name, and didn’t want to examine too closely.

My reaction was ridiculous. It wasn’t a date. It was a work function. There was no reason to react like a teenager about to ask out his first crush.

“She’s friendly and warm,” Liam continued, oblivious to my internal chaos. “She could help counterbalance your…”

“Assholeness?”

“I was going to saygruff exterior,” he said, his tone amused. “But whatever works for you.”

I laughed despite myself, and some of my irritation about the whole Alexander situation faded. It wasn’t ideal, but I could handle it. And Liam was right. Having Raina at my side would help. Not just because she could probably win over anyone Ineeded to do business with, but because her presence would make the entire evening more bearable.

“Fine, I’ll bring her,” I said.

And if the prospect of having her on my arm in an elegant evening gown appealed to me more than it should have…well, no one else needed to know that.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Raina

Standing in frontof the full-length mirror in the dressing room, I smoothed my hand down the front of the evening gown I wore, studying my reflection with a critical eye.

This was the fifth dress I’d tried on, and so far, it was my favorite by a wide margin. The sapphire blue fabric brought out the color of my eyes and contrasted beautifully against my fair skin. The fit was impeccable—an off-the-shoulder bodice that did wonderful things for my cleavage, leading into a sleek, floor-length silhouette that hugged my curves in a way that felt both sophisticated and undeniably alluring.

I could picture Simon’s gaze traveling over me in this dress. The thought sent goosebumps racing across my bare shoulders.

Not that it matters if he likes how I look, I reminded myself firmly. As long as I was dressed appropriately for the gala, that was all that counted. This was a work event and certainly not a date. Simon had even given me a company credit card to buy a dress, which was why I was standing in this upscale boutique while my best friend, Wren, lounged on a velvet chaise and sipped complimentary champagne in the outer area while I changed.

She’d offered her opinion on every dress so far, so I stepped out of the dressing room to get her verdict on this one.

The moment I came into view, Wren’s eyes went wide and she let out a low whistle. “You’re going to give your boss a heart attack if you wear that.”

Heat crept into my cheeks. More mirrors surrounded a small platform out here, offering views from multiple angles, and I stepped up onto the pedestal. “Is it too much for a work function?”