Page 112 of Playing Mr. Perfect

“I’m just messing with you. I’ll behave.” He sits on the table.

I take a deep breath. “Thank you. Now, as soon as my heart stops racing, we can get started.”

He laughs and tugs me between his legs. “You make it impossible not to fall for you.”

My heart skips. “And you make it impossible for my heart to beat regularly.”

“Well, then, Dr. Montgomery, you are utterly stunning when chemicals are mediating your attachments. The question is, are they mediating it to romantic or lustful feelings?”

“I plead the Fifth.”

A while later, I’m almost done taking measurements of his hand and wrist, and ready to start on his chest. “I was thinking about skipping the shoulder and chest area, but I think we need it, at least to start. We’ll put an inertial measurement unit on your wrist, to read the sensors on your fingers, and another one wherever it’ll be the least intrusive, to read the sensors we place in the shoulder and chest area. Those measurements will be processed to give us a number of finger and arm positions, movements, and acceleration data, which will help map the results.”

“I have no idea what you just said, but it sounded sexy as hell.”

I wonder if he knows there’s nothing sexier to me than the way he appreciates my mind. “Such a charmer. How was your morning?”

“Good. I had a great workout, and Tiffany called. She rescheduled the meeting for Tuesday to meet with that potential sponsor, which means another trip to the city.”

“That’s great. I’m glad you didn’t lose the opportunity.”

“They need me more than I need them.” He smirks. “As you know, this face is a sought-after commodity.”

“It’s a good thing arrogance isn’t hereditary, or your future children would be in trouble.”

He swats my butt, and I laugh.

“Hey, you’ll never guess who Ben’s mother is.”

“Who?”

“Clare, from the café.”

“Really? That’s wild. How do you know?”

“Ben walked in to cover her shift when I was there. He skipped class so she could take her other son to the doctor for an earache. She said she had to make a choice between paying a sitter and paying the medical bill.”

“I can’t imagine being in that situation. It’s awful that Ben had to miss class to fill in for her. They’ve been understaffed for months.”

“That employer should be ashamed of himself.”

“Why doesn’t she get another job?”

“She said she can’t afford to. I didn’t pry, but I really want to help them. I don’t know what you’re paying for your receptionist position, but I wonder if it’s more than what she’s currently earning. She said she usually works in the office handling bookkeeping and administrative duties.”

“I’m offering a competitive salary, but if she does bookkeeping, I could pay more. That would save me from doing it, which would also give me more time for research.”

“That’s a good point.”

“I wonder if she has health insurance through her company, because I offer that and retirement, too, which could also save her money.”

“I don’t know, but it sounds like it’s worth a conversation.”

“You’re really something, Mr. Braden. I’ve probably seen Clare a hundred times over the past year, and I never slowed down enough to get to know her. Shame on me.”

“Give yourself a break. You’re a busy girl boss.”

“That’s no excuse. She makes my latte every day, and I appreciate it and go there because of it, but I don’t see her. I see a woman who makes great lattes. That’s not how I was raised, and it’s not who I want to be. I’m going to make a concerted effort to change that.”