Page 9 of The Naughty List Agreement

“All I can commit to is maybe.”

“I’m not negotiating with you. Take it or leave it.”

Cora stayed calm by taking a sip of her cocktail, letting the gin do its job. There was something about him that made her want to— Ugh. She refused to have a meltdown in front him.

“If I do this, what will it entail?”

“Shadowing me.”

Uh, what? She’d have to be next to Mr. Big and Muscly every day? That was not a good idea. “What exactly do you do? You’re the boss, right, so lots of meetings?”

Nick leaned in, his inked forearms flexing. That twinkle was back in his eyes. The snow globe in her belly flipped over and shook, as if it were in the hands of a toddler.

“I do it all. You’ll have to wear the same garb as my other workers so you fit in.”

“Will I have to dress like you? Because I have standards and that”—she gestured to him—“isn’t up to mine.”

“A flannel shirt is warm and durable. Plaid’s classic. And who doesn’t like jeans?”

She had a lot to say about jeans and a flannel shirt, but none of it would help her win this argument. Her reluctance wasn’t actually about fashion. She didn’t want to spend the next month trailing behind Nick Bari as he showcased his outdated methods and traditional—read, tedious—life while she should be out chasing deals and marketing the heck out of Winter Wonderland.

Still, she had to close this deal tonight.

“I … I can make it work,” she said.

“Stick with plaid. You’ve a good eye for it,” he said.

“Thanks,” she said, surprised by his unexpected compliment. “Now, I need to show off my star toy on The Today Show on Friday. Did you work on my suggestion for the dollhouse? With a bit of zhuzhing up I can make them work.”

“Glad to hear.”

Sarcasm. She wished it didn’t make him even sexier.

Gah, what was wrong with her?

“Could you rig it up so kids can connect their devices to it. Make it a smart home?” she suggested. “Kids love to do the same things as their parents. Like, a home they could customize inside. Maybe some posters for the walls. That would really sell. Lots of accessories that can be sold separately.”

Nick considered her for a long time. She squirmed under his assessing gaze. After the concessions he’d won from her, she wasn’t about to back down now. If the toy didn’t sell, none of this would matter anyway.

“You know toys, but I know what sells and you … well, your shop was pretty much empty,” she said.

Nick gave her a hard look that would have melted a lesser woman. Or at least, that’s what she told herself. “I need something with the wow factor.”

Nick’s arms bulged as he crossed them over his chest. “The wow can come from imagination.”

“If no one buys your toys they’ll never know, will they?”

“Are you done?”

“Excuse me?” she spluttered.

“Are you done telling me everything you don’t like about my toys?” he said in a hard voice. More softly, he added, “I have a prototype to show you. This way,” he said, standing up.

He didn’t wait to see if she followed so she was gifted with the image of him stalking away. Her gaze lingered on his butt so she raised her eyes, only to find his slim waist and the breadth of his shoulders. For the first time she really looked at him.

Damn, he was hot.

Which she was totally going to ignore.