Good.
Together they’d talk about Miami, Jennifer, and the girlfriend plan.
Then he’d see if he could have what he wanted with her as well.
They made their way into the restaurant where the maitre’d grabbed twomenus and directed them inside. Matt made a beeline toward the round table, ignoring the other patrons of the restaurant. As they sat down, Ashley’s face was red and she sank into her chair, covering her cheek from view. “Everyone is staring at you.”
He glanced around the restaurant. A few people gave him curious gazes, but this wasn’t as bad as being unabashedly noticed. He shrugged. “I’mused to it. They’re probably wondering about you.”
She made apfftsound with her lips and rolled her eyes. “Oh please. They probably think I’m the help, not a girlfriend.”
Help? She didn’t have the aura of an agent at all. He reached across the table and offered his palm. “Take my hand and gaze directly in my eyes.”
She accepted his challenge and held his hand. “That’s it?”
Once again his body was alive and aware, wanting to know everything about this woman.
It was like he’d been asleep for the past decade and her proximity woke him from slumber. He leaned close. “Yes, exactly. You are a hidden beauty. I see that.”
She pouted her lips a little. “Well, we’re here to discuss this fake girlfriend you need.”
Nothing fake about Ashley.
He didn’t release her hand as he didn’t want to lose whatever gas she was pumping into his engine right now—he’d never felt like this before. “One question?”
She shrugged like she was totally fine. “Okay. What?”
Time to push away his doubt. He rubbed his thumb against her fingers and met her brown-eyed gaze. “The situation with Jennifer and my family is extremely complicated. Youcan’t share with her intimate details about me or any of my siblings.”
Her gaze didn’t waver. “Not a problem.”
His heart beat faster. If this was an issue, he needed to know. “You’re not loyal to her, because you just met?”
Without hesitation, she tilted her head and corrected him. “She hired me because I knew her in Miami.”
Every cell in his body froze. “Oh.”
She licked her lips, like she hadn’t just hit him over the head with bad news. “I also know she can treat people really bad. I knew her when she dated your brother Peter, and she didn’t want anything to do with poor folks like me. But she knows I’m dependable and that’s why she hired me. I’m not going to tell her anything about you. I actually like you.”
Poor… dependable… hired. None ofthat sounded like she had reason to betray him by telling secrets to Jennifer. He’d pay Ashley well and he wanted to trust her.
Matt ignored the questions that plagued him and decided to stick with his first impression.
Ashley was the perfect choice for his plan. Decision made, he smiled, kissed her thumb and asked, “So you like me?”
Her face turned red as she laughed likehe’d hit a nerve. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.”
“Okay.” He spoke in a commanding tone. “Let’s do this.”
She scooted closer to him and asked in a low voice, “What do you have in mind?”
To have her, right here and right now, for a start—never mind that they were in public and he had an image to project. That image was to be respectful in well-established upscale restaurantswhere people paid money for candlelight and soft music. To raise his public approval rating.
But when they were at his house… perhaps they might both enjoy indulging in sensuality.
Matt repressed the impulse to kiss her and said, “Well, I was thinking I can pay ten thousand a week for public outings.”
She tugged her ear and stared at his lower lip as she asked, “And that includeshousing?”
