Not the Marrying Kind(17)
She didn’t pull away and he wondered if she felt the sizzle, like an invisible thread tugging them together. He’d dated extensively but hadn’t had this buzz often. It was heady, addictive, the kind of thrill that made a guy want to wind his hands through her hair, tug her closer, and kiss her senseless.
Later. After she’d agreed to his terms.
And he had no doubt she would.
He intended on making her an offer she couldn’t refuse. But first he had to confirm his suspicions. “You mentioned your sister is the party planner and you’re just filling in?”
“Uh-huh.” Her casual response didn’t fool him, not when she’d tightened her grip on the railing so that her knuckles stood out.
“Then why isn’t there a mention of her on your website?”
A long pause, where she probably scrambled for an excuse to throw him off track. Not likely. He wasn’t the type to give up, as she’d soon find out.
“She’s taking a break.”
“So you removed her from the website?” He shook his head. “I don’t think so.”
“What are you saying?” To her credit, she released the railing and swiveled to face him, chin tilted up in defiance.
“That you’re hiding something linked to her Party Hard business, and I don’t like signing off twenty grand to a potential charlatan.”
She puffed up like an outraged bullfrog, managing to look indignant and gloriously sexy at the same time. “What sort of a businessman are you? You said I had the job. We’re looking at freaking venues, and you can’t back out now—”
“Hold on to your party poppers. I’m just protecting my investment.” He laid a hand on her forearm, felt a tremor, and thought better of it. This deal would be complicated enough without his blood heading south. “If you want this job, I expect full disclosure.”
“You’re blackmailing me again?” Her lips parted in incredulity.
Not yet, but the night was young.
“Up to you. Tell me the truth or I walk.”
“Fine.” But it wasn’t, as she glared at him through narrowed eyes. “Sara’s marriage fell apart, she’s suffering from clinical depression, and her business, Party Hard, is on the brink of collapse. I stepped in, but the party planning biz in Provost isn’t so hot these days, especially when word got out about her breakdown. And it doesn’t help that her rat bastard ex is swanning around town like he owns the place, so people assume she did something wrong and that’s why he left, and they back off from the business, too.”
“Harsh.”
She nodded, worrying her bottom lip with her top teeth, the first sign of vulnerability. “While Provost is technically outer suburbia, it’s like living in a small town.”
“With a small-town mentality?” Now he was getting a clearer picture. Marketing whiz from LA steps in to save her sister’s business but needs to keep it low key. Still didn’t explain the lack of contact details and her obsession with anonymity.
“Exactly.” She hesitated, as if weighing her next words. “Divorce parties wouldn’t be the done thing in Provost—too conservative—so I set up Divorce Diva Daily as a separate entity from Party Hard. It’s a potentially lucrative adjunct but I can’t have anyone discovering my identity and the link to Party Hard.”
She sighed. “Plus Sara’s gone through a tough time accepting her impending divorce, so I don’t want to rub her face in it. She’s fragile right now and couldn’t handle it.”
“I see.”
“Do you? Because if word gets out, Sara’ll freak…” She shook her head, the sudden bleakness twisting her mouth making him want to kiss it all better. “I owe Sara and I’ll do whatever it takes to save her business.”
And just like that, she gave him the opportunity to outline his plan.
“Anything?”
“Within reason.” Her eyebrow raised an infinitesimal millimeter.
“You’re in luck, because I have another business proposition for you.”
“What is it?” Curiosity lit her eyes.
He took a step closer, instantly enveloped in her tempting floral fragrance, enjoying the faintest flicker of inquisitiveness in her eyes. “Simple.”
He snagged a strand of her hair, wound it around his finger, and tugged gently.
“Marry me.”
Chapter Six
Divorce Diva Daily recommends:
Playlist: “Fighter” by Christina Aguilera
Movie: Better Off Dead
Cocktail: Knockout Punch
“You’re out of your freaking mind.” Poppy placed her palms on Beck’s chest and shoved, hard.