bountiful breasts up? — Jack suspected Claire felt exactly the same. “So you’re not denying there’s an attraction?”
“We’ve kissed twice. It’d be both difficult and hypocritical to deny there’s an attraction.”
Satisfaction roared through him. “Have dinner with me tonight. We won’t talk about properties and leases. We won’t even think about them. We’ll just concentrate on you and me, and where we can take this mutual attraction.”
“In other words, have dinner with you so you can strip me and fuck me six ways to Sunday.”
His cock jumped to attention. “Would that be so bad?”
She didn’t answer, just glared at him.
Dumb answer, especially because he hadn’t actually had sex on his mind when he’d asked her. “I invited you to dinner, Claire. Not to bed. I thought we could get to know each other a little better, without having the pressure of a business agreement sitting between us.”
Claire shook her head. “I can’t.”
“Can’t, or won’t?”
“This shop is too important to me. I can’t let my personal feelings interfere with my business judgment. Regardless of what you have on your books now, my heart is set on the Rose Bay property, and I will do whatever is necessary to get it. Which means nurturing a personal relationship of any kind with you is not only going to be a bad idea, it’s going to be pretty impossible.”
He sighed. She wasn’t going to change her mind anytime soon. “You were right.”
“About what?”
“My not having the lease.”
“So get it.”
“It’s not that simple.”
She glared at him, invisible daggers hitting him in the chest with deadly precision.
“Parker , the other tenant, won’t budge. Far as he’s concerned he’s signed, and the property is his.”
Claire let out a low, sexy growl and swung her furious gaze away from him, staring out the window instead. She counted slowly to ten, but before she reached seven she gave a howl of indignation. “Where are we?”
“In the car.”
Another dagger hit him square in the chest. “Where are we going? This is not the way back to your office.”
It was the darnedest thing, but every dagger that hit him only increased his hunger for her. He liked watching Claire getting all fired up and doing her best to temper her anger. There was something extraordinarily sexy about her control, and he’d be willing to bet that getting her to lose that control would be a million times sexier.
“Didn’t I mention I needed to check out a couple of properties? We’re going to see another one.”
Her little yelp of disbelief hit him right in the belly.
“ Uh-uh . No, we are not going anywhere. You are going to take me back, and you’re going to sort out the Rose Bay lease, at which point you are more than welcome to visit as many properties as you like. On your time, not mine.”
Jack shook his head. “Sorry. No can do. I’ve already taken the off-ramp. Getting back to the East now is going to be hell. We’d have to go through the city. And with traffic, it’ll take forever. Quicker just to come with me and see the next place.”
Claire remained silent for a minute or two. Her fingers tapped on the door in a rhythmic beat. One tap, two taps, three taps and one again. Oh, he could imagine her tapping out that beat on his ass — with her feet — as he threw her onto his bed and took full possession of her strong body.
She reached into her bag, pulled out her iPhone and hit a few buttons. “Maddie?… Yeah… No, I didn’t… Long story.” She chewed on her lower lip. “Do I sound happy?… Yes. My point exactly… I have no idea. Driving into the inner city I think… Again, I have no idea.”
Jack didn’t attempt to interrupt. He listened to her side of the conversation, content to hear Claire’s just-woken-up voice ringing through the car. He couldn’t make out what Maddie said in response, he just heard a faint rumble through the phone.
He did not for a minute think
“We’ve kissed twice. It’d be both difficult and hypocritical to deny there’s an attraction.”
Satisfaction roared through him. “Have dinner with me tonight. We won’t talk about properties and leases. We won’t even think about them. We’ll just concentrate on you and me, and where we can take this mutual attraction.”
“In other words, have dinner with you so you can strip me and fuck me six ways to Sunday.”
His cock jumped to attention. “Would that be so bad?”
She didn’t answer, just glared at him.
Dumb answer, especially because he hadn’t actually had sex on his mind when he’d asked her. “I invited you to dinner, Claire. Not to bed. I thought we could get to know each other a little better, without having the pressure of a business agreement sitting between us.”
Claire shook her head. “I can’t.”
“Can’t, or won’t?”
“This shop is too important to me. I can’t let my personal feelings interfere with my business judgment. Regardless of what you have on your books now, my heart is set on the Rose Bay property, and I will do whatever is necessary to get it. Which means nurturing a personal relationship of any kind with you is not only going to be a bad idea, it’s going to be pretty impossible.”
He sighed. She wasn’t going to change her mind anytime soon. “You were right.”
“About what?”
“My not having the lease.”
“So get it.”
“It’s not that simple.”
She glared at him, invisible daggers hitting him in the chest with deadly precision.
“Parker , the other tenant, won’t budge. Far as he’s concerned he’s signed, and the property is his.”
Claire let out a low, sexy growl and swung her furious gaze away from him, staring out the window instead. She counted slowly to ten, but before she reached seven she gave a howl of indignation. “Where are we?”
“In the car.”
Another dagger hit him square in the chest. “Where are we going? This is not the way back to your office.”
It was the darnedest thing, but every dagger that hit him only increased his hunger for her. He liked watching Claire getting all fired up and doing her best to temper her anger. There was something extraordinarily sexy about her control, and he’d be willing to bet that getting her to lose that control would be a million times sexier.
“Didn’t I mention I needed to check out a couple of properties? We’re going to see another one.”
Her little yelp of disbelief hit him right in the belly.
“ Uh-uh . No, we are not going anywhere. You are going to take me back, and you’re going to sort out the Rose Bay lease, at which point you are more than welcome to visit as many properties as you like. On your time, not mine.”
Jack shook his head. “Sorry. No can do. I’ve already taken the off-ramp. Getting back to the East now is going to be hell. We’d have to go through the city. And with traffic, it’ll take forever. Quicker just to come with me and see the next place.”
Claire remained silent for a minute or two. Her fingers tapped on the door in a rhythmic beat. One tap, two taps, three taps and one again. Oh, he could imagine her tapping out that beat on his ass — with her feet — as he threw her onto his bed and took full possession of her strong body.
She reached into her bag, pulled out her iPhone and hit a few buttons. “Maddie?… Yeah… No, I didn’t… Long story.” She chewed on her lower lip. “Do I sound happy?… Yes. My point exactly… I have no idea. Driving into the inner city I think… Again, I have no idea.”
Jack didn’t attempt to interrupt. He listened to her side of the conversation, content to hear Claire’s just-woken-up voice ringing through the car. He couldn’t make out what Maddie said in response, he just heard a faint rumble through the phone.
He did not for a minute think
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