her.
Treat Emilio like a friend, not a patient
.
Be his confidante. Someone he can trust.
This was her moment to get through to him, to use her personal story to reach him, and she wasnât going to squander the opportunity. âThe way I see it, you have two choices. You can either heal or allow grief to consume you. Itâs as simple as that.â
He lowered his head, dropped his gaze to his lap.
âIf I can overcome the pain of my past, then you can, too. I promise to be there to help you every step of the way, Emilio. You can do this.â Sharleen raised an index finger. âGive me a month. If after thirty days, you still think Iâm full of it, Iâll give Antwan a refund.â
âThat wonât be necessary. Antwan says youâre worth every penny, and I believe him. Weâve only been talking for a few hours, but Iâm already impressed.â
So am I
.
Youâre kind and sweet
and
fine as hell!
âIâm not averse to counseling, but I canât come to your office.â He shrugged and gave a small smile. âI canât risk the paparazzi or my family finding out that Iâm in therapy. My cousins and brothers would tease me mercilessly.â
âHow many siblings do you have?â
âHell if I know,â he said, with a wry laugh. âMy fatherâs been married four times, and I lost count of how many siblings I had years ago!â
Emilio chuckled, and Sharleen did, too.
âIâm kidding. I have six brothers and two sisters. My old man loves kids and thinks having them around keeps him young, so I wouldnât be surprised if he decided to have more children!â
The waitress, who was clearly a college student trying to pay her way through school, arrived with the bill.
Emilio took out his wallet, slid his platinum card through the portable debit machine and punched in his PIN. âThanks for everything, miss. The food was great.â
The waitress retrieved the machine and cupped a hand over her mouth. âA thousand-dollar tip?â she shrieked. âThis is awesome. Thank you so much!â
Sharleen was impressed by Emilioâs generosity, but she wondered if it was all for show. Did he give the waitress a huge tip just to impress her? Or was this just another day in the life of a superstar athlete worth millions? Watching him with growing interest, she felt enthralled by himâand aroused, too. It wasnât every day she met a sensitive, thoughtful guy with a big heart.
No wonder Iâm hot for him. Who wouldnât be? Heâs every womanâs dream man!
âItâs time to switch gears.â
Emilio stood, came around the table and helped Sharleen out of her chair.
âLetâs have another round of drinks and play pool.â
âI hate to brag, but I won several pool tournaments in college.â
âFamous last words...â
âWant to bet?â An idea came to mind and a smile filled her lips. âIf I win, youâre going to be my guest at the Mind, Body & Soul Conference this weekendââ
âAnd if I win youâre going to be my live-in chef for the rest of the month.â
As if!
Sharleen made her eyes wide, as if she were shocked, but she was secretly amused.
âI love Southern cuisine, and the pictures of your bayou fried shrimp and coconut cream pie look delicious.â He moved closer, swallowed the space between them. âCan I get a taste?â
Anytime, anyplace.
His voice tickled the tips of her ears. His gaze held her captive, awakened every cell in her body. Sharleen stood as still as stone, but her heart was pounding inside her chest, racing erratically. âWhat were you doing poking around my Instagram page?â
âJust doing my research.â
Sharleen felt a glimmer of pride when she caught Emilio steal a peek at her butt, but she pretended not to notice. In the arcade, she selected a cue stick, gripped it in a loose, relaxed
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