did fascinating things to the deep V over her breasts. Not that he was a lecher, but come on. A lady didnât wear a dress like that if she didnât want her date to notice her spectacular breasts. And a lady who didnât want a man to imagine tasting her breasts definitely didnât lean .
âReally. No secrets?â
âReally, really.â His tongue was still a bit thick.
âSounds like we need to play a game of truth or dare, then.â
Five
C ass held her breath as Gageâs gaze flew to hers. It had been lingering somewhere in the vicinity of her cleavage, and the heat from his appreciation had been warming her uncomfortably for the better part of ten minutes. But what had she expected with such a daring wardrobe choice?
Gageâs eyes on her body were far more affecting than any other manâs hands would be.
Question marks shooting from the top of his head, Gage lifted a brow. âYeah, truth or dare. Thatâs what I was thinking, too. How did you know?â
She bit back the laugh. Even when he was being sarcastic, he was still charming. She wasnât falling for it. âIâm serious. If you donât have any secrets, should be an easy game.â
And she could pump him for information about his involvement in the leak without raising red flags. It was brilliant.
Lazily he traced the rim of his untouched wineglass, watching her with undisguised calculation. But what all those equations added up to, she had no idea. The clink of silverware against china filled the sudden silence, along with snatches of conversation from other diners.
âYou know how that game works, right?â he finally asked.
She waved dismissively. âOf course, or I wouldnât have suggested it. I ask you a question and if you donât choose to answer it honestly, you have to do whatever I dare you to.â
âAnd you have to do the same.â The once-over he slid down her body unleashed a shiver.
Sheâd considered that. Not enough, apparently. âYeah, so? Iâm not worried.â
The waiter brought their dinners but instead of picking up a fork, Gage folded his hands in front of his plate of salmon and asparagus. âYou probably should be. But now Iâm insanely curious what you want to know that you feel you have to bury inside a game. You could just ask.â
Her pulse tripped as she scrambled for a response. She was slipping. How had he seen through that ploy so easily ? âThatâs no fun.â
His laugh curled up inside her thickly. âIt so can be, but itâs all in the asking. No matter. Iâm in. Truth or dare away. Truth for my first round.â
Forking a bite of salmon into his mouth, he watched her expectantly and it bobbled her pulse again. This was why she sold cosmetics for a living instead of becoming an investigator. There was a skill to it apparently, one that she lacked. Too late to back out now.
âHave you ever...â She cursed silently. Thinking on the fly was one of her strong suits but not with Gageâs hazel laser beams boring into her. Say something. âCheated on your taxes?â
âThatâs your question?â He shook his head with a laugh. âIâm almost afraid to ask what the dare would be. But it doesnât matter because I have nothing to hide. As much as I think the corporate tax structure needs to be reworked in favor of businesses, no, Iâve never cheated on my taxes.â
Taxes. Could she be more boring? Despite having warned him that she was not a fun date, she had a goal here and she needed to get on it by steering the conversation toward his ethics. âBut you cheat at cards. All the time.â
His slow smile did something X-rated to her insides. âThatâs only when weâre playing strip poker, darling. And believe me, itâs worth it.â
The memory of messing around in college, using things like card games as foreplay, spiked through
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