Seduced In San Diego. Reese Ryan
and found materials in your work, and though you drive very pricey cars, they’re all eco-friendly. So obviously caring for the environment is a huge issue for you.”
“That one was easy.” Jordan narrowed his gaze. “You’ll have to do better than that to convince me.”
“All right.” Sasha nodded. If Jordan Jace needed convincing, she could handle that. “Your work with underprivileged kids is as important to you as bringing beauty into the world through your art.” When he didn’t reply, she indicated the table where Marcus’s sculpture stood. “This is the legacy you want to leave, isn’t it? A man who left the world, and the people in it, in a much better state than he found them.”
Jordan rubbed his chin and cleared his throat. She’d touched a nerve and it made him uncomfortable.
Good.
He had to be willing to get uncomfortable if they were going to work together. Evidently, she’d have to accept operating outside of her comfort zone, too.
“Well, Miss Charles, why don’t you let me think about your request and get back to you?” Jordan headed for the door.
Panic spread through Sasha’s chest. She’d pushed him too hard. Now she needed to play the card she’d been holding on to.
“You never did get an answer to your question.” She remained rooted in her spot, though her pulse raced.
Jordan turned back to her. “About?”
“Which member of Prescott George invited me here tonight?”
“No, I didn’t, did I?” He folded his arms, one brow raised. She’d gotten his attention. “Who do I have to thank for the lovely sales pitch?”
Sasha inhaled deeply. Tried to keep her limbs from trembling. “Jonathan Jace.”
“My father invited you here? Why? He doesn’t give one whit whether or not the gallery is successful.”
“I doubt that’s true.” She stepped closer, shrinking the gap between them. “But your mother obviously does. She’s the person who hired me.”
“Exactly when did you plan to tell me all this?” Jordan scowled.
“When it became relevant.” Sasha maintained his gaze and shrugged. “It just did.”
“So this entire performance tonight was an elaborate ruse at my expense?”
“No, it was a test.” She stepped even closer, forcing her gaze to meet his. “For both of us. I needed to know that you were someone I could work with. That your art and what you stand for are things I believe in. Without that foundation, there’s no way I can sell your brand to the world.”
“And what’s the verdict?” He folded his arms and stared down his nose at her.
“I was already a fan of the art. But now I’m infinitely impressed with the artist.” Sasha smiled, invoking his earlier statement.
Jordan shook his head and seemed to chuckle, in spite of himself. “Okay, Sasha.” He put emphasis on the use of her given name again. “I’ll make you a deal.”
She folded her arms and tipped her chin upward. “Let’s hear it.”
“I’ll listen to your proposal for expanding my brand...over dinner. My treat.”
Sasha inhaled deeply. Tried not to let him see her blink or how her knees were trembling. She gripped her clutch tightly with both hands and exhaled slowly. “A working dinner?”
“If it makes you feel better to call it that.”
“What would you call it?” The brooch on her silk clutch dug into her skin.
“A date, of course.” Jordan chuckled in response to her opened mouth and widened eyes. His nostrils flared and a sexy-as-sin smirk curved one side of his sensuous mouth. “Careful, love. Now I can see you a bit more clearly.”
“What do you mean?” Heat crawled up her spine and the space between them seemed to evaporate.
“You’re Miss Prim and Proper. The one who can’t bear the thought of breaking the rules.” He walked around her, studying her as if she were a museum piece. He leaned in closer. His warm breath tickled her skin. His tone was teasing. “I doubt you’ve ever knowingly broken a single rule.”
Heat filled her cheeks and a knot tightened in her belly. Yes, he was definitely testing her.
If Jordan Jace thought she’d be run off by a little teasing and a lot of flirtation, he had no idea whom he was dealing with. Unlike Jordan, Sasha hadn’t come from money. But she knew how to play the game, and she wasn’t easily intimidated. And dealing with a difficult client? That was just her average Tuesday.
Sasha lengthened her spine, her eyes meeting his. “Just tell me when and where.”
Jordan pushed in Sasha’s chair, then settled in the seat across from her. The woman was even more mesmerizing than he remembered. A remarkable feat, since he hadn’t been able to get her face and memorable curves out of his head for the past three days.
Sasha Charles had been all he could think of. He’d even taken out his charcoal pencils and sketched the face and form that had kept him awake late at night. Tossing and turning with the desire to have her in his bed.
Tonight, he’d pulled out all the stops to impress her.
Secured reservations at the hottest French restaurant in town, despite their customary thirty-day waiting list. He’d insisted on picking her up in his Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo. And he’d placed their orders in perfect French.
Still, Sasha seemed unaffected. As if it were a run-of-the-mill Friday night.
She pulled out two black folders with gold lettering on them and handed him one. “You asked to see my plan for growing your brand? Well, here it is.”
“You want to do this right now?” Jordan opened the folder emblazoned with the name of the marketing agency Sasha worked for.
“I appreciate the lovely gesture, of course. I’ve been wanting to try this place since they opened six months ago.” Sasha glanced around the elegant restaurant. “However, I thought it best to establish the tone at the outset. Whatever you might call it, for me, this is very much a business dinner.”
“Point taken.” Jordan nodded sagely. “And maybe you’re right. Best to get all of the business out of the way so we can move on to more...fun aspects of the evening.”
Sasha’s eyes widened and she blinked several times. “Jordan, I don’t want to give you the wrong idea about tonight. I want to work with you, of course. But not if that means you expect me to—”
“Oh God, no.” Jordan held his hands up. “I know that I made this dinner a requirement for me to consider working with you, but I’d never...” He couldn’t even say the words. “That isn’t even remotely my style. I assure you. However, I am quite taken with you, Sasha. I’d like to get to know you better. I don’t see anything wrong with that, do you?”
Sasha sank her teeth into her luscious lower lip, the wheels turning in her lovely head. She didn’t respond to his question. Instead, she took a sip of the mineral water she’d ordered instead of wine.
Finally, she raised her eyes to his. “In that case, I should tell you that you don’t need to try so hard to impress me.”
Jordan leaned forward. “And why is that?”
“I’m already impressed. You’re a brilliant artist, Jordan. I know that your pieces will be in museums all over the world within five or ten years. Kids will be studying them in art classes in twenty.”
Sasha