Sweet Obsession: Windy City Kink, Book 1 (11 page)

Flo held the phone and gave her a look. “Please hold.” She punched a button. “It’s Paul Patterson again.”

Sasha’s mouth tightened and Jack thought she muttered a curse under her breath. “Take a message. I’ll call him when I get back.”

“Is there a problem?” Jack asked. “I can wait.”

“No,” she said tersely. “There’s no problem.”

“Do you have appointments this afternoon you have to rush back for?”

Sasha shot Flo a look, then sighed. “No.”

“Okay, then there’s no rush. And this
is
a business meeting.”

This time her sigh was gustier, obviously intended for him to hear. He grinned.

They walked to his car around the corner, and he thumbed the remote to unlock the doors then opened the door for her. He caught her glance flicking over the Jaguar XK convertible.

“Nice car,” she said.

“Thanks.”

When he was seated with seatbelt fastened and the car started, she asked, “Where are we going?”

“You’ll see.”

“No. You’ll tell me now or I’m getting out at the next red light.”

He fought back his smile. Sweet but feisty. Christ, that turned him on. “Concetta’s.”

“Oh. Really?”

“Yes. What did you think? I was abducting you back to my place?”

“The thought did cross my mind.” Once more she folded her arms across her chest.

“It crossed mine too.” He smiled and turned his head to look at her just as she looked at him and their eyes met with a jolt. Her lips twitched, and then she rolled her eyes and turned away. “Hey, I’m just being honest. But I decided I’d take you out for a business lunch with all the other businessmen.”

“Millionaire businessmen,” she muttered. “I don’t exactly fit in there.”

“Of course you do.” He shrugged. “They have good food.”

“Expensive food.”

“Relax, Sasha. I’m sure you’ve been there before.”

“Maybe once or twice.”

He snorted. “Right. Anyway, maybe you can schmooze there with more potential clients.”

She pursed her lips.

The elegant restaurant had valet parking, so he pulled up out front under the red-and-white striped canopy and jumped out. The valet opened Sasha’s door for her and she swung her long legs out, her brown tweed trousers not completely covering the sexy boots. Jack gave the guy his keys and with a hand on the small of Sasha’s back, led her into the restaurant through a heavy wooden door.

“Reservation for two. Jack Grenville.”

The dark-haired hostess’s eyes swept over him and she gave a sultry red-lipped smile. “Of course, Mr. Grenville,” she murmured. She marked something off on her screen and picked up two thick menus. “Right this way.”

She wore a black pencil skirt and white blouse, which sounded basic but fit her slender body perfectly, and in black platform heels she walked like a model on the catwalk. He couldn’t help but admire her, even though she did nothing for him.

“Your eyes were glued to her ass,” Sasha murmured once they were seated at the table and the hostess had left.

His head whipped up to stare at her. “Fuck no.”

“Oh yes, they were.”

“I won’t deny I looked,” he said, relaxing back into his chair. Was she jealous? That made him feel kinda good. “And yeah, she’s pretty, but…eh.”

Sasha’s eyebrows lifted.

“I like blondes.”

Her eyelashes fluttered at him. “Oh. Uh…”

He smiled and hitched a shoulder. “It’s true. It’s a thing I’ve had ever since high school.” He watched color wash into her pretty cheeks. She sat back in her chair, staring at him. God, she was sweet.

The server approached them to list off the lunch specials and take drink orders.

“Just water,” Sasha told him with a smile.

“I’ll have a Coke,” Jack requested. “Lots of ice.”

The server disappeared.

“I want to be honest with you, Sasha,” he said, leaning forward across the small table. “I know you’re confused.”

“I’m not stupid.”

He gave her a narrow-eyed look. “I know that,” he said sternly. “Don’t even say things like that.”

She looked down then up at him. “I’m sorry. Yes, I’m confused.”

He reached for her hand where it rested on the table and lightly covered it with his. “I don’t want to scare you, baby. I really don’t. I want you to know the truth though.”

“You don’t really want me to design your rooftop garden, do you?” she said in a rush. “You
have
been stalking me, haven’t you?”

His jaw damn nearly smacked the table. “What? Stalking you?”

“You can’t tell me that showing up at Sweet Licks the other night was a coincidence.”

Fuck. She had him dead to rights. “Okay. Yeah, I found out where you live. I was driving by because…well, I don’t know why. Because I couldn’t stay away. I saw you with your roommate so I followed you in there.”

She nodded but didn’t bolt.

“My intention wasn’t to stalk you or scare you,” he said quietly. “I just wanted to see you.”

“So it’s
not
about designing your rooftop garden. This is all about…sex. Or something.”

“No.” His voice was firm. Emphatic. Unequivocal. “No, that’s not it. I do want you to design my rooftop garden. That is completely serious, Sasha.”

“Really?” Her hand moved beneath his, and he rubbed his thumb over hers.

“Yes. Not long after I moved here, I was at a party in a condo and they had an amazing rooftop patio. I got the idea I could do something like that too. When I asked around, I discovered you’re the best. It seemed like destiny. Right?”

“Destiny.” She gave a little laugh.

Did he sound like a psycho stalker? He rubbed his forehead. “Sure. It was meant to be. I meant what I said, Sasha. Business is separate from pleasure. I want you to design my rooftop garden, and I will pay you for what you do. In the meantime, if you hate my guts and want nothing else to do with me, I’ll…” He swallowed. He didn’t really believe that would happen. He
couldn’t
believe that would happen. “I’ll leave you alone.” He searched her face for her reaction. She never could hide her feelings, and he saw the flickers of emotion in her eyes, in the way her mouth moved. Uncertainty. Arousal. Hope. Fear. “It can be just business.”

The server appeared with Jack’s Coke. “Are you ready to order?”

“Give us a few more minutes,” Jack requested. Neither of them had even looked at their menus yet.

“Of course.” The server vanished again.

“Do you believe me?” he asked quietly, leaning forward. He held her gaze steadily.

She paused to consider that. Then she nodded. “I guess so.” Her gaze dropped to the menu in her hands.

“Let’s decide on lunch,” he said gently.

Sasha bit her lip as she looked at the menu. Then she closed it and set it on the table.

The server reappeared almost immediately and took Jack’s order for a Panini with roasted pork shoulder, fontina cheese and roasted garlic aioli, and then Sasha’s request for a salad with grilled ahi tuna, arugula, roasted tomatoes and Kalamata olives.

Jack rested his arms on the table and leaned forward. “So,” he said. “Will you take the job?”

Chapter Eight

Sasha let Jack’s words sink in. Just business.

After that brief but scorching make-out session on his couch the other day, she had her doubts that things could be strictly business between them. But he was offering that, and if she was smart she’d take that offer.

He sat there, unperturbed, apparently waiting patiently. That was one thing that was definitely different about Jack—patience had been something he was sorely lacking back when they’d been young.

She needed the money, as simple as that. Ever since she’d ripped that check up, she’d been chastising herself for being so rash and emotional. Clearly she’d been agitated after those kisses. She’d been chastising herself about that too.

She could do it. Her mind had buzzed all weekend with ideas for the patio, even though she’d ripped up the check and stormed out of there. She
wanted
to do it, not just for the money but for the creative challenge.

“Okay.”

“Good.” He gave a firm nod too. “I’ll tell Tim that you have access to the condo whenever you want. You can come and go as you please while you’re working on the project.”

“Thank you.”

“I have a busy week,” he said. “But I’ll try to be there as much as I can to answer questions or whatever you need.”

“That’s okay.” She nodded. “I understand. You must be really busy.” She adjusted her knife and fork so they were perfectly straight on the table. “Tell me about your business. I know you and Adam are partners. Did you start the business together?”

“Yeah. We started it as a project in our last year of college. The challenge was to come up with ways of protecting online and offline data to combat new security threats. Things were starting to change in terms of how data is stored by data centers, public and private clouds and mobile devices. I was fascinated by cryptography, and Adam and I came up with some new encryption methods to protect data from mainframe to mobile, from data centers to clouds. Our encryption solutions were user friendly, compatible with IT systems and business processes, but useless to hackers.”

She watched him talk, impressed with his confidence and technical knowledge. It was kind of a…turn on.

“Our prof encouraged us to make a business plan,” he continued. “And to go out and pitch the idea to some businesses. We were blown away by the reception we got from them. Within months, we had contracts and were actually making money. We’d both been applying for jobs for when we graduated. It seemed like the thing to do. So we both got tech jobs at different places, but our small security business kept growing. I…needed the money, so I kept working at both but it was getting impossible. It was a big decision to go on our own, especially since we were so young and new to the industry, but….” He shrugged. “It all worked out.”

“I’d say so.” She smiled. “Will moving to Chicago be good for business?”

“Hard to say. It won’t hurt us. The nature of our business is that we can provide service from anywhere. Some of our staff, including me, will have to travel to California sometimes to continue to provide service to our existing customers there. But Chicago’s a big city and there are lots of potential clients here. We’ve already signed contracts with quite a few and have more prospects that we’ve been in talks with.”

“A lot of it is who you know,” she murmured. “And you’ve been gone for a while.”

“True. I don’t have the contacts here, but that’s why Adam and I have been spending so much time joining various organizations and charities, getting involved in the community. It’s been hectic, but fun. Also, enough people have heard of us, with the awards that we’ve won and the media attention we’ve gotten.”

“Does your sister still live here?” Emma was six years younger than him, and had only been about twelve when he’d left.

He nodded. “Yes, she’s been back here for a couple of years. She came out west to go to college and moved back here when she graduated. She’s an actuary.”

“Oh, that’s great. And your uncle?”

“He’s still here too,” Jack said with a crooked smile. “I don’t see him much though. I kept in touch when Emma was living with him. I would’ve taken her with me if I could.”

“I’m sure she’s happy to have you back here again.”

He grinned. “Maybe. She thinks I butt into her life a little too much.”

“Ah. Big brother. I know the feeling.”

His eyes narrowed and his jaw tightened. “Yeah. I’m sure you do. How are your brothers?”

She shrugged. “They’re good. Sam’s a doctor and Nash is a VP at the bank.”

He nodded. “Not married?”

“Nope. They’re too much of a pain in the ass for any woman to marry.”

His laugh had a hard edge, but she smiled too, warming inside, unable to take her eyes off his face. God, when he laughed he was gorgeous, eyes crinkling at the corners, dimples appearing in his lean cheeks, his white teeth flashing. His smile was a turn on too. Geez, everything about him was a turn on. There was no fighting it.

But she had to.

Their lunches arrived and they ate and talked. Jack kept things light and superficial, talk about the city and how it had changed since he’d left, things he still wanted to see and do since being back. “Can’t wait for baseball season,” he said.

“Cubs home opener is April first.”

“Yeah!”

“You always did like sports.”

“Gotta love the food here too. Those hot dogs the other day were amazing.”

She had to smile. “Yeah, they were pretty good.”

He eyed her nearly empty plate. “Got room for dessert?”

“Don’t tempt me!”

“We could share something,” he cajoled. “The panna cotta is really good here.”

“Oh. God.”

He grinned and when the waiter approached to take their plates, he ordered the dessert with two spoons. “Coffee?”