The Rebound Guy (6 page)

The slim column of her neck undulated as she swallowed deeply. “A lot has changed since last week,” she answered.

He settled back in his chair, studying her across the table. She projected this persona of cool self-assuredness, so the vulnerability he detected in her eyes confused him. It was his job to read women, but he was having a hard time figuring her out, which, of course, made her all the more interesting.

“Exactly what do you want to hire me for?” he asked.

“I want you to help me make my ex-fiancé jealous.”

He blinked. “And how do you propose I would do that?”

“By pretending to be my new love interest,” she said. “My ex-fiancé believes that I’m cold, unfeeling, and incapable of getting and keeping a man. I want to show him that he’s wrong.”

Dex couldn’t think of a single scenario in which the woman sitting across from him would not be able to land a man. He was surprised there wasn’t a line of them trailing behind her as she’d walked to the coffee shop.

“Have you considered other avenues, like maybe going out to a club and meeting a guy?”

One well-shaped eyebrow arched in inquiry. “Do you always try to talk women out of hiring you?”

“No,” Dexter said with a low chuckle. “It’s just that I’m not sure you understand exactly what my business entails.”

“You’re a male escort, aren’t you?”

“No, I am
not
an escort.” His fingernails bit into his palm as he clenched his fist on the table. He shouldn’t be surprised at her assumption after Alena’s article.

“I like to consider myself a relationship advisor,” Dex clarified. “I provide support to women during the transition after the end of a long-term relationship. I help them work through their emotional turmoil and figure out what went wrong in their relationship so that it doesn’t happen again.”

She stared at him, her face blank. “Are you serious?”

“I’m very serious,” Dex said, unable to staunch the smile that broke across his face at her incredulous tone

“I’m not looking for relationship advice. My needs are very specific, Mr. Bryant. In the blog article, it said that you help ‘clients’”—she made air quotes— “seeking to make their exes jealous. Is that one of the services you offer?”

“That’s sometimes a part of the plan.”

“That’s the part I’m interested in.”

He tilted his head to the side and with an overwhelming interest that was hard to explain, asked, “Why?”

“Why do I want to make that bastard jealous?”

Dexter nodded. “And why would you pick me to help you do it?” he added.

She stared at him for several long moments before pulling in a deep breath and saying, “In the article it also mentioned that you specialize in building up a woman’s confidence. That’s why I picked you, Mr. Bryant.” She averted her eyes for a moment, then looked back at him. When she spoke again, her voice held that slight tremble that he’d heard last night. “He broke my confidence, and I want you to help me get it back.”

That chink in her armor caused something to pull in Dex’s chest. He could sense how difficult that admission was for her.

His voice softened. “How long were you two together?”

“Four years. We were engaged for two.”

“Was he the one dragging his feet?”

Her brows dipped in a frown. “What do you mean?”

“A two-year engagement for a couple who had already been dating for two years seems rather long, doesn’t it? Did he put off setting the wedding date, or did you?”

“Neither of us was ready to set a date.” She held her hands up. “Look, I already told you that I’m not looking for someone to analyze my relationship with Cortland. I just want you to stand at my side and look good.”

His lips thinned with irritation. That’s exactly what he
didn’t
want to do. He was not some stand-in stud.

“If all you’re looking for is a date, why don’t you just go about it the old-fashioned way?”

“I don’t have time to date.”

“Was that one of your fiancé’s issues with you?” Dex knew he’d struck a nerve by the way her eyes flashed to his.

She straightened her spine, transforming back into that poised, indomitable beauty he’d first laid eyes on when he’d walked into her office a week ago.

“This is my current situation, Mr. Bryant. My ex-fiancé and I work at the same PR firm. His new girlfriend, whom I discovered has been his girlfriend for several months, also works there. This coming Friday, all three of us are required to attend an after-hour’s event that my company is hosting. I don’t want to show up alone. For all I know, everyone in the office has known about Cortland’s extracurricular activities. He’s made a fool of me and I need to save face. It’s as simple as that.”

Dexter reached for the discarded artificial sweetener packets on the table, then leaned back in his chair, contemplating the woman sitting across from him. After a moment he blew out a sigh and said, “I understand the situation you’re facing, but I really think you should—”

“I will pay you ten thousand dollars.”

His hand stilled.

He stared at her, searching for any sign that she was joking. But nothing in her demeanor indicated that she was one to play games. She was serious.

Trusting that his relaxed pose camouflaged the sudden burst of excitement pulsing through his bloodstream, Dex continued to calmly study her face. It was a damn nice face. Her eyes were a deep, dark brown, almost black. Her lips were just pouty enough to make things interesting, and when she quickly wet them, it triggered that twitch in his groin again.

He cleared his throat and adjusted himself in the chair.

“We haven’t discussed fees,” he said. “How do you know I don’t charge more than ten thousand for my services?”

Her direct stare never faltered. “How much?”

He was the first one to give, the wry grin cracking on his face despite his best effort to maintain a cool facade.

He shouldn’t even think of entertaining her offer. He needed to distance himself from the male escort image, and that was essentially what she was asking him to become. He should tell her “thanks, but no thanks,” and end this meeting right now.

But that number she’d thrown out was too tempting to reject her offer out of hand. He’d been crunching the numbers, trying to figure how to make an early withdrawal from his IRA with the least amount of penalties. If there was a way to avoid tapping into his retirement altogether, he should at least consider it.

But money wasn’t the only reason Dex chose to remain right where he sat.

Asia Carpenter could offer something that was just as valuable to him as money. She was employed by one of the largest public relations firms in New York, which meant she was a professional in the art of presenting companies in the most positive light. Asia could do what Alena’s article could not. She could help him figure out a way to present
his
business to the public that wouldn’t reap the negative feedback he’d received on the blog.

“Well, Mr. Bryant, are you available for hire?”

His grin widening, he leaned forward and folded his hands on the table.

“It’s Dexter. If we’re going to convince anyone that I’m your new man, you’d better learn to call me by my first name.”

***

Asia added sweetener to the coffee she shouldn’t be drinking. She had enough nervous energy flowing through her to power all of Manhattan, but she needed something to fortify her against the forthcoming conversation.

“So, how do you envision the two of us working together?” Dexter asked in that voice that was just a bit too silky for her peace of mind. Nothing seemed to shake that smooth, suave facade of his, which likely meant it wasn’t a facade at all.

She swirled the stirrer around the paper cup, then set the coffee aside without taking a sip.

“It’s simple,” she said. “We pretend to be a couple wrapped up in the throes of a new relationship.”

“Was it love at first sight?”

“Absolutely. As soon as we met we both fell head over heels. I debated whether or not we should pretend to have been seeing each other for a few months, but I won’t make myself out to be a cheater. The fact that I’m resorting to paying you to date me is bad enough. So, we’ll go with the love at first sight angle. It’s believable enough.”

“You are just full of romance, aren’t you?” he said with a smirk.

Asia folded her arms on the table, regarding him with an imperative stare.

“I contacted you because you are purported to be a professional, Mr. Bryant. If you are not going to treat this matter seriously, tell me right now so I can come up with another plan.”

He sat up straight, his relaxed expression becoming more alert. “Make no mistake, Asia. I am one-hundred percent serious. You have my undivided attention.”

“Thank you,” she said with a sharp nod. “Now, I want Cortland to believe that I have found someone who is just as motivated and successful as he is.”

“What does he do for a living?”

“He’s an attorney in the legal department at Global Partners PR.”

“A lawyer?” A genuine smile broke across Dexter’s face.

Asia pulled in a swift breath at the sheer beauty of it.

Cortland was handsome by any woman’s standards, but this man was remarkably hot. It wasn’t just the dimple that formed when he flashed his straight white teeth, or those light-brown eyes that glittered when he smiled. His physical appearance played only a small part in this shockingly intense attraction she felt toward him; it was his overall demeanor. He had that laid-back, sexy vibe going for him. Surrounded by uptight professionals all day, she found him a welcome change. The chiseled jaw and seductive eyes didn’t hurt, either.

Asia fought to regain control over her senses and returned to the matter at hand. She filled Dexter in on Cortland’s professional background and shared an abbreviated accounting of their history together.

“This probably isn’t what you want to hear, but it sounds as if the two of you were perfect for each other,” Dexter commented.

Asia’s lips flattened in annoyance. “Apparently, Cortland doesn’t agree.”

“Are you trying to get him back?”

She contemplated his query for only a second before shaking her head. “No. I thought I wanted him back, but that was before I found out there was another woman.”

“So why are you doing this?” He held his hands up. “Don’t think that I’m backing out of the job, because I’m not. If you’re willing to shell out ten grand for a pretend boyfriend, I’m willing to play the part. I just don’t understand why you believe you’d have to pay someone to date you. You’re gorgeous.”

Asia was embarrassed by the sudden heat that flushed her skin at his simple compliment.

The high-pitched whirl of the coffee grinder granted her a moment’s reprieve from responding to him. When the machine quieted, Asia cleared her throat and said, “Unless flattery is included in your price, you can keep it to yourself, Dexter.”

“It’s not flattery, it’s fact. I know I’m not the first man to point out that you’re an attractive woman.”

She wasn’t sure if this was a tactic in his confidence-building strategy, but his words washed over her battered pride like a soothing balm.

“No, you are not,” Asia answered, staring into her coffee cup. “Thank you. As much as it pains me to admit it, I needed to hear that.” She glanced up at him before averting her gaze. In a much softer voice, she said, “My ego has taken a beating. I thought I was enough for my ex-fiancé. Finding out that I wasn’t has not been easy to stomach.”

“Maybe it was him.”

Her eyes snapped to his.

With a nonchalant shrug, he expounded, “Some men will stray no matter how perfect their significant other. The problem may lie with him, not you.”

Okay, so he was good.
Really
good. He’d managed to soothe the frayed edges of her tattered pride with just a few compliments.

“How did you find yourself doing this for a living?” Asia asked. “Did you get a degree in psychology and decide that you didn’t want to run a regular practice?”

That dimple appeared again as one side of his mouth tipped up in a grin.

“We should probably get a few things on the table before we go any further,” he said. “First, I am not a psychologist, nor do I have any type of formal training as a counselor. My knowledge comes from life experience.”

“Were you a serial rebound guy?”

“I wouldn’t say I was a
serial
rebound guy, but I have been in that situation before. I didn’t recognize it at the time, but the signs were there.”

She propped her chin in her hand. Curious, she asked, “What were the signs?”

His hooded gaze held a glimmer of amusement. “You know, Asia, I usually don’t give this much information away on the first date.”

“This isn’t a date,” she reminded him. “It’s a business meeting. Please tell me,” she said with much less starch in her tone. “I want to know what prompted you to do this for a living.”

Rubbing the back of his neck with one hand, he drew in a deep breath and then released it.

“I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was the rebound guy for an old girlfriend. We hit it off from the very beginning, but there were signs that she wasn’t over her ex. She would compare me to him all the time. Whenever I tried to probe too deep, she would pull back. She always wanted to keep things light and carefree. It was all about having fun.”

“She dumped you,” Asia said.

That wry grin curled up the edges of his lips again.

“She dumped me,” he confirmed with a nod. “It was hard to see past my disappointment at the time, but I eventually realized that I fulfilled a need for her. She had been devastated by her ex, and I was there to make her feel good about herself. She wasn’t ready for another long-term relationship when we started dating. She needed a breather.”

“And is that what you were for her? You were that breather?”

“Yes. I was a necessary part in the process of her figuring out how to love again.”

Asia shook her head. “So you decided to put yourself through that kind of disappointment for a living?”

“No, I decided to save guys like myself from similar disappointment. I was completely clueless to the fact that I was my ex’s rebound guy, so I wasn’t prepared when she ended it. There are no illusions now. I know exactly what I’m doing from the outset. I step in and serve as that guy who helps a woman get over her past relationship. But I’m not there just to show her a good time. I help her to heal, to see what went wrong so that when the next guy comes along—the right guy—she’s less likely to make those same mistakes again.”