"Very good."
She smiled, and there was this very strange, awkward moment between them. He stared into her eyes and his penetrating gaze almost felt like an intrusion, as if he were searching for something.
"How was your day?" he asked.
It sucked rocks. What do you think? "Not bad. Yours?"
"Okay." He gave her a swift up-and-down glance. "Did you have another job interview?" His gaze softened from a razor-edged glare, becoming friendlier, less threatening. A little charming.
"Yes, I did." Shoot, he"s going to think I found another job. What if he doesn"t say what he came to say because he"s jumping to the wrong conclusion? Her face warmed. Her heart thumped against her breastbone. "I...don"t think I got the position..." She was itching to just ask him if he"d changed his mind about hiring her. The words sat on the tip of her tongue. But G.o.d help her, she was scared to hear his answer. A part of her wanted to hang on to the smidgen of hope his unexpected visit sparked for just a little longer.
"Ah, I"m sorry." He looked every bit as regretful as he sounded.
Yes, he"s going to offer me a job to set things straight.
Her body jerked tight like a trap when his knee brushed against hers. Oh! And her gaze snapped straight ahead, to the back of the driver"s head, when it pressed harder.
He didn"t move it.
She thought about moving hers but for some reason she couldn"t. Instead, she tried to pretend as if she didn"t notice, but she could feel color suffusing her face, a telltale warmth creeping up her neck over her cheeks.
Had she jumped to the wrong conclusion about his reason for coming to her apartment, asking her to talk? Or was he once again proving he was incapable of working with a woman he was attracted to?
One thing was certain-the chemistry she"d felt between them earlier hadn"t faded. If anything, she sensed it had notched up a bit.
Maybe that was because she was too over it to try not to think about it anymore. She found Tryphon Zade attractive. So what? Who wouldn"t? The man was beyond gorgeous. The jury was out in regard to his personality, but that didn"t stop her from secretly appreciating his physical attributes.
Every.
Single.
One.
She sat mute beside him for the rest of the ride, wishing she could think of something clever and amusing to talk about but drawing a total blank. The vibe he gave her as he chatted about this and that was more date-like than business-like, which was throwing her into a state of total confusion. She knew how to act on a date. She also knew how to behave on an interview, or at a business meeting.
Which one was this?
Unlike the typical first date, jittery tension buzzed through her body, making her feel both a little nauseous and excited. Expectation pulsed through her system like surges of electricity. Something big was going to happen tonight. What that big something might be, she had absolutely no clue.
The limo stopped in front of a restaurant she"d never heard of before. Proving to be quite the gentleman, even if his hiring practices were highly suspect, Tryphon insisted on opening the vehicle"s door for her. He steered her up the walk to the building"s entrance with a hand pressing ever-so-gently at the small of her back. The intimate touch sent little quivers racing up her spine. When she stopped at the door, Tryphon reached around her and pulled it open.
The second she stepped inside, a hostess nodded at her, said, "Mr. Zade," and indicated they should follow her. There was none of the usual-the recited questions about how many people were in their party or whether they preferred smoking or non. Obviously, Tryphon was a regular at this place and the hostess was expecting him.
They were led through a maze of cozy, dimly-lit rooms to one in the back. Every table was empty but one. A man sat with his back to them. To her surprise, the hostess led them to that table. As she circled around to an empty chair, the man stood, pa.s.sing a swift a.s.sessing gaze over her face.
What was this?
He extended his arm. "h.e.l.lo, Raine. I"m Bale Kincaid."
She recognized the name. Bale Kincaid was Tryphon"s mysterious business partner, co-owner of ZK Enterprises, and a man whose picture did not grace the pages of local gossip papers. Ever.
If the business partner was here, that meant her a.s.sumption had been correct-this impromptu meeting was about the job, just as she"d hoped.
Unfortunately, as thrilled as that made her feel, she wasn"t one hundred percent comfortable. Not after that moment in the truck on the way here.
Shifting fully into businesswoman mode, she donned her best interview smile and accepted his proffered hand. "h.e.l.lo, it"s very good to meet you, Mr. Kincaid."
"Please, call me Bale." Much like his partner, Bale Kincaid had a devastating smile that could bring the average girl to her knees.
She did her best to stay on her feet. It was absolutely vital that she behave professionally. "Okay, Bale," she said, repeating his first name. G.o.d, this was so weird. Why were they going to so much trouble, meeting with her like this? Scared of a lawsuit, maybe?
Tryphon pushed in her chair as she sat, and she found herself at a cozy table in a romantic restaurant with the richest, most attractive men she"d ever met. To talk business.
Her insides twisted into a knot. Stay cool. These two men could give her the job of her dreams.
"Thank you for accepting my invitation," Tryphon said as he waved a hand in the air, summoning forth a waiter from some unseen nook or doorway. In the waiter"s hand was a bottle of wine. He filled all three of their gla.s.ses then silently retreated.
Tryphon and Bale lifted their gla.s.ses. Once she followed suit, Tryphon said, "To tonight."
"Tonight," she echoed, tapping her gla.s.s against each of the men"s.
Against her better judgment, she sipped the wine, glancing nervously over the rim at her hosts.
Spicy and smooth. It was nothing like she expected. She was not much of a drinker, normally didn"t care for the taste of wine. And as a general rule, she never drank at business functions. But this wine was really good, and her sizzling nerves could use a tiny dose of liquid balm. She took a second swallow then set her gla.s.s down and folded her hands in her lap, gazing expectantly at Tryphon, hoping he"d finally explain why he"d invited her to the restaurant.
"You"re wondering why I invited you here tonight," he said at last.
This is it! "Yes," she agreed, nodding. Please tell me you"ve changed your mind and I have the job. A job. Any job.
She held her breath.
"This was my partner"s idea." Tryphon motioned to Bale.
Bale nodded, cleared his throat. "First, I wanted to apologize for my partner"s behavior earlier. His conduct was unprofessional."
Expecting a job offer was about to be presented, Raine shrugged, downplaying her anger and frustration. "I"ll admit that was a first for me, being told I was too attractive for a job. But I"m okay." Now that I know you"re about to make things right. "I took it as a...compliment." Sort of.
"As you should." Tryphon threw an arm over the back of her chair and, once again, she found herself confused by his behavior. Clearly the man had a hard time acting like a professional business owner, at least with her.
Sheesh, no wonder he"d hesitated in hiring her.
If this was the way he treated all attractive women working for him, it was a wonder he hadn"t been sued for s.e.xual hara.s.sment dozens of times. In this day, men couldn"t act like this with employees.
As if he sensed her confusion, he drew his arm away, settling it on the table. His fingers curled around the stem of his gla.s.s. "Anyway, I felt bad leaving things as they were. You deserve an explanation."
Explanation? Did this mean he was sticking with his decision? If so, there wasn"t much point in inviting her out. "You explained earlier."
"There"s more," Tryphon said. "I was sued by my last personal a.s.sistant for s.e.xual hara.s.sment about ten months ago."
No big surprise there. She wondered if he"d been guilty or not.
He added, "A judge determined I was innocent, but the suit was still extremely expensive. Not only because of the cost of legal counsel but also because of the damage the suit caused to our company"s reputation."
"I can imagine."
Then he hadn"t been guilty. Or, at least a judge or jury had decided he wasn"t. A man with his kind of money could buy the best attorneys, so there was no telling, really. After pulling jury duty last year, she knew guilty people sometimes got away with their crimes. A good defense attorney was worth his or her weight in gold.
Yet, if he was honest-to-G.o.d innocent, she could appreciate the expense, humiliation and embarra.s.sment a lawsuit like that could cause. She supposed it had been plastered all over those gossip papers Liz loved to read. And as a person who tended to side with the underdog-who would have been the woman in this case-she could imagine he"d been tried and convicted in the media by people like her, long before the actual trial had even started.
Tryphon unfolded his napkin and smoothed it over his lap. "After that incident, I decided I would never again hire a woman I found attractive. It isn"t worth the risk."
"Which, I suppose, is your right."
Tryphon sipped his wine then set his gla.s.s down. His fingers slid down the delicate stem. "My partner was concerned because I"d shared the reason for my decision with you."
Okay, so this little visit was damage control. But what did that mean for her? Was there a job offer coming, or not?
Tryphon"s gaze captured hers. "But I told you the truth for a reason. I wanted you to understand that I found you well qualified. I felt you needed to hear that from me, maybe more than once."
He was probably right. But she"d feel even better if he was telling her he had a position for her.
Even though she felt ill, she smiled. "Thank you. For taking the time from your busy schedule for me. I appreciate it." Although a job offer is really the only thing that"s going to make me accept this situation fully. "I"ve been job-hunting for a long time. I guess I"m getting a little disheartened. Desperate. I didn"t realize my emotions were showing."
The men exchanged glances. Tryphon waved a hand, and the waiter reappeared to distribute plates of artistically arranged appetizers then scampered off again. The guys waited until she tasted hers-which took a while, thanks to the knot in her stomach-before they so much as lifted a fork.
She"d dated men from just about all walks of life but never had she been at a restaurant with a man as cultured and polite as these two.
"I a.s.sure you, I have no plans of suing you for unfair hiring practices or anything." She watched Tryphon"s face, expecting to see some hint of relief pa.s.s over it.
His features revealed absolutely no emotion.
She checked Bale"s next. Some of the tension tugging at his eyes seemed to have faded.
Bale cleared his throat. "We would like to help you. I"ve contacted a few a.s.sociates, and some of them have voiced an interest in hiring you. But I wanted to ask your permission before forwarding copies of your resume to them."
OhmyG.o.d, I love you!
She resisted the urge to leap out of her chair and fling herself at Bale Kincaid. "Are you kidding me? Send it to anyone you like. Absolutely." Maybe this wasn"t what she"d hoped-meaning, the personal a.s.sistant"s position paying bucket loads of money-but it was something. Who knew? Maybe Bale"s a.s.sociates paid great too. "Thank you." She couldn"t help grinning like a total goof.
Bale returned her smile. "You"re very welcome."
Tryphon lifted his arm and set it back on her chair. "Now that we"ve taken care of that bit of business, I hope we can move on to more pleasant topics."
"What topics might those be?" she asked, sensing the tone of the conversation was shifting, turning more personal and relaxed.
He raised his winegla.s.s. "Oh, I don"t know." Something a little wicked glinted in Tryphon"s eyes as he gazed over his gla.s.s. That little spark did some interesting things to her insides. "Like where you"d like to go on our next date?"
Chapter Three.
"Next date?" Raine echoed, watching Tryphon drink. Lifting her own gla.s.s to her mouth, she zigzagged a questioning gaze between Bale and Tryphon. Date? She was more confused than ever. "This is a date?" She sipped her wine, wishing she could chug it. Her mouth was suddenly a little dry.
"We don"t make a habit of taking job applicants out to dinner," Tryphon explained. "Especially applicants we aren"t going to hire for certain personal reasons."
She set her elbow on the edge of the table and dropped her chin into her hand, angling her face toward Tryphon and giving him a playful smile. "I guess that makes sense. I thought you invited me to dinner because you were afraid of a lawsuit."
Tryphon shook his head, "I never believed you were going to sue us. Bale there, well, he wasn"t as convinced. Even so, if we"d been worried about a lawsuit, we would"ve met you in a more appropriate setting."
Good point.
"Are you surprised?" Bale asked. "Tryphon admitted he was attracted to you."
"He did... I suppose I shouldn"t be. But when I saw you...I mean, who invites his business partner along on a date?" She caught her gla.s.s up in her hands again, cradling it in both.
"Have you ever gone out with two men, at once?" Bale asked, gently pulling the gla.s.s from her.
"Two men?" Ohhhh. She looked at Tryphon.
Man on the hunt.
She looked at Bale.
Man on the hunt.
Two men. Two. Hmmm.
Now, really needing a drink, she s.n.a.t.c.hed that gla.s.s and swallowed mouthfuls. One, after another, after another. Empty.
Two men at once. She was on a date with a pair of rich guys. Where was this going?
She imagined herself in bed. With both of them.
OhmyG.o.d. Hot.
Water. Need some water.
"I gotta say, no, never dated two men at once. Never thought to. Never been asked to." What if they were looking for something serious? Her face was going to melt away. Her brain was stuck in this loop of thoughts, like a skipping CD playing the same thing over and over. Two. Men. Oh. My. G.o.d. She tried to act cool. "Umm. This is most...unexpected."
"We"re not your average males." Tryphon waved an arm, summoning the waiter.
She couldn"t argue with that statement.