Chapter 7
Archer
”And that”swhy we decided to take a break,” Malcolm says, explaining how he and his girlfriend have ended things recently. So recently, no one knew… and maybe that”s why the bastard looked at Hazel like a potential girlfriend.
Damn it. I’ve been listening to these stories for the past thirty minutes. I didn”t mean to leave Hazel alone, but after I put my arm around her, my skin burned. A strange reaction, but more than anything, a reaction—alive, pulsing, running through my veins.
So I wasn’t thinking straight when I excused myself from her. I wouldn”t do that to a date, but she’s my assistant. No one knows that, which is why Malcolm looked at me like I was a jerk when I left her after barely arriving at the party. Well, he knows me well enough. I’m a jerk. No doubt about it.
I checked on her once to bring her outside, but a group of women told me she’d gone with someone to remove a spill from her dress. So I knew she wasn”t alone. She was fine.
Am I fine?
Anxiety creeps under my skin. I should be fine. I”m finally in the same circle as Brooks and will take advantage of the opportunity to pitch my idea to him.
Another guest pulls Malcolm aside, and it”s my chance to talk to Brooks alone. Sadly, when I turn to him, his attention is elsewhere.
”Oh, here she is,” Brooks says as an attractive woman with brown eyes and long wavy hair approaches him. His wife, Sarah. Next to Sarah is an even more attractive woman, with dirty blonde hair and the prettiest hazel eyes I”ve ever seen… Hazel.
Brooks kisses Sarah’s cheek and whispers something in her ear. She chuckles and taps his forearm. There”s an honest, organic back-and-forth between them that I’ve never managed to create with a woman. Truthfully, I run from it. But there”s no denying that those two make it look… cozy. Doable.
”I helped my new friend here after I almost ruined her dress,” Sarah says.
”Don”t be too hard on yourself. I”m Hazel.” She extends her hand to Brooks.
”Hey, you,” I say, moving close to her to show the others in the group I”m her date.
She winks at me. ”Hey, sweetheart.”
I bet she enjoys making me look like a fool, but I have no option, so I play along. ”I came to get you, but I heard you went to take care of the dress.”
”I”m so glad you did. Otherwise, it would have been so rude to leave your girlfriend like that,” Sarah says.
Fuck. I look down at her dress and see a darker spot on the side. It”s not terrible, just a little damp from where they removed the stain. I wouldn”t have noticed it if they hadn”t mentioned it. ”I would never.”
Sarah grins. ”I”m teasing.”
”She does that a lot,” Brook says, hugging his wife from behind. ”Keeps me on my toes.”
”I know exactly what that”s like,” Hazel says, putting her arm around me. ”Right, sweetheart?”
That burning sensation comes over me again, her nearness sending my body into an overdrive of awareness. She”s loving this charade. A part of me wonders if she”ll ask for a raise at the end of the night, and that wouldn”t be unfair, honestly. She deserves it. She”s made friends with Sarah already—a good start. Maybe I can promote her. Though selfishly, losing her as my assistant would suck.
”Right.” I run my fingers up and down her bare arm, making invisible patterns. Goosebumps rise on her flesh.
”How did you two meet?” Sarah asks.
”A boring work event,” Hazel says chirpily. ”I taught him a thing or two, and he couldn”t let me go.”
”I thought a man like him didn”t have much else to learn—especially from someone so young,” Brooks says to her, looking at me with fresh interest and an unfamiliar emotion I can”t pinpoint. I”ll take his interest any day.
”I can see why you”d think that,” Hazel says, still too close to me. I inhale her scent—a mix of wildflowers and warm spices. ”Also, young and old is your expertise, right?”
Brooks chuckles and glances at his wife. ”Yes.” He looks at me and gestures in Hazel”s direction. ”She”s a quick one.”
I smile. ”So quick, sometimes I get dizzy. But she has a point about young and old. You”ve created a successful business.” I say it casually while silently thanking her for her help tonight. I expected Hazel to come as arm candy and a placeholder for a date so it wouldn”t be obvious that I intended to talk to Brooks. But she’s done so much more… I give her a sideways glance, pride swelling in my chest.
”So have you,” Brooks says.
”That”s why we should talk about a collab sometime,” I say.
The server comes at this crucial moment. Brooks takes a flute from the tray, looking at me while the server pours chilled champagne into it.
”I appreciate it, but one of the reasons Sugar Silk is doing so well is the curating process. I don”t want to change it,” he says before sipping his champagne.
”You wouldn”t have to. I propose an additional way to connect sugar babies and prospective daddies. The trips I have planned would enhance bonds instead of diluting them. I promise this will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity—I wouldn”t waste your time or mine.”
He listens in silence for a moment, then gives a slow nod. ”Why don”t you let me talk to my partners first? If they”re open, we can schedule a meeting. I”m sure Beck, my marketing guru, would want to be there.”
”That”d be great. If they have any questions, I”d love to share my vision with them.”
”Let’s say hi to the Flores,” Sarah says, pulling him away. ”I need to find out the name of Elli”s designer.”
I smile. All I need is twenty uninterrupted minutes to show them my vision, and I”m in. I bet they”ll be open when he runs the idea by his partners. I hear Beck is good at his job, and anyone with solid marketing skills will get the gist. Besides, this first meeting went better than I expected. I squeeze Hazel”s hand, excited.
I need to celebrate this small victory with her, but not here, in front of anyone who may see us. Not when I have to act cool and not too eager. I”ve been in the business long enough to know the difference.
I thread my fingers with hers and lead her through the terrace to the back of the garden. It’s filled with manicured bushes cut in different shapes, exotic plants in various colors, and rows of trees in the corner. The area is dim, with fewer backyard lights than the others. Perfect for a discreet conversation.
The moon glints over the trees so I can make out Hazel’s features. ”Did you know who she was? Sarah?”
She lifts one shoulder. ”Nope. Our run-in was innocent and accidental. She”s friendly.”
Accidental is even better. Then I remember the spot I saw on her dress. ”Is your dress okay? I”ll be happy to buy you a new one. Or new ones.”
”The dress is okay, I think. I had to take it off and slip on a robe. Long story, but the stain is mainly gone. It’s just a bit damp.”
Moisture evaporates from my throat the second the image unfurls in my mind. The dress was off.
”And hopefully, the deal will be on,” I say. ”You were perfect.”
She crosses her arms over her chest. ”Is that the first compliment I get from you in a year?”
I step back and peer at her face. Her expression is severe, and a touch of sadness crosses her face. ”I didn”t know you were fishing for them.”
She drops her arms to her sides and lets out a long sigh. ”I wasn”t. It”s nice to have your work recognized once in a while.”
A twinge of guilt twists in my chest. Shit. I”ve been too harsh with her. Out of everyone I”ve wronged in life, she”s not deserving of any of it, even though a small part of me is worried about her journal and how she plans to use it against me. This woman is committed. She came tonight and showed up. And what did I do? I left her alone a second after we arrived.
I run my fingers down my face, searching for the words to make this right. ”According to you, it was accidental. You were just being yourself,” I start, closing the distance between us. I shouldn”t, but fuck it, I can”t stay away.
”Yes.” She lifts her chin, and my gaze locks with hers.
I dip my head, entranced by the rings of gold around her hazel irises. My heart thrums in my chest, my blood thickening in my veins. I touch her jaw, and she leans into the caress.
”So I was right,” I say, desire coating my voice. ”You”re perfect.”