Chapter 4
Joz
I think I’m in love.
If I was anyone else, Aspen Kingcaid would be planning my elaborate and extremely painful death right about now.
Hell, for all I knew, she still could be. Something told me that if she wanted me gone for crimes that included my over-confidence and outrageous flirting, nothing would stop her. Not even a potentially lucrative contract for her family firm.
Her striking hazel eyes narrowed, her full (and yes, extremely kissable) lips thinned, and a muscle flickered in her jaw where, I was a hundred percent certain, she’d begun to grind her molars to dust. And every one of those actions hardened my dick to almost painful proportions.
She was different from almost everyone I met, and I intended to charm her until she couldn’t resist me any longer.
“There’s a thin line between confidence and arrogance, Joz, and you didn’t just cross it, you lurched right over it and carried on running.”
She propped her elbows on the table and pressed her fingertips together, firing a look at me that would probably turn most men to dust. Or have them kneeling at her feet. I was in the latter camp.
“Let me be crystal clear. If I decide that Presley isn’t right for my business, then I will not sign him, regardless of the consequences.
Manipulation is something I will never surrender to.
So, if you want my advice, which you will probably ignore because, well”—she waved her hand in the air—“you’re you, then you will take the Presley demand off the table and just sign the fucking contract.
Or don’t. But stop playing games, because you’re playing them alone. ”
Christ, she was adorable when scolding me. I pressed a palm to my chest. “I think I’m in love.”
“Jesus Christ.” She shook her head and got to her feet. “You know what? Forget it. You’re not worth the trouble.”
Spinning on her heel, she beelined for the exit, but as fast as those long legs of hers carried her, mine were longer and faster. I caught up to her before she could launch into the lobby, conscious of several phones pointed in my direction. Great. I’d be on TMZ in about one point five seconds.
“I’m sorry.” My smile was half grimace, half apology.
“I always lean to humor rather than seriousness because, let’s face it, life sucks most of the time, and I prefer to laugh rather than cry.
Also, and I don’t know if this will make a difference to you at all, but we are drawing a lot of attention, and while I’m used to appearing on the front pages, I’m guessing you are not.
So please, will you sit with me and have dinner?
I promise I’ll quit with the one-liners. ”
She glanced over her shoulder, catching sight of several phones probably recording our entire exchange. Her cheeks puffed up as she blew out a heavy sigh. “Will you, though?”
I grinned. “I’ll do my best.”
Briefly closing her eyes, she gave the smallest shake of her head.
Without waiting for me, she returned to our table, spine straight.
It took so much fucking effort not to check out her arse, but those fucking cameras would definitely catch that, and I’d pissed her off enough for one evening.
I followed her, retaking my seat. She slid her phone out of her handbag, tapped on it, and pressed it to her ear.
“If you’re calling the police, I promise to go quietly.”
I swore her lips twitched. “Well done, Joz. You lasted all of five seconds. Hello, John. It’s Aspen Kingcaid.
I’m in the restaurant and there’s some customers filming me and my guest, which directly contravenes our privacy rules.
Please have it taken care of.” She hung up and set her phone on the table before locking her eyes on me. “Problem solved.”
My forehead wrinkled. “I’m impressed.”
“Then, you’re easily pleased.”
I chuckled. “Or maybe it’s because you’re an impressive woman. And no, that isn’t a line. It happens to be how I see you.”
“Oh.” She brushed invisible fluff off her sleeve and covered what looked like a faint blush by taking a sip of water. “Well, I appreciate that.”
She leaned back as our food arrived, allowing the server to set down her plate. He put the most delicious-smelling piece of salmon I’d seen in a while in front of me, then retreated. Before I took a bite, though, Aspen went right back to business.
“I mean it about the Presley thing, Joz. Don’t push it because I will walk away. No regrets.”
She picked up a knife sharp enough to cut steel and sliced into her steak.
Blood oozed out, which she mopped up with the meat.
I followed the tines as they disappeared into her mouth and her lips closed around them.
She made an appreciative sound, and my dick, which had only marginally waned, perked right back up again.
“Someone will pick him up if you don’t, and I have a feeling you would live to regret that decision.”
She shrugged. “Maybe, but it’s my mistake to make. Trying to bulldoze me into signing him is not the right approach. Not with me, anyway.”
I’d thought she couldn’t impress me any more than she already had, but I’d been wrong. This woman was not only highly intelligent and stunningly beautiful, but she refused to budge on her principles, and I respected the fuck out of her for that.
“Just promise me you’ll give him a fair hearing. He’s green, and he’ll probably clam up when you talk to him.”
She scooped up a forkful of mashed potatoes, ate it, then pointed her fork at me. “I said I’ll meet with him, and I will. But your contract is separate to his. You can’t tie the two together, Joz, no matter how much you want to.”
“I may need to go to the hospital.”
Her eyes flared, then dropped to my untouched plate of food. “Why?”
“Because you just put my balls in a sling.”
She pinched the bridge of her nose but couldn’t hide a smile.
“Damn straight. And if you want to give them a chance to recover, you’ll rethink your terms. I’m happy to agree to three plus two and giving you full creative control, but your third non-negotiable needs to become negotiable, or I’m walking away. ”
Before I could answer, a raised voice from a few feet away drew my attention. One of the women I’d seen filming Aspen and me having a disagreement was in discussions with what looked like security. Another table was being questioned, too. I raised an eyebrow in query.
“Every person who makes a booking has to agree to a privacy clause,” Aspen said, obviously knowing what was happening without having to look.
“We get a lot of celebrities at our hotels, and they deserve to enjoy their stay or have a meal in peace without being filmed. Those guests broke the rules, meaning they’ll have to delete whatever footage they gathered, and then they’ll be escorted outside and barred from this or any other Kingcaid hotel. ”
Wow.
“I need to stay in Kingcaid hotels more often.”
“Yes, you do. I may put it in your contract.” She winked, and I fell that little bit harder.
Three parties were escorted from the restaurant before the commotion died down to the previous low hum.
Aspen and I fell into a comfortable silence as we ate our food, more comfortable than I could recall in a long time.
Maybe ever. Once our plates were clean and we’d ordered dessert, she relaxed back in her chair, her hands casually resting in her lap.
“So, do we have a deal?”
My lips raised on one side. I knew when I was beaten. “Put what we discussed in writing, and I’ll have my lawyers and my manager look it over. But… yes, in principle, we have a deal.”
“Without Presley?”
“Without Presley, though it’s worth restating that if you don’t sign him, future you will regret it.”
“Regrets are pointless, but thank you for your observation. Oh, and Joz, just to be clear, you can flirt all you like, make countless innuendos, but I never mix business with pleasure.” She leveled me with a firm stare. “Don’t make me put that in the contract, too.”
I laughed. “I hear you loud and clear. Shame, though. I bet we’d be dynamite.”
“You mean a disaster.”
“That’s your word, not mine.”
After dessert, we left the restaurant and entered the lobby.
I automatically put on dark shades and lowered my head.
I’d found that avoiding eye contact was the best way of avoiding attention from fans or the press.
Surprisingly, Aspen walked outside with me, where my driver waited in one of the VIP parking spaces.
She thrust out her hand. “Looking forward to working with you.”
I shook it, trying my best but failing miserably to ignore the jolt of electricity that shot up my arm. “Likewise.”
She dropped my hand and turned to leave.
“Hey, Aspen?”
Pausing, she pivoted. “Yes?”
“The flirting. It’s just my personality. If I made you feel uncomfortable, I apologize. That was not my intention.”
“None taken. I’m used to being around rock stars with inflated egos, remember?” With a casual wave, she disappeared inside the hotel.
Double, or was that triple ouch?
My driver opened the door for me as I approached the car, and I managed to slip inside unnoticed.
“Home, sir?”
Pinching the inner corners of my eyes with my thumb and forefinger, I nodded. “Yeah, thanks.”
As the car pulled away from Kingcaid Kensington, I glanced through the back window, smiling. Today might have been the most fun I’d had in a long time.
My phone’s ringing tone, and the name that popped up on the screen, wiped the smile right off my face. I swiped to answer.
“Kate? What’s wrong?”
“It’s Arthur. He won’t settle. He’s asking for you.”
“I’m on my way.” I hung up, tapping my driver on the shoulder. “Change of plans. Take me to Kate’s, fast as you can.”
He nodded. “On it.”
The car u-turned, and we sped in the opposite direction. I should have known that the universe wouldn’t allow me a moment of peace, of fun and, yes, forgive me, a moment to forget.