Chapter 10
HOLDEN
Iwas supposed to be working. My desk was littered with plans for the Renewal Initiative, budgets to approve, and emails Maia had printed out because I still hadn’t answered them, but instead, all I could do was stare out the window at the city.
That text Ellora had sent was distracting the hell out of me. I shouldn’t have kissed her. Crossing that line had changed something for me, and now that I’d gotten a taste of her, I wanted the full meal.
Who in their right mind takes one bite of a perfectly cooked wagyu steak and throws the rest away? Only a madman.
Of course, I wanted more, but she was a student. And she also wasn’t at all like the women I usually dealt with. She seemed raw and vulnerable, like a lost lamb wandering through a city that could eat her alive. Easy to take advantage of if someone wanted to.
I wasn’t that guy. I would never be that guy.
On top of all that, she didn’t strike me as the type for casual flings and I wasn’t in the market for commitment. I’d been there and done that. I’d learned my lessons and moved on, but to drag her into that world—my lifestyle—would be unfair.
She deserved love. To settle down. Marriage. Kids if she wanted them. A white picket fence and labradoodle. I wouldn’t give her any of that.
Then there was the money thing. I was paying her to go to a wedding with me. I didn’t want her feeling like she owed me anything else. I’d never paid for sex and I never would.
Still, thinking about her in that dress, her laugh, and the way she’d leaned into me during our kiss made me want all kinds of things from her. Things that made me wonder if maybe there was a happy medium between the kind of relationship I could offer and what she might want.
Despite all the conflicting feelings she stirred in me, however, I was actually looking forward to this fake date. Only because I really wanted to see her again. To watch her look up at me with her bright eyes, talking about whatever random thing was on her mind.
She made my chest feel full in a way it hadn’t in over five years. I hadn’t even thought I was capable of feeling like this anymore.
Ellora had proven me wrong and honestly? I barely even cared anymore that my ex would be there. It was all about Ellora for me now.
Acting on instinct, I called Maia into my office, and when she appeared, I didn’t beat around the bush. “What do women like?”
My assistant was in her mid-fifties, but she raised a sassy eyebrow at me, her iron-gray hair catching the light and a playful smile tugging at her lips. “I’m not sure this falls under my job description.”
“Oh, come on. You’ve been with me for a decade. Surely, I can ask you for dating advice.”
She leaned against my desk with a beefy hip, her arms crossed as she thought it over. “Fine. Well, personally, I like it when my husband kisses me right behind the ear.”
I blinked. “Oh. Well, no. I meant, like, I’m taking a lady out and I want to impress her.”
She shrugged, still smirking. “My answer remains the same. Try the spot behind her ear.”
“Really? Behind the ear?”
“That’s how I ended up with four kids,” she said, shaking her head and grinning like she’d just revealed a state secret.
I leaned back in my chair, imagining it. Maybe she was onto something, but I still needed more.
“I want to make it special,” I said. “I can’t just start the night by kissing behind her ear.”
Maia tilted her head. “Special, huh? What’s the plan? Champagne and charm?”
“Yeah, usually, but maybe more than that this time.” I rubbed my jaw. “I want it to be memorable. I’m thinking of hiring a limo, obviously. Maybe flowers. Strawberries and champagne in the car. Something classy, but thoughtful.”
Another smirk ghosted across Maia’s lips. “You? Thoughtful? This, I’ve got to see. It’s not like you’ve been having any trouble impressing the ladies without being thoughtful, though.”
“I know, but this one isn’t like the women I usually date. Those girls are effortless. I don’t have to try. All they want is a piece of Holden Langton. This girl doesn’t care about that, but I want to do it right. I want her to feel like this isn’t just some transaction or business arrangement.”
Maia grinned. “Well, look at you. Getting all serious about someone again.”
I coughed, trying to mask my surprise. “It’s not like that.”
“Uh-huh,” she said, waving a hand with amusement dancing in her eyes. “Keep telling yourself that, son.”
I glared up at her, but she didn’t flinch. Maia knew me better than most, though—and she wasn’t wrong. It had been a long time since I’d tried, but Ellora made me want to. I just didn’t know if I was supposed to be excited or terrified about it.