“Then we’re fine,” he said without hesitation, and I practically sighed with relief. “I don’t give a shit if Janis whines to your friend, to the president, or to the fucking pope. Nothing changes on my end. If that bitch is smart, she’ll retract her appeal, sign those papers, and walk away… or we’ll ruin her, Nate.” I wasn’t sure how he expected to do that. He sounded off, as though he were withholding something from me. Before I could ask him, he barked, “Are we clear?”
“Crystal.” I hadn’t earned my reputation for nothing. But before I could delve into the ruining her comment, he hung up.
Saturday was upon us, and to say I’d been eagerly waiting for my date with Amy was an understatement. A tip from Max informed me it was her birthday, so I ordered her flowers and paid a small fortune for them to be delivered first thing tomorrow. In the meantime, my goal was to take her on this damn date and hopefully gift her with a few mind-blowing orgasms afterward.
Last weekend, Amy casually mentioned that she’d meet me at the restaurant. I nixed that idea and insisted that I pick her up, to which she reluctantly agreed.
As the bidder, it was my responsibility to forward details to the production company in charge of filming the evening. But when Amy eagerly suggested she’d handle it, I let her. Who needed that hassle?
Once the driver pulled up at her place, I exited the sedan, smoothed a hand down my silk tie, and rang her bell. “I’ll be right down,” she announced through the speaker. I had to laugh over the fact she gave me no choice but to wait out on the sidewalk, but whatever. Picking my battles tonight was key.
Her street was busy with New Yorkers taking advantage of the warm weather that would turn in a few weeks. But all the cars bumping their way down the cobblestone one-way road, and the pedestrians littering the sidewalk, went unseen. My thoughts were consumed with the evening ahead and the woman I patiently waited for.
As I propped a foot up and leaned against the brick facade of her building, my phone buzzed with a call coming in. Seeing my brother’s name caused a grin.
“Brad.”
“Where are you?” If you only knew, dude. “Get your ass down to the bar. There is someone who wants to meet you.” I wasn’t at all fooled that he was interested in me having a hookup. The more likely scenario was that he was trying to pick up a chick and her friend needed a distraction. What better than an identical brother to do the distracting? Background noise faded significantly before a door slammed shut. “Nate, trust me. You’ll want to be here tonight. They are hot.”
“I have plans.”
“With who?”
“None of your damn business.” No way would I come clean over the phone and miss the look on his face once he learned it was Amy.
“You suck. I’m off tonight—and horny.”
“Cry me a fucking river. You’re always horny.” The glass door beside me opened, and Amy emerged. “I gotta go,” I barked, hanging up on his whining and silencing my phone as my eyes raked over the beauty in front of me.
It wasn’t the simplistic style of her dress that rendered me speechless. It was the cream fabric enhancing her brunette coloring. It was seeing her bare, toned arms and her hem skimming just above her knees, partnered with sexy red heels that showcased those long, shapely legs. All that combined with her gorgeous curves had my mouth going dry.
When I had yet to utter a word, she huffed. “Say something.”
“Christ, you look amazing.”
She appreciated my claim with a smile, and it calmed her enough that she dragged her gaze over me. “You do too.” Her focus landed on the off-white pattern of my tie. “We match.”
“In more ways than one,” I admitted, stepping closer while keeping a breath of space between us. Instantly, I began to harden. I blamed her seductive scent. I blamed the memory of it lingering in my bedroom. And the way her stunning ice-blue eyes drilled through mine was also responsible. All of it scrambled my senses.
Lowering my focus to her ruby-tinted lips, I added, “I know it’s your birthday, Jersey. I also happen to know Virgos are extremely sensual, tend to overthink things, and are very compatible with Scorpios.”
“I didn’t peg you for an astrology buff.”
“I looked it up… but it’s all true.”
“As is the fact that Scorpios can be manipulative, possessive, and aggressive.”
I slipped a hand around her waist, positioning it just above her ass. “Some would consider those traits a gift in bed.”
“Spoken like a true Scorpio.” We glared at each other, and it wasn’t anger that caused the level of intensity. For me, it was a potent cocktail of primal desire and carnal hunger. As her tongue slipped out to moisten her lips, she was caught in my spell—and I in hers. That was until that indifferent shield she liked to wield slammed down over her expression, and she snapped, “Are we going to stand here all night?”
“This little tit for tat, combined with how stunning you look, makes me want to skip the damn date. But I’m not interested in being sued.”
“You’re setting yourself up for disappointment, Mr. Navarro. It’s dinner and nothing more.”
“Whatever you say, Jersey.” I stepped away, forcing myself out of her spell. “Let’s get this over with.”
“We’re finally on the same page.” She glanced around and asked, “Where are you parked?”
“I didn’t drive. I reserve pulling out my beloved Jaguar for leisure driving and not battling city traffic.”
“So why did you insist on picking me up then?” she snipped.
Instead of rattling off the long list that caused my slacks to feel snug, I pointed at the sedan parked illegally a few feet away. “I hired a driver for the night.”
If she were impressed, Amy didn’t give me the satisfaction as she sashayed her ass toward the curb and into the back seat. Once we were both situated, and I purposely pressed against her body from shoulder to foot, I asked, “Where are we going?” Ignoring my question, she leaned forward and gave the address directly to the driver.
The ride across town seemed to take forever, and the only thing I looked forward to besides getting pleasure out of taunting her was a good meal.
When she pulled out her phone and began tapping out a text, my stare prompted her to say, “The Bid for Love people want to know when we’re about to arrive.”
I nodded, staring out the window to see where it was that we were going. And then an obnoxiously blinking sign in bright-blue neon came into view.
“What the fuck is Grit and Grizzle?” But before she could respond, a camera operator and a woman I recognized from the auction stepped toward the sedan before it even had a chance to stop. The perky blonde faced the camera, announcing us the moment our feet hit the pavement.
“Hello, America. I’m Jasmine Holt from the Bid for Love Foundation. On this week’s episode we are so excited to be here in New York City with one of the many couples we’ve connected through our charity auctions. For those of you who may not remember, although I can’t imagine such a valiant act could be so easily forgotten, we can finally announce that Mr. Nate Navarro is the man who very generously made an astounding bid of twenty thousand dollars for the company of Miss Amy Delton. An interesting element to this pairing is that Mr. Navarro is a successful divorce attorney, while Miss Delton is the award-winning, bestselling author of the Brazen Truths series. Will the hopeless romantic win over the man who built a profession around relationships ending? We will have to wait and see.” She paused enough to reveal a blinding smile.