Chapter 12
Taydom
Elsie walked into my office looking like a wet dream come to life. A fitted navy top with white polka dots and a row of small buttons down the front showed more skin than I’d seen from her, and I liked what I saw.
A wide red belt was cinched around her waist, and a denim pencil skirt with low red heels completed the ensemble. Her hair was pulled back again, too. A high ponytail that left her face clear seemed to be her default style, and it suited her.
Her skin was smooth as porcelain, her cheeks were flushed, and her green eyes were bright as she closed the door behind her. There was a fifties, pin-up kind of thing going on with her today that was hotter than hell.
“I’m sorry I’m late, but you could have prepared me for the size of your building. I got lost trying to find your office. It’s huge.”
I pushed away from my desk where I’d been leaning with my arms folded while waiting for her. A smirk formed on my lips. “That’s what I like to hear.”
The flush on her cheeks deepened, but she didn’t back down. “Oh, so that’s what this is about. You got the big offices to compensate for something else. I get it. Don’t worry.”
I laughed, appreciating that she didn’t back away from banter. “I’m not worried. I have nothing to compensate for. I assure you. I’d offer to show you, but you can at least buy me dinner first.”
She lifted one of her hands and moved it around in a circular motion. “You have all this, and you want me to buy you dinner? I don’t think so, buddy.”
“Fine.” I let out an exaggerated huff. “If you insist, I’ll buy you lunch this afternoon. Let’s go.”
Leaving my jacket where it was hanging on a wooden stand in the corner, I moved toward the door. Elsie looked taken aback, a frown pulling her brows together. “Uh, where are you going? I thought you were just joking. We have a meeting here, right?”
“Yeah, but I thought we could talk outside of a business setting if that’s all right with you.” Uncertainty clouded her eyes and the corner of her mouth dipped in. “It’s not a big deal. I wanted to get something to eat anyway because I haven’t had lunch yet.”
Her chest rose and fell on a deep breath, but then she nodded. “Okay. Yes. Sure. Let’s go get something to eat.”
I wondered what the hesitation was about, but I didn’t ask. Instead, I waited for her to move toward the door. Then I opened it and followed her out.
Acting on instinct, my hand fell to her lower back and it was only when she stiffened that I realized what I was doing. Fuck.
What the hell was wrong with me? Whenever I was around this woman, I had these insane urges to touch her, and I really wasn’t a touchy-feely sort of person.
Before I took my hand away, I felt Elsie relax into my touch and even slow down a little like she didn’t want to lose it.
Now that’s more like it. “How do you feel about Mexican?” I asked when we had pushed our way through the revolving doors in my lobby and walked outside. “There’s a place near here that’s pretty good, but their food is on the spicier side.”
“I can do spicy,” she said confidently, flashing me a smile. “In fact, spicy is my favorite.”
Why does it sound like she’s talking about something else? I nearly groaned out loud but caught myself before it came out.
I shoved my hands in my pockets then, needing to stop touching her even in that small way and realizing that Andrew was right. I needed to get laid. Stat.
Too bad the only woman who had captured my interest in a while was this one, and she hadn’t even really wanted to have lunch with me. I doubted sleeping with me was on her agenda.
Why do I always have to want what I can’t have? I’d have to figure it out later because Elsie was looking at me with a questioning tilt to her head now, her eyes narrowed. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Just zoned out for a second. Sorry.”
“Already bored of me?” she asked, her tone teasing but a hint of something else in her eyes.
“No.” The complete opposite actually. “I’m just hungry, and hearing you say spicy is your favorite made me lose concentration for a minute. Spicy is my favorite, too, and it was like I could already taste the flavors on my tongue.”
Not necessarily the flavors of food and not necessarily only hungry for just that either, but that didn’t make it any less true. Elsie chuckled and bumped her hip playfully against mine as we walked. “I totally understand. I take my food seriously as well.”
A flush appeared on her cheeks again, and I wondered what it was about. Once again, though, I didn’t ask. I definitely didn’t feel the same way about my other clients as I did about her, but it wasn’t like we were friends.
There were so many things I was curious about with her, but I didn’t want to pry. Prying meant she might return the favor, and I certainly still didn’t want that.
The smell of onion and cilantro met my nostrils when we walked into the small restaurant down the street from my office. Blue and orange walls and low lights hanging over the bar gave the place a Tex-Mex feel, and the vibe inside was almost homey.
Elsie released a contented sound beside me as we were ushered to a small table in the corner. She glanced at me. “It smells delicious in here. I’m suddenly glad that you were so hungry you decided not to do business in a business setting.”
“I figured you might be.” I took my seat after pulling out her chair for her, which earned me a surprised look. I shrugged. “What? I was taught manners once upon a time.”
The corners of her lips quirked. “You’re an enigma. Has anyone ever told you that?”
“All the time.” I flashed her a devilish smirk and sat back in my chair. “Okay, so tell me, what is it you’re looking for in a house?”
“Wow, straight to business, huh? Okay. Well, uh, I don’t need anything too big.” The emerald green of her eyes became a touch darker. “I’d like to have a guest bedroom, but it’s not a deal breaker if a place only has one bedroom.”
“Okay.” I drummed my fingers against my leg. “What else?”
“The most important thing is that it’s safe. I don’t want to have to feel like I’m risking my neck every time I stick my head out the door.”
“That makes sense.” A crazy idea started taking root in my head. I had no idea where it had come from, but now that it was there, I couldn’t shake it. “When we spoke the other day, you said you were taking a break from work while you finish school and that you weren’t sure where you were going to end up. Where are your classes?”
“Central U,” she said. “Why?”
“Fancy.” I whistled when she mentioned the name of the university she attended. She had to be really smart to have gotten in there. “I always wanted to go to college, but I got caught up in building the company. Central U was my dream once upon a time, though.”
“You seem to have done just fine without the education.” She smiled and lifted her brows. “I mean, it’s a great university but I don’t know how you could possibly have been more successful than you already are.”