“It’s fine,” he said. “I was just looking for you.”
“Oh yeah?” She had streaks of mud across her forehead where she’d obviously wiped her dirty fingers, and dang if the thought of her washing them off in the shower didn’t have him sweating the way she was.
“Yeah.” He thrust the envelope toward her. “It’s Friday. Payday.”
That beautiful smile lit her whole face as she took the money. “Great. Thanks.” She wore another set of athletic clothes, this time revealing a little more of her strong shoulders. She must really have to pulp her fruit by hand, because the slenderness of her arm was accented with muscles.
He swallowed and tore his eyes from the curves of her body beneath the black, white, and gray spandex. “I wanted—” He cut himself off, trying to find the calm, cool, level-headed man who did multi-million dollar diamond deals with some of the toughest businessmen in the world.
“I’m free for dinner tonight,” he said much slower. “And I’m wondering if you’d like to join me.” He would not ask her about the party until later. He would not.
He employed some of his steel nerves as he patiently—or not-so-patiently—waited for her to respond. When she still didn’t after several long seconds, he said, “No crazy ex-girlfriends, we’ve established that. My middle name is Jenkins. And I’m hopelessly addicted to those Spam rolls over at Mama Chu’s.” He grinned when she settled her weight on one foot and cocked that sexy hip.
“But I feel like a loser when I go there alone.” He shrugged, wondering why he was still talking when she hadn’t said a single word. “So, you know. I need a date.”
“Or a friend to go with,” she suggested.
He took a step closer to her, those honeyed eyes never leaving his. “No.” He drew the word out and inched closer. So close he could take her hands in his. He took her left with his right, the dust and dirt on her skin somehow making her more attractive. She wasn’t afraid to work, and he really liked that.
“Not as friends.” He swallowed, his point clearly made by now. “This would be date number two.”
“Oh, you’re keeping track?”
“You aren’t?” Jasper’s eyebrows went up and he leaned closer, his mouth mere inches from hers when he said, “I’m sure someone like you has rules for when a man can kiss her.”
“Someone like me?” Her voice was definitely breathless, but her eyes blazed at him.
“Someone as pretty as you,” he amended. “Someone who owns their own business. Someone who works as hard as you do. You don’t just go around kissing everyone.”
“No, I don’t.”
Jasper really wanted to kiss her right now, but he didn’t want their first kiss to happen just inside the doorway of his house while he wore the closest thing he owned to pajamas. So he fell back another step. “So another date. Tonight. You tell me what time, and I’ll pick you up.”
Chapter Seven
Jasper sounded so sure of himself. So another date. You tell me what time, and I’ll pick you up. Like he knew she’d say yes. Like he knew she was dying to say yes.
“It’s impossible to know,” she said instead.
“You don’t ever take time off?” He watched her with those intoxicating eyes, and if she kept looking into them, she’d surely be drunk in the next moment.
“I only employ two people. It’s hard to run the stand by yourself.”
“So you need someone to help?”
“There isn’t someone else.” Disappointment cut through her. She wanted to go out with him again, this time for a real meal. A date where she hadn’t changed in the back of her car outside the coffee house. One where she went home to her condo and showered—with hot water now that she’d collected on her bets and paid the electric bill—and curled her hair properly and put on that pink lip gloss Esther had gotten her for her birthday last fall.
“I can find someone,” he said, the confidence and arrogance in his tone almost laughable.
“To run my stand?” She folded her arms, glad when it pushed her small chest up a bit. She’d never been too self-conscious about her body, but she’d seen Jasper looking at her with that hint of desire in his eyes. It lit something inside her on fire, and she wanted to make herself up and be as beautiful for him as he claimed her to already be. She knew she wasn’t attractive with a sloppy ponytail on top of her head and sweat mixed with dirt all over her body.
“I know people who can take orders and make change,” he said. “If your employee can handle all the drink making, you’ll be set.”
“Who is it?” she asked.
“I’m not sure yet,” he said. “But I can find someone.”
She squinted at him, still unsure. Just like she’d never confirmed nor denied if she’d be coming to the “party for one” tomorrow night, she wasn’t sure she should accept or reject this date invitation.
“How about you text me who it is, and then I’ll decide?”
He pulled out his phone and looked at it. “How about you shower and I’ll find some help for you?”
She appraised him, but he steadfastly kept his attention on his phone, his thumbs flying over the surface.
Sasha retrieved her bag from where she’d left it on the bottom step and tucked the envelope inside. Once inside the safety of the bathroom, she allowed herself to open it and stare at the green, glorious money. “This job is definitely worth getting up early for,” she told her reflection.
And the handsome billionaire paying her wasn’t so bad either. She gazed into her own eyes. “Are you really going to go out with him?” So maybe things had started with a bet from her friends, and Sasha in desperate need of money.
No, she told herself. Something had started with Jasper the moment she’d laid eyes on him, framed right there in that bathroom doorway. Collecting on the bet was the easy part of the relationship.
Trying to figure out how she felt about getting involved with another wealthy man…now that was a whole twister puzzle she hadn’t solved yet.
Not only that, but Stacey had texted not fifteen minutes ago with a new bet for Sasha. Only a hundred bucks to not only say yes to the party for one over the weekend, but to wear the black top she’d worn for Halloween a couple of years ago. When she was Catwoman.
It was a sleazy little thing, with satin over the breasts and mesh everywhere else. Sasha wasn’t even sure she still owned it, but she was considering it because never had Stacey or Esther said she couldn’t wear something over the top of it.
She wouldn’t be wearing it alone, that was for sure. What would she even pair it with? Denim? She didn’t need to come off as desperate or too forward.
Especially because you like this guy for real, she thought as she lathered up in the shower. The water looked like chocolate milk as it ran down the drain, and she’d never been so grateful for the modern conveniences of running water.
She took her time in the shower though it meant she’d have to rush through the prep at The Straw. When she finally opened the door, Jasper couldn’t be found.
She considered searching for him, but she honestly didn’t have time. Shouldering her bag, she started for the front door, settling on texting as her only option to discover if he’d found someone to work for her that evening.
“Trying to sneak off without saying goodbye?”
A yelp came from her throat, and she spun back toward the grand staircase. “Jasper.” She pressed one hand over her heart as it thumped against her ribs. “You’ve really got to stop scaring me right after I shower.”
He stroked his curly-haired dog and laughed, the sound full and lifting up to the two-story ceiling. He stood, and though he wore a plain gray T-shirt and a pair of athletic shorts, he was just as impressive as when he wore his midnight-colored suit. Maybe more impressive, because he seemed…real.
“I found someone.” He grinned at her and extended his phone toward her, the dog standing too. She still didn’t know its name. “Her name’s Lexie, and she works for a friend of
mine. Looking for some extra cash.”
Sasha’s heart sank. Of course she’d have to pay someone to take her place at The Straw.
“It’s all worked out,” he said, shaking the phone. “See for yourself.”
“Jasper.” She felt the excitement leaking out of her. “I…well, I can’t really afford to pay someone to work so I can go out.”
“That’s fine.” He didn’t miss a single beat. Didn’t hesitate. “Because you’re not paying her.”
Accepting his charity would be worse, and she swallowed away the distasteful idea. “Well you’re not paying them.”
“Nope, I’m not.”
She honestly didn’t have time for this, but she couldn’t get herself to leave. His back and forth, with the flirtatious tone and dreamy eyes, had her hooked. “Then how is this Lexie going to make some extra cash tonight?”
He moved forward and she fell back. He stepped, so did she, until she met the huge wooden door behind her.
He put one hand beside her head and pressed it into the door. “Leave it to me,” he whispered.
“But that’s exactly what I don’t want to do.” Her voice sounded at least an octave lower than it should. And he wasn’t deaf. Surely he knew how he affected her. Did she cause ripples in his pulse too?
“I promise I won’t pay her.” He leaned down and pressed his cheek to hers. “Will you go out with me tonight? I found someone to take your place for a few hours.”
Bathed in the masculine, woodsy scent of Jasper’s skin, she couldn’t say no. Didn’t even want to. So she said, “Yeah, all right,” hoping it wasn’t the biggest mistake of her life.
Sasha giggled when Jasper knocked on her door later that evening. She’d left The Straw an hour ago and taken another hot shower, curled her hair like she’d wanted to, and currently wore that lip gloss. When she’d texted her club about her date tonight, the bet had morphed into Kiss him.
No way, she’d messaged back. She barely knew the guy, and she wasn’t taking any more bets.
Kiss him! Kiss him! Kiss him!
Tawny’s chanty texts rang through Sasha’s head as she answered the door and stepped back. “Hey, there, handsome.” She giggled again, and Jasper whistled as he scanned her from head to toe.
“Don’t you look nice?” He smiled at her, and it was soft around the edges. Not the predatory kind most men wore when they looked at her. Jasper seemed genuinely interested and he was a perfect gentleman as he offered her his arm and added, “A bit dressed up for the Spam place.”
He chuckled and she slid her arm into his. “Well, last time I changed into my clothes in the back of my car, so you get the dress tonight.”
“I like it, don’t get me wrong. But it feels like we should go somewhere a little more upscale.”
“No, no.” She shook her head. “You want the Spam rolls, and that’s what we’re getting.” She liked Mama Chu’s too. “Besides, they have these jumbo shrimp I love. Have you had those?”
“I never stray from the Spam rolls.” He glanced at her. “So maybe you’d like to elaborate on any crazy ex-boyfriends I should know about.”
Her heart stutter-stepped and she almost stumbled. “Nope.” She popped the P. “No crazy exes.”
“Hmm, I don’t really buy that.”
“Now, if you’d asked about a cheating ex. Yes, I have one of those. And he was a big fat liar too. And bad for me in just about every way, and I couldn’t see it until he took my only full-time employee who he’d been kissing behind my back, used my money to buy them both a ticket to Spain, and left the island.”
Jasper stopped walking, and humiliation filled Sasha. Why had she said all that? He would think she was the crazy one.
She gave a shaky laugh, hoping to cover up every issue she’d just exposed. “I mean—”
“I’m so sorry.” Jasper kept her close and pressed his lips to her temple. “That must’ve been terrible. Is that why you have some unforeseen expenses right now?”
“One of the reasons.” She didn’t want to tell him about her own stupidity. How she’d followed Newton’s advice instead of her own heart when it came to her drink stand. He didn’t need evidence of her bitterness and her stupidity all on the same night.
“You still sound angry about it.” He stepped again, slowly, toward the parking lot. His car wasn’t hard to find, as most people who lived in these modest condos didn’t drive gleaming silver sports cars with fancy foreign names.
“Yeah.” She exhaled. “I mean, I am, and I’m not. I just found out about the ticket to Spain, so.” She lifted one shoulder into a shrug, the strap of her tank top sliding down. “It brought back a lot of suppressed memories.”
“Certainly you don’t have to pay if you didn’t approve the charges.”
“I’m disputing them,” she said. “I don’t want to talk about it.” She glanced at him. “Sorry. Um…family? Brothers? Sisters? Did you grow up here on the island?”
“No,” he said. “I was born in the US but my parents moved to Denmark when I was five. I grew up there. Lived there for most of my life. I…had an experience with a woman in Copenhagen that convinced me to leave, and I came here.”
Sasha wanted to know more about this “experience,” but Jasper continued with, “My parents are retired now and living in Switzerland. My youngest sister—who’s four years younger than me—lives in Paris with her husband and two girls. And Danni, my other sister is in Belgium.”
“Wow, an international family.”
“My father owns diamond mines all over the world.” He opened the passenger door of his ritzy car.
Sasha paused and looked at him, a smirk riding her mouth. “Right. I think you own the diamond mines, Mister.” She slid into the car, a laugh coming out of her mouth.
Jasper leaned down and asked, “Why do you think that?”
She looked up at him, imagining what it would be like to kiss him. She licked her lips and said, “Because you just said your parents are retired. So I’m sure you, as the oldest child, are running the diamond mines now.”
“Oh, I don’t run the mines.” He flashed her a smile and went around the front of the car. She admired him in his more casual clothes tonight. Still date-worthy, he wore a pale yellow button-down shirt with short sleeves and perfectly pressed khaki pants. He was sinfully handsome, the light color of his shirt contrasting with the dark nature of his hair, the olive tones in his skin, and those foresty eyes that held something dangerous in their depths she wanted to dive in and explore.
“Of course you don’t run the mines,” she said when he got behind the wheel. How he fit his long legs inside was a mystery to her, even though she watched him do it. “You own the mines. My mistake.”
“An easy one to make.” He gave her another smile, not even denying that he now owned diamond mines all over the world. No wonder he was loaded.
“Tell me another mistake I’ve made,” she said, enjoying this game.
“You don’t even know my dog’s name.”
Sasha laughed, mindlessly reaching over and threading her fingers through his. He squeezed, and she realized what she’d done. But more happiness filled her than she’d experienced in the last four years, so she kept her hand in his.
“What’s your dog’s name?” she asked.
He slid her wicked grin and said, “Frankie,” before pulling out into traffic and gunning the engine. She enjoyed the ride, especially because Jasper’s car was so much nicer than Newton’s. In fact, everything about Jasper was better than Newton, and some of Sasha’s worries about getting involved with another wealthy man flew out the window as they drove across the island to Mama Chu’s.
But she still wasn’t going to kiss him. She glanced over at him, the joy on his face infectious, and her resolve to ignore the bet from her friends slipped a little.
Chapter Eight
Jasper often drove around the island at high speeds, usually with the roof down on his car. But it was almost always at night, with just Franki
e beside him, when everyone else was asleep and only he could hear the waves against the distant shore.
That was an amazing rush, and one he took whenever his middle-of-the-night job got a little too stressful.
But this drive, with Sasha’s hand in his and her laughter riding on the air, was a whole new kind of high Jasper wanted to repeat.
He pulled into Mama Chu’s and parked before looking at her. He couldn’t stop smiling, and the moment lengthened between them, this powerful push and pull of emotions raging inside him. Could she feel this magnetism too? Surely she could. It took two poles to attract.
She finally ducked her head, her silky hair falling between them. “Should we go in?”
“Yeah.” He cleared his throat and delicately removed his fingers from hers. “Let’s go in.” He got out of the car and hurried around the front to open her door. Thankfully, she let him, and he took her hand again to help her stand from the low car.
“So shrimp, huh?” he asked as they approached the restaurant. It would be noisy and busy inside on a Friday night, the scent of fried food and soy already hanging in the air. But there were tables outside available, and he didn’t mind the lively atmosphere.
“Do you not like seafood?” she asked.
“I love seafood.” He opened the door and let her enter first.
“I like steak and shrimp,” she admitted.
“Ah, surf and turf. A classic.” The line wasn’t too long, and it moved fast. He kept Sasha close to him though, and he wasn’t at all sorry when he had to squeeze in to let someone pass by.
“So I’ve told you a little about my family,” he said. “What about yours?”
She waved her hand, her eyes still on the menu, indicating she didn’t come here as often as he did. “Oh, we’re boring compared to Paris and Switzerland. Grew up right here on the island.”
But her false nonchalance sent up a red flag with Jasper. “Brothers? Sisters?”
She tore her eyes from the menu—finally—and looked at him, vulnerability raging in her eyes. The silence emanating from her seemed to expand until it had enveloped them both in a bubble, and then someone said, “Next in line, please.”
The Brazen Billionaire Page 5