His Temptation (X Enterprises Book 4)

by Tanya Gallagher

  Yes. No. Who the fuck knows?

  “Since this experiment was done for the show, Avery and I are going to continue on as friends, the same way we started. I’ve got a show to run; she’s got sex toys to sell.”

  His eyes snagged on the extra set of headphones, the one she’d worn during her time on the show a few short weeks ago. A strand of her hair was wrapped around the headphones, but she was gone. It hurt more than felt reasonable. Geoff took a deep breath, trying to loosen the knot in his chest.

  “As you know, this dating experiment that Avery proposed was designed to see where she went wrong in the dating world. The truth is at the end of the day she didn’t need my help at all. We did discover that the same principles I’ve applied to helping guys convert more dates into long-term relationships work when you flip them for women. When you’re your authentic self, you’ll increase the odds of having solid, lasting relationships.

  “We’re going to take a programming break for a few weeks, and when we return, I’ll be diving into more dating tips and tricks and new interviews with industry experts. The show will go on. After all, there are many more lessons to share from the field.”

  He had to make it sound like this was his plan all along. Not like he’d been blindsided by a girl he’d known for years.

  “So for now, follow along with my adventures on Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter, and stay tuned when we return with the next season of the show.”

  Geoff rolled the sponsorship message and faded out the audio.

  He needed to get his ass in gear and figure out where the hell he went from here. But first, he needed a drink.

  Chapter 13

  “Hey, Ave. Did you get a chance to listen to How to Hook a Hottie yesterday?”

  Avery tore her eyes away from her computer monitor and caught Vanessa’s eye. “Nope. I haven’t listened to any of the dating recap episodes.”

  Vanessa nodded, her face compassionate. “I can imagine it would be weird to hear someone else talk about you to tens of thousands of people.”

  Avery sputtered out a laugh. “To put it lightly.” She didn’t want to know what Geoff thought about her. Only she did.

  Still, no matter how tempting it would have been to tune in, it was safer this way. She couldn’t trust her own emotions, let alone trust something he’d say for the show. And she’d made her decision. He didn’t want her, and she needed to stay away. It was the right thing to do, even if it sucked.

  Vanessa tilted her head, her dark hair cascading down her back. “You okay?”

  Avery straightened her spine. “Yeah. Totally.”

  “If it helps, he had only good things to say about you and the company.” Vanessa lowered her voice. “Between you and me, with the whole flower thing and the way he talks about you, I thought for sure you’d continue on to date four.”

  Dammit. This was the problem with letting people in, with peeling back the carefully constructed exterior she’d built her whole life. It was easier to hide behind the image of a girl who had it under control than to expose the parts of her that so desperately wanted approval. Because when it was her real self being judged, it hurt that much more.

  Avery needed to get this conversation back on track, and even if she wasn’t looking her best, she could still help Sophie. Sophie who she should have listened to all along.

  “It was a PR thing,” Avery reminded Vanessa. Even if it didn’t feel that way. “And speaking of which, I know we talked about wedding favors the other day. Have you given more consideration to the idea of custom cookies? I was thinking you could frost your wedding logo on some cookies and have them hand-packaged for your guests.”

  Vanessa grinned. “It sounds delicious.”

  Avery smiled back. “Glad you think so. I actually have someone I’d like to recommend to you.”

  “A baker?”

  “Yeah.” Avery reached for her phone. “Let me show you her Instagram account.” Vanessa smiled, and Avery tapped on the screen. Hundreds of food photos came up on Sophie’s profile, arranged in a neat little grid. “You’re going to love her.”

  “Knock, knock,” Avery shouted, standing outside of Sophie’s apartment door. She didn’t have enough hands to actually knock, so this would have to do.

  The sound of the TV from inside the apartment cut out, and as she shifted the two huge paper grocery bags on her hips, she could hear Sophie moving closer. Her friend swung open the door, and Avery grinned.

  “Hello, gorgeous Insta-famous food blogger and now custom cookie decorator to the sex toy industry darlings.”

  Sophie’s mouth dropped open. “Does that mean I got the gig?”

  “That means you got the gig.”

  Sophie squealed and threw her arms around Avery’s neck. “I’m surprised you had enough breath in your body to actually say all those words.”

  “I am feeling a little purple in the face,” Avery managed. “How do I look?”

  Sophie eyed the grocery bags. “You look like you could use a hand.”

  “Amen.”

  Sophie grabbed one of the bags from her and grunted at its weight. “Oof,” she said, leading Avery inside. “What do you have in here?”

  Avery grinned. “Literal pounds of butter. I was thinking we should get started with a few cookie samples. Really nail down your recipes and work on the design. There are only a few weeks until the wedding.”

  Maybe she could spend all of them here, baking and ignoring the way her stomach was tied up in knots over leaving Geoff alone in his car. The look of disappointment on his face was still burned into her mind. She’d thought she had made the right choice, only now her body ached like she’d run a half-marathon. It had to be her sex-deprived hormones messing with her because there was no way she was actually falling for him. Right?

  “You had me at pounds of butter.” Sophie dropped her bag onto the kitchen counter, and Avery followed suit. Sophie rubbed her hands together, then spun the dial on the oven to preheat it. “Maybe a simple sugar cookie to start? Those frost really well.”

  “I’m game. Tell me what you need me to do.”

  Sophie grinned. “Why don’t you start by creaming together some butter and sugar?”

  Avery snorted out a laugh as she washed her hands at the kitchen sink. “I know it’s not supposed to sound so dirty, but every time I hear the word ‘cream,’ my mind wanders to some very inappropriate places.”

  “Why do you think bakers are always so happy?” Sophie asked. “Cream everywhere.”

  Avery threw a hand towel at Sophie, then burst into laughter. “I think I need more cream in my life. Sign me up.”

  Sophie caught the towel and bumped Avery’s hip with her own. “Any prospects on that front? What about your playwright neighbor?”

  Avery shook her head so violently she could add whiplash to her list of personal injuries.

  Injured neck.

  Injured heart.

  “Nope. No. No, uh, creamy, prospects.” She laughed awkwardly. “God, I’ve gotta stop saying that. Anyway, I’ve been keeping my head down at work, and that’s my focus right now.”

  “Aww, come on.” Sophie moved to the sink and began washing her hands. “There have to at least be some sexy coworkers at X Enterprises.”

  None who made her body radiate with need the way Geoffrey Carter did. Not that Sophie could ever know how Avery felt. Her friend had made it abundantly clear that her brother was off-limits, and that wasn’t a line she wanted to cross right now. Especially since Geoff himself didn’t seem to want to play the game.

  “Sure,” she agreed. “But I don’t know the official company policy on dating your coworker.”

  “I mean, it worked for Jeremy and Vanessa, didn’t it?”

  Avery had to give her that one. “True. But I feel like you can get away with a lot more when you’re the boss.”

  “Hmmm.” Sophie shut off the water and dried her hands. “Well, keep me posted.” She hung the towel over the bar on the oven door. “
Fresh gossip or not, I’m glad you came over.”

  “This was way overdue,” Avery agreed. She reached for a stick of butter and peeled back the edge of the wrapper.

  “Plus, the fact that you ditched me for my brother? Ouch.”

  Avery’s face heated. “I told you, it was a work thing.” If she could say it enough times, it might start to be true. But the lie tasted bitter in her mouth, and she couldn’t meet Sophie’s eye. She dropped the butter into a mixing bowl and tossed the wrapper into the trash.

  Sophie cocked her head. “Did you ever get him to do what you wanted?”

  Avery froze near the trashcan. “What I wanted?” He’d kissed her, so that counted. But then he’d made it clear it was for the show. So that part had been a fail.

  “On the show, or whatever.” Sophie’s clarification made Avery relax.

  “Oh.” Avery cleared her throat and hurried back to her bowl of butter. “Yeah, I guess. Vanessa at work seemed happy, so I think we’re covered.”

  “That’s good.”

  Sophie measured out some sugar and added it to Avery’s bowl. The glittery white crystals shimmered like snowdrifts, and Avery wondered idly if they’d get snow in Seattle this year. The weather was changing, and the sun that had stretched into September had been replaced by an endless string of gray days.

  “I kind of wish Geoff didn’t have the show to begin with, you know?” Sophie said.

  “What do you mean?”

  Sophie sighed as she attached a pair of beaters to a handheld mixer. “Sometimes I wonder where Geoff’s going to go from here. I hate listening to his show because I hate hearing him try to game people’s hearts.”

  “To hear him say it, he’s trying to help people find connections.”

  Sophie waved a free hand. “I know that’s what he says. And clearly, he has enough listeners that people believe in his theories. But putting that aside, I also hate the show because it’s depressing to think he’s happy being single forever.”

  “Is he?” Avery swallowed a spike of pain. “Happy being single forever?” Maybe Sophie really was right to warn her away. Avery missed Geoff a surprising amount, but maybe she had made the right choice after all.

  Sophie made a face. “It certainly feels like that sometimes. I mean, after our parents got divorced, Geoff kind of committed to this bachelor thing, and his show is another way of clinging to it. But I think, deep down, he wants that connection just as much as everyone else.” She drummed her fingers over the hand mixer with a pensive look in her eyes. “I don’t think he’s there yet, Ave. Right now anyone who’s with him is a fool if they think they’re not going to get hurt. But I want him to figure it out eventually. I want him to find someone already and move on.”

  Avery frowned. “But if he found someone, that would mean quitting the show, wouldn’t it? And that’s his livelihood.”

  “Not necessarily. He could adapt. Evolve. I don’t really know if you have to choose to walk away from the things you love. You just grow with them.”

  Avery pulled in a deep breath to chase away the tears that stung her eyes. Maybe she could have adapted for Geoff too, tried to be a little less scared, but it was too late for that now. “You are wise beyond your years, Soph.”

  Her friend grinned and held out the hand mixer. “I know. It’s part of my charm.” Her eyes held a wicked gleam. “Now get mixing, babe. These ingredients aren’t going to cream themselves.”

  Chapter 14

  “Excuse me?”

  Geoff looked up from his beer and into the face of a pretty blonde. Her eyes were narrowed in concentration, and a smile graced her lips.

  “You’re him, aren’t you?” Beside the blonde, her friend watched the exchange with an amused smile.

  Geoff cocked his head and smiled back.

  Across the table of Capitol Hill’s Foreign National bar, Ryan answered for him. “I’m not sure who him is, but if him is handsome, successful, and ready for a good time, then you’ve found your man right here.”

  Geoff groaned. “Excuse my friend. He’s a Neanderthal.”

  “And he clearly hasn’t listened to your podcast, has he?”

  Geoff lifted his eyebrows in surprise. “I suppose not.” Maybe he hadn’t given this girl enough credit.

  “Ha!” She gave him a victorious smile. “I knew it was you. Geoff Carpenter from How to Hook a Hottie, right?”

  He nodded. Carpenter, Carter. Close enough. “One and the same.”

  “I’m Michelle.” Geoff shook the hand Michelle offered, and she shot him a look of shy flirtation. “Any chance I can get your autograph?”

  “Sure.” He accepted the paper coaster she held out to him, scrawling his name inside the Greek key border.

  “Actually, my friend Stephanie had a relationship question for you. Any chance we can join you for a drink and have a minute to pick your brain?”

  Geoff hesitated, and Ryan kicked him under the table. Ryan patted the empty chair beside him. “We would be thrilled.”

  The one thing about being a podcaster was that Geoff was famous enough online, but most people didn’t notice him when he went out in public, so he could fly under the radar. It was the best of both worlds. Still, there were added benefits to being considered a dating expert during those times when someone did spot him in a crowd.

  “Great!” Michelle and Stephanie perched at their table, shoving out their breasts and batting their eyelashes. Normally Geoff would have paid attention, but today he didn’t quite have the heart. He did his best to answer their questions, but all he wanted to do was get the hell out of here. What was wrong with him tonight?

  He waited for what seemed like a polite amount of time before pushing his chair back from the table. “I’m sorry, ladies, but Ryan and I have another appointment this evening.”

  Michelle frowned. “Guess I should give you my autograph, too.” She reached for another coaster and wrote down her name and number while Ryan peered over her shoulder and grinned.

  Geoff gritted his teeth and ground out, “Nice to meet you,” before hauling Ryan out to the street.

  On the sidewalk, Ryan paused. “Forgetting something?”

  “My dignity?” Geoff rubbed a hand over the back of his head and blew out a deep breath.

  “Or a number.” Ryan dangled Michelle’s coaster from his fingers, and Geoff noticed she’d put a heart instead of a dot over the “i.”

  “I forgot.”

  Ryan shook his head. “You don’t forget a pair of Ds like those three minutes later.”

  “It’s not a big deal.” Geoff scowled, but Ryan didn’t seem to want to let it go.

  “If this is how you handled yourself in New York, I’m not sure how you got so famous. You’re like the cock-block of the century right now.”

  Geoff groaned. “I’m having a bad night, okay? Let’s hit a different bar. I’ll even let you keep that coaster.” There was no way he was going to call Michelle-with-a-heart, anyway.

  “No, I know what this is.” Ryan rubbed his chin, his stubble rasping under his palm. “You’re hung up on Avery. Didn’t close the deal, did you?”

  Geoff bristled. “Last I checked, it wasn’t a transaction.”

  Ryan’s face lit like an annoying little brother who’d just discovered blackmail material. “Denial’s just a river in Egypt. You like her?”

  He sighed. “Yeah, I guess I do.”

  “So why are you out with me instead of her?”

  Because she hadn’t said yes to a fourth date.

  “Great question.” A group of people dressed for the bar pushed past them, and noise from inside spilled out into the night, grating Geoff’s ears. Why was he so damn sensitive tonight?

  “Does she know how you feel?” Ryan asked.

  “I thought so.” He’d laid things out for Avery in the car before she bailed on him, but by that point, it seemed like she’d already made up her mind.

  Ryan shot him a skeptical look. “Really?”

  Geoff
allowed for a margin of error. Women sometimes were creatures of a different breed. “Well…maybe.”

  “Dude, you need to let her know you’re into her for more than the show. Make a stand. Be bold. Seize the day.”

  “Aren’t you just an inspirational poster waiting to happen,” Geoff said without heat.

  Ryan shook his head. “I still don’t know why I’m the one telling you these things.”

  “Maybe the problem’s too close to home. I can’t wrap my head around it.” How could they go from the hot tub and talk of orgasms to…nothing?

  Ryan clapped him on the shoulder and headed toward the bar’s entrance.

  “Where are you going?” Geoff asked.

  “Back inside,” Ryan called. “I’m going to console poor Michelle. You’re going to go get your girl.”

  Avery swung open her apartment door wearing messy hair and a pair of tortoiseshell glasses that gave her a naughty librarian vibe. Her pajama shorts showed off curvy, toned legs, and her toenails were painted a pale purple—the color you found inside the shells of the muscles that lived in the Sound.

  Her eyes went wide, and a wash of pink streaked over her cheeks. “Geoff.” She twisted a bare foot into the carpet.

  Geoff studied her face. “Is that ‘Geoff’ like ‘yay?’ Or ‘Geoff’ like ‘crap?’”

  She cracked a grin. “It’s ‘Geoff’ like ‘what are you doing here?’” She dropped her pretty eyes to the bag clutched in his hand. “Do you, um, need something for the show?”

  “Actually, no.” He held out the bag to her. “I was hoping we could talk.”

  Avery peered inside, smiling as she lifted out a sweating pint of strawberry ice cream and two plastic spoons. “Are you trying to get on my good side?”

  “Maybe.” He wiped a sweaty palm on the leg of his pants. “In fairness, I don’t know if you have a bad side.”

  “O-kay,” she said. “Definitely trying to bribe me.” He opened his mouth to protest, and she laughed. “Come on in.”