Mistress & a Million Dollars / Satin & A Scandalous Affair: Mistress & a Million Dollars. Jan ColleyЧитать онлайн книгу.
face turning unreadable now. “Yes.”
She waited for him to speak, and when he didn’t, she said, “Then talk.”
“Not here.” He got to his feet, his hand cupping her bare elbow, sending a warming shiver through her. “Come have a drink with me in the lounge.”
She looked up at him standing so close beside her, an air of command exuding from him, threatening to engulf her. She wanted to say no, but couldn’t think up a suitable excuse. “Just for a moment.”
Then she stood up too and his eyes approved the short, glamorous dress. Heat curled in her stomach, before he led her away from the crowds and into one of the lounges. It was quieter in here with plenty of small tables circled by large comfortable leather chairs.
He took her to some seats in a secluded corner that was much too intimate for Briana’s peace of mind, but when she saw some of the other patrons looking their way she was rather thankful no one could listen in on their conversation.
A waiter immediately came over to them, and she agreed to join Jarrod in a brandy. It would calm her nerves, she decided, watching him place their order, his self-confidence and sophistication an attraction many women would find appealing.
Dressed in dark trousers and a sports blazer with a white T-shirt underneath, he could have been a male model himself if there hadn’t been such a hard edge to him. Those blue eyes clearly showed that hardness, an arrogance that would never let anyone dictate to him, let alone a camera.
“No Jake Vance today?” he said once the waiter left.
“I gave him the day off,” she quipped.
The edges of that firm, sensual mouth tilted. “I doubt Jake would think of it that way.”
She doubted it, too, but she didn’t say so.
His smile disappeared and he fixed her with a candid gaze. “You and Jake are an item then?”
She lifted her chin. “I don’t think that’s any of your business.”
He considered her for a moment, a pulse beating in his cheekbone. “The two of you were having a good laugh together at Kim’s wedding.”
For a moment she didn’t know what he was talking about. Then she remembered her comment about testosterone keeping the boat afloat and a bubble of laughter rose in her throat.
His eyes narrowed. “So there is something going on between you two.”
She lost her amusement, not sure why he was being so insistent. “You wanted to talk,” she reminded him, crossing her legs, pretending this line of questioning wasn’t getting to her.
His eyes plunged to her legs in the ultrasheer silk stockings revealed by the ruffled hem, admired them, then rose back up to her face. “Are the two of you lovers?”
Her own eyes widened in dismay. “I don’t believe I’m hearing this.”
He held her gaze. “Tell me the truth, Briana.”
Panic stirred in her chest but she kept it at bay. “Why, Jarrod? Why do you want to know about Jake and me?”
“Because if he doesn’t want you, I do.”
Her head reeled back. “What?”
“I want you to be my lover,” he repeated firmly, leaving no doubt this time.
She gave him a glance of utter disbelief. “You can’t be serious!”
“You deny you want me, too?”
She swallowed past her suddenly dry throat, tried to speak and had to swallow again. “I can deny it and I do,” she lied, knowing she couldn’t admit wanting him. It would give him an unfair advantage over her. One he wouldn’t hesitate to use.
“Why sound so shocked? I’d have thought a woman like yourself—” he gave a tiny pause “—would be used to such propositions.”
Her blood pressure began to rise. “You mean because I’m a model?”
He inclined his dark head. “What other reason would there be?” he said silkily, as the waiter arrived with their brandy.
Her lips flattened with anger. At the wedding, Jarrod had made a similar comment about how far she’d come in the business. It hadn’t sounded like a compliment back then, and neither did this comment. Had he thought she’d slept her way to the top? It sickened her to think that, yet why she cared she didn’t know. It would serve him right if she called his bluff.
Why not?
“Okay, I’ll sleep with you,” she said, once the waiter left. “For a million dollars.”
His eyes flickered then became shuttered. “That can be arranged.”
Her brain stumbled. “What?”
He shot her a dry look. “Sleep with me and I’ll give you a million dollars.”
He’d well and truly called her bluff. “But—but you don’t have that kind of money to give away.”
His brows lifted. “You know that for a fact, do you?”
Oh heavens. Was she stupid or what? Apart from coming from a wealthy family, he’d made a name for himself as a property lawyer. Of course he’d have a million dollars to spare. What an idiot she was!
From somewhere she managed to scoff, “Ill-gotten gains, Jarrod?”
Contempt flashed in his eyes. “No. I’ll leave that to the Blackstones.”
“That’s my employer you’re talking about,” she said coolly.
“Doesn’t change a thing. The Blackstones are far from saints.” He picked up the two glasses and passed one to her. “Now, about our agreement—”
She took the brandy glass from him, but an acute sense of panic raced through her again. “Keep your money. I don’t want it. I—” She stopped.
She did need the money.
Needed it more than he could ever know.
“Having second thoughts?” he asked.
“No.” She took a sip of brandy, and wished her denial carried the same strength as the alcohol now burning her throat.
“We can always do with more money,” he pointed out, watching her as if knowing all along it would come back to this.
This being money.
Of course, she now realized that by even suggesting the million dollars she was playing into his belief that she was cut from the same cloth as her sister. Marise had said she’d fallen in love with Matt, but Briana suspected Matt’s wealth hadn’t hurt, either. And then there was Marise and Howard….
“A million dollars, Briana,” he reminded her.
No, she couldn’t do it. She wasn’t for sale.
Then she forced her heart to steady itself. What if she looked upon it as a loan, asked a small voice inside her. A loan she would pay back once her contract with Blackstones was renewed.
A million-dollar contract.
But if it wasn’t renewed? What if they got someone else to replace her as the face of Blackstone Diamonds?
What if—
No, she wouldn’t think about “what if’s”. Nor would she think about not repaying the money to him at all. It just wasn’t in her to be underhanded.
But could she make love to Jarrod Hammond?
Oh God. How much of a hardship would that really be? She was attracted to him, no doubt about it. Intensely attracted, if she were to be honest with herself. It wasn’t like she would be making a huge sacrifice and giving her body