Dirty Deal (A Perfectly Matched Novel) (Entangled Brazen) (3 page)

Taste equals calories, Serena. Food is a necessity, not a pleasure.

She shoved her mother’s tinny admonishment from her head, but still didn’t pick up a fork, focusing instead on Bryan.

“Everything looks lovely.”

“Yeah. This is one of my favorite places, actually.” Bryan was already tearing into the meat, and the juices glistened in the dim lighting like a still from a Food Network commercial.

“Oh, you’ve been here before? So do the owners make all the employees dress that way? Like, do they provide fake mustaches if your natural one isn’t as glorious? And do they have casual Fridays where people don’t have to wear their monocles?”

“Actually, they do. And they also have top hat Tuesdays.” Bryan gave her a crooked smile that could have charmed the habit off of a nun.

What was it about guys with crooked smiles that was so damn appealing?

“Good to know. Next time I come here, I’ll have to take mine out of storage.”

“Will there be a next time? You’ve hardly touched your food.” He pointed his fork toward her plate.

She hadn’t
hardly
touched anything. She simply hadn’t touched it at all.

Everything from the crisp, roasted skin to the little pool of purple sauce that surrounded the quail practically screamed
fattening
.

Still, watching Bryan tear into the meat like it was the most succulent thing he’d ever tasted had her stomach growling. Maybe one taste couldn’t hurt…

She speared the quail and the meat collapsed onto her fork. The smell was divine, a decadent waft of thyme and butter, but it was nothing compared to the taste. She closed her eyes as she chewed. It seemed impossible for such a small thing to hold so much flavor, but her taste buds tingled, begging for another bite.

She ran her tongue over her lips, trying to capture every drop of that richness, and caught Bryan staring at her. He didn’t avert his gaze, but his crooked smile transformed and his jaw went tight as his eyes went dark.

Just for fun, she repeated the move and held his gaze, but this time he leaned back in his chair, taking another long sip of his champagne.

Interesting. He’d sniffed the bait but hadn’t swallowed the hook. Her pulse quickened. Nothing she liked more than a challenge.

She leaned back and set her fork down. Maybe better to let him think he was doing the fishing. “So, this date for a charity auction you filled in for at the last minute just happened to be at your favorite restaurant. Such a weird and happy coincidence, yes?”

He looked distant for a moment, and then his attention snapped back to her, his hazel eyes narrowing. “Jesus. You’re right. My sister is a fucking mastermind.” Then, as an afterthought, he added, “Pardon my language.”

“You think she set you up from the get-go?” She could feel a smile tugging at her lips. That was some nefarious shit. Even she was impressed.

“I’m sure of it, now. The little shit. It wouldn’t be the first time. She means well. She’s just misguided. And sneaky.”

He forked up the last of his bird, and she was about to comment on how quickly he’d finished, but when she looked down her plate, she realized she’d picked up her fork again, and her plate was just as empty as his.

Crap.

The waiter appeared again with the second course within minutes. This round, thankfully, was lighter fare. Walnut and cranberry salad with balsamic dressing.

Good, salad she could do.

“Doesn’t she think you can find your own women? I mean, it’s not like you’re bad-looking.”

That was an almost laughable understatement. When she’d seen him up on the stage, she’d have said he was a solid eight. Nice, regular features, great body. Like the guy in the photo when you bought a new picture frame. Up close, he emanated a sexual energy, like raw, masculine power, and it made her tingle from head to toe.

“She knows I could find my own women if I wanted to. I’m just not interested right now.”

“In like a priest-y kind of way or…?” She chomped on a lettuce leaf and surveyed him, still trying to shake off the tension in the air. She was supposed to be charming him into doing what she wanted, not fantasizing about what he’d been packing under those fig leaves.

“No, I’m definitely…not celibate.” He shifted in his chair and gave her that half grin again. “But Q, my sister, she thinks I should settle down with the ‘right girl.’”

“Well, you know there’s at least one person out there who wants that job.” She smiled, but when he raised his eyebrows at her, she realized her mistake. “No! No, no, not me. Your crazy ex from the auction, I mean.”

He barked out a laugh and shook his head. “Hell no. Piper was my last stab at having a serious relationship.”

“Even hearing you use the words ‘Piper’ and ‘stab’ in the same sentence makes me twitchy.” Serena chuckled, but Bryan didn’t.

“You have no idea.”

“So tell me,” she pressed on, suddenly dying to know more about Dr. Bryan Metcalf and his love life. “She was truly your last real girlfriend?”

Not that she could talk. Her longest relationship had been between her and the personal trainer she’d fired after six months because she felt like they were getting too close. Other than that, guys in her life lasted a month, maybe two. After a lifetime of getting shipped off to boarding school only to come home to her parents, who spent their lives committed to hurting each other, it became abundantly clear that, while love might be real, it was fleeting for most people and just about anything—from gaining a few pounds or a few crow’s feet to not putting clothes in the hamper—could make it disappear.

Falling in love and risking her heart like that when so many people seemed to take hearts for granted wasn’t high on her list of things to do in this lifetime, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t right for other people. Especially for someone like Bryan.

He seemed stable and like a good guy. Maybe all he needed was a stable, good girl to wash the Piper taste from his mouth. A man like him, all tall and muscular with an MD and a military background? He was tailor-made for girls to fall in love with. Hot, but also pretty funny, and weirdly magnetic.

“Yeah, shortly after that, I went to medical school and then to the military. Not a lot of time for relationships. Plus, she and I had a pretty bad run of it. I can’t deal with the crazy.”

“Right, but I mean, not all women are crazy,” she said with a curt nod, and waited for him to agree.

Instead, he slanted a dubious brow at her, and she squawked.

“Oh my God, seriously? That girl is a special case. There are tons of women out there that don’t act like that.”

He held up his hands and rushed to correct himself. “I’m sure there are women who are…less intense than the ones I’ve been with. But there must be some kind of pheromone on me that attracts the nutty ones. No matter where I go, the crazy bus follows me.”

“Like, what do you mean? Girls who cry when you don’t call them enough?” If that was the case, she could feel Bryan’s pain. That was irritating as hell. She’d had her fill of whiny phone calls all from one-date guys looking for more attention even after she’d been clear she just wanted to go out and have a meal and some laughs. By the end of it all, she’d wound up hurting feelings, and she hated that. Maybe Bryan was onto something.

“I wish that’s what I was talking about.” He sighed.

“Do tell,” she said, leaning in to better hear what she sensed was going to be a juicy story.

“Let’s see,” he ticked off on his index finger, “I had a woman once steal my car and threaten to drive it off a cliff if I didn’t promise to see her again.”

“No shit. How did you get out of that one?”

“I didn’t let her pull a Thelma and Louise, if that’s what you’re asking.” He pushed his untouched salad plate away and continued. “911 is on speed dial, and they caught up with her. She wasn’t even the worst of them.” He ticked off another finger. “Then, there was a girl who sneaked into my bedroom one night and lay next to me so that when I woke up, she was staring directly at me. Just…
watching
me. Said she could see the depths of my soul when I slept.”

“Come on,” she said on a laugh. “You can’t be serious.”

The waiter appeared again and swept away their dishes, then replaced them with a creamy red soup. She dipped a spoon in and gave it a go. Roasted red pepper.

“I couldn’t make it up if I tried. The worst part is before she broke into my room, she went into my mom’s closet, took some of her clothes, and put them on. She said she wanted to make me feel taken care of.”

Jesus. He wasn’t even kidding. “So how bad could Piper be compared to that?” Serena sipped on her soup.

“She’s her own special brand. She may not be as crazy as the other ones, but she’s definitely the most insistent. You know when we were dating she thought it would be a nice gift to look up all the headstones of everyone in my family that had died and print them out. She made a
scrapbook
of tombstones.” He shook his head at the memory before taking a spoonful of soup.

“Was it part of a scavenger hunt that led to a hollow grave?” Serena deadpanned.

“It felt like things were headed that way for sure.”

“So I don’t understand. If your sister saw all of this happen, doesn’t she think you’re probably safer without a girlfriend-slash-stalker in your life?”

Bryan took a long gulp of his champagne and refreshed their glasses. To her surprise, she’d sipped her glass empty throughout the course of their conversation. Worse yet, her soup was already half gone too. Double time on the treadmill tomorrow.

“Who knows?” His answer was more reserved than his previous had been, and he swished the golden liquid in his flute before continuing. “She worries that I need someone to take care of me. Someone to be here when I come home.” He pushed her bowl of soup toward her. “You should eat your soup before it gets cold.”

She wasn’t sure if that marked the end of the conversation for him or if that was an indicator that he was one of those men who liked to see their women eat.

Not that she was his woman.

Though, she had to admit, after listening to his stories, she was walking a fine line between wanting to never be around him again and trying to find out what exactly he was doing to drive all these women clinically insane.

Based on the quiet but ever-present confidence about him, she was pretty sure that the answer to that question lay somewhere between the sheets. What would those big, strong hands feel like on her body? Before she got too deep into her fantasies of what his superpower might be, she shut them down. Time to move the focus back to where it should be for the evening.

“Grace is always trying to get me to settle down, too. And as persistent as she is, it’s super irritating,” she said with a commiserating nod.

She finished her soup, and the fourth dish appeared. It was the largest yet, with mounds of seafood hidden under ribbons of fresh fettuccini with butter sauce. She’d already let herself get way out of control and vowed not to touch these last two courses more than politeness dictated. She’d had more than enough.

No matter how crazy good it smelled.

Or how good Bryan made it look as he savored every morsel.

“I don’t know if the wedding planning is making her more demanding or what the deal is. It’s weird to me that she was so pushy with you. I’m usually the one she recruits for stuff like that.” She shot him a smile and picked at the side of her plate.

One bite. Because manners.

“Ah, so you’re the enforcer? I have to admit, you don’t look so tough.”

“I don’t use brute force. I tend to rely on my…negotiating skills.” She plucked the ribbon of pasta from her fork and barely held back a groan. So good.

“And how do you think negotiations are going tonight?” he asked, a bemused smile tipping his lips.

“I think I’m doing just fine.” Judging by the way he was trying so hard not to stare at her boobs, anyway. She set her fork down and took a sip of her champagne, eying him over the glass.

“We haven’t talked business at all. I’m not sure why you think you’ve got the upper hand,” he said before biting into his Alfredo like it was a challenge.

“I don’t think I do. I know it.”

“Do tell.” He spread his hands, palm up, in front of him, begging her to continue.

“We might not have discussed it out loud, but facts are facts. You’ve got something I want.” She leaned in close, making sure her cleavage was at just the right angle. “I’ve got something you want. So let’s make a deal, Doc.”

Chapter Three

Fuck, he hoped they were talking about the same thing: the two of them working off some of this tension between the sheets. Watching her face as she ate was killing him one bite at a time.

He should probably be wary of the possibility of her offering her body in trade for his mug on some billboard, but that didn’t bother him in the least. They were both red-blooded adults, and there was clearly a mutual attraction there. Who was he to judge if she wanted to get a little something extra out of the deal? Only the crafty glint in her eye kept his libido in check. Thinking over their evening so far, her sudden, full-court press didn’t quite make sense. Her flirting had been just as subtle as his own. A slide of her sweet pink tongue across her lips, a brush of her high-heeled foot again his shin. Now, out of the blue, she was laying it out there.

So let’s make a deal.

He chose his words carefully, not wanting to jinx it but also not wanting to dive headfirst into the gutter and embarrass either of them if he was wrong. “I have something you want, you have something I want. And what would those things be, exactly?” he asked.

“Isn’t it obvious? We need a spokesperson and you need a fake girlfriend.”

He stared at her, trying not to focus too hard on her sexy mouth as she spoke. “Come again?”

“I mean, you’ve got a reunion to go to and a wedding, both of which, as far as I can tell, will be positively infested by insane exes. Obviously your crazy magnet won’t let you find a real date who won’t flip her shit and start making life-size dolls in your likeness or something, so why don’t you let me stand in?”

He settled back against his chair and let the words sink in. So,
not
a proposal of hot sex in exchange for promoting their company then. Visions of Serena, legs spread beneath him, hair a wild mass around her shoulders as he thrust his cock in and out of her, faded, and he took a deep gulp from his champagne glass to wash down the bitter disappointment.

That was a damned shame, but this idea had merit as well. He let it marinate while the waiter cleared their emptied plates again and replaced them with the final course, a sampling of exotic cheeses, spreads, and crackers. Serena began picking absently at the selection, and he marveled at how much food this woman could store in her tiny frame. It was damned impressive.

“Are you just too in awe of my brilliant plan to speak, or…?” She raised a brow at him as she refilled his champagne flute, leaning the slightest bit too far over the table until he could see the hint of a lacy red bra.

Hot.

She’d been doing it all night, and he was starting to wonder whether it was really an accident. Had he imagined the flirting, or was it all a part of her master plan to soften him up? Either way, it didn’t change the fact that it was nearly impossible to tear his eyes away from that creamy swatch of skin.

“Just think about it,” she said, eyes bright with banked enthusiasm. “What’s the worst that could happen? There’s literally no downside. You can avoid Piper and any other crazy chick who happens to be on your jock and still enjoy the upcoming events. All you’d need to do in return is sit through a couple photo shoots and, down the line, be open to doing a commercial. That’s it. Probably ten hours of your life total, and then you’re home free.”

“It’s crazy.”

“You know what’s crazy? The thought of what your reunion is going to be like if you go solo.” She hoisted her glass into the air, tilting it toward him. “Now come on, don’t be a baby, let’s toast to a deal well struck.”

He tried to be objective and look at the possible solution from all angles, but it was damned hard—in more ways than one—when it was presented by the hottest woman he’d ever seen in the flesh. The longer he looked into her smiling, china-blue eyes, the more reasons he came up with to agree. He’d have Grace Love off his back. He’d have a buffer between him and Piper. And who knew? Maybe once they got this business out of the way, he’d have a chance to see if the attraction he’d felt was one-sided or if she actually wanted him the way he wanted her.

He clinked his glass against hers and sipped the ice-cold bubbly. “You have yourself a deal.”

“I thought I might,” she said with a triumphant smile.

“All that training as the enforcer gave you confidence?”

“No, the fact that you can’t take your eyes off my boobs gave me confidence. The enforcer stuff is a bonus.” She stood and strutted across the empty floor to the wide, glass doors that led to the restaurant’s beachside patio.

Before he even rose to join her, she marched back to the table and grabbed the bottle of champagne.

“You know, it’s really lovely tonight, and I need to walk off this food. Why don’t you come with me and help finish this bubbly while we talk terms?”

She swung the bottle back and forth between thumb and forefinger like the pendulum of a hypnotist, and was every bit as mesmerizing.

Without a second thought, he stood and made his way over to where Serena stood, sleek figure draped against the doorjamb like an old Hollywood starlet, all legs and sex appeal. She crooked a finger at him to follow her and stepped into the warm night air. He trailed behind her onto the sprawling wooden patio. The sun had almost set, the very last of its rays making the water of the Atlantic gleam.

“Hold this.” At the edge of the patio, Serena handed him the champagne bottle and kicked off her spiky heels. Then she jumped into the sand and squished her toes deep into the grains.

“Much better.” She reached for the bottle again.

“That’s all right. I’ll hold it.”

“A true gentleman.” In the fading light, her beaming face caught him, and he couldn’t help but return the grin.

Her straight blond hair was blown back by the sea breeze, and she looked almost painfully beautiful. She turned and that lacy red bra strap slid off her shoulder, snagging his attention again. His fingers itched to reach for it, slip it back onto her delicate shoulder. To let his fingertips graze the silky-looking skin…

“So, I do have a question about our setup,” she started, and he snapped back to attention.

He clenched and unclenched his hands in an effort to satiate the need to touch her. Fake girlfriend. That didn’t mean they were going to actually sleep together.

But a guy could hope.

He swallowed hard. “Shoot.”

“That’s the question, actually,” she said with a chuckle. “Piper doesn’t…I mean, she can’t operate a weapon, right? I’m not putting my life on the line for this, am I?”

“I think if she was homicidal, it would have come to light sometime in the past nine years.”

Serena shook her head incredulously. “I still can’t get over that. Nine years.”

“Oh yeah. Actually, a little longer than that, now.”

“Spill it. I have to know. What are you doing to these poor women? Is it some sort of brainwashing thing, or a trick in the bedroom?”

“Hell if I know.” He bit back the urge to offer her a free sample if she wanted to know that bad. “Maybe it’s just the old adage. You know, a good man is hard to find.”

“Amen to that.” Humor colored her tone, but there was an unexpected edge there, too. Interesting.

“Speaking of which, you asked me all about my love life. I should know some things about yours. Don’t you have a boyfriend? It’s not like you’re bad-looking.” He parroted her half-assed compliment from earlier, and she nudged him gently with her shoulder.

“I’m not about that boyfriend life. Dating is…” She stared out over the ocean and shook her head. “Dating is not my style.” Her tone was thoughtful this time, but she didn’t turn to look at him.

This woman was full of surprises.

“You’re a matchmaker,” he reminded her.

“You’re a doctor. Do you go around…just, like, sticking Band-Aids on yourself?”

“That analogy doesn’t make any sense.”

“Yeah, well, your…mom doesn’t make any sense.” She offered up an expression of mock anger before her face finally split into a wide grin again. Just like that, the cord of tension fell away.

“Very mature.” And way to change the subject. He considered not letting her off the hook, but opted to drop it. Pushing the issue would make it seem like he was interested in changing her mind, and he definitely wasn’t. But if she needed someone to call at night and help her with any pesky urges that might arise due to the lack of dating, well…

She raised an eyebrow. “I’ve been called worse than immature.”

“I bet you have.”

“Oh, look who suddenly found their biting wit.”

A platinum lock of hair whipped in front of her face, obscuring part of her heart-shaped pink mouth from view. She surveyed him hard, standing stock-still in front of the water until the tide lapped her ankles.

She was inching nearer to him now, and with every movement her tight black dress rode up her thighs.

“Funny, I hadn’t realized I’d ever lost it,” he said, but it was just words. There was nothing funny right now. Or if there was, he couldn’t focus on it. In that moment, there was only Serena and the sound of the waves licking the shore in time with the pounding of his pulse as she edged toward him. It had been months since he’d slept with a woman. Surely that explained why he felt like a caged beast every time this one came within two feet of him.

Finally she was beside him, only inches from his touch. Another long moment passed, and the air flowed thick with the sounds of summer and the pull between them.

“Did you know, before they built the restaurant, the old-timer locals used to call this little spit of beach Slap and Tickle Shore? It was even more secluded then and youngsters used to come here all the time to make out.”

He raised his brows. “Seriously?”

“Yup. Actually, this is where my grandparents fell in love.” Her expression softened.

“At Slap and Tickle Shore?” He could only imagine what the youngsters did when they were here, and he clenched his hands again, trying to control the very physical reaction that thought inspired.

Her eyes. He needed to focus on her eyes. It was the only way to keep his gaze from devouring those lean curves and trying to picture what lay beneath that tight dress.

“That’s not the official story,” she said, bringing his attention back to her tale. “Not according to my parents. They always said my grandparents’ eyes met across a dance floor at a sock hop and had a very proper courtship. If you ask my grandma, though…” Her sly grin spread wider, revealing a hidden dimple on her left cheek. “If you asked my grandma, she had Grandpa take her here on their second date, looking for some action to make sure they were compatible in all areas.”

“That’s a riot,” he said with a grin. “She sounds like a smart lady.”

Serena reached for the champagne bottle and took a long gulp before swiping a hand over her mouth. Something about the contrast of her almost surreal beauty and polish versus her bawdy laugh and not-so-proper manners made his blood run hot.

“She was. And pragmatic but also a little bit of a wild child for the time period. The headmaster at my old boarding school would say that I take after her, I think.” She plopped into the sand, stretching out her feet so that the cool water lapped at her ankles again.

“Ah, a troublemaker, huh?” He could see that. Serena raising hell, taking unsuspecting boys to Slap and Tickle Shore and having her way with them. Actually, he would love to see that right now.

“Sort of. Partly for attention from my parents but also because I don’t like being told what to do.” She chuckled and splashed her foot against the current, spraying tiny diamond-like droplets onto her mile-long legs.

“So what’s your grandmother’s version of what happened that night? Did they make out and then hit the sock hop?”

“They hit something,” she said, waggling her brows up at him.

“She told you that?”

“As she got older, she sort of lost her filter. It made for some truly
excellent
Thanksgiving dinners, believe you me. She was kind of my hero. Like, back then, a girl asking a guy to the shore was probably
très
scandalous. But she didn’t give a shit. She knew what she wanted, and she took it. I can respect that.”

This time when she surveyed him, he knew it wasn’t a figment of his imagination. He met her gaze, watching as her pupils dilated. She might be anti-relationship, but she wanted him, and he’d be damned if he went home tonight without finding out how much.

…

What was it about this guy?

She never talked about her gram. Ever. And boarding school was a topic she avoided at all costs. But here, two words from him and she was practically transcribing the story of her life and handing it to him. Why should he care about any of that? They weren’t friends. Hell, they were barely even acquaintances. And still, with every word she was inching closer to smell that alluring mix of leather and cinnamon that hung on the air around him. That, combined with the way his eyes undressed her, had her every breath coming shallower than the last.

She’d started out with one intention. Make Grace happy by convincing him to do the promo. How could she have known there would be this kind of pull between them? If they were going to spend a decent amount of time together between his events and the ad stuff for her business, maybe it would be better to get it out of the way. Sleep with him, find out what all the fuss was about so she could stop wondering, and then get down to business.

Having finally discarded his shoes, he stretched out his legs to mirror her, and their shoulders brushed. It had only been an inch of skin, maybe less, and still a shot of electric heat pulsed through her whole body.

“So what about you?” she asked, desperate to buy a little time. Get her head straight before she did something stupid. “You’re calling me trouble—what’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done, Bryan? I mean, other than having me be your fake girlfriend and agreeing to be the face of a matchmaking company,” she asked, leaning back on her elbows in the soft sand.

“I thought we were supposed to be discussing terms of our agreement out here?” His voice was low and growly, and she wondered what it would be like to hear him say her name in that same voice.