Hunger (Seductors #2) (9 page)

“I like your use of color, Jade,” Brian mused, looking over my designs. I continued to edge around the table. Even though I was with four other designers, the creep kept standing next to
me
. “I could use this design in any of my showcase apartments all over the world.” He wasn’t impressing me with his wealth. In fact, I couldn’t wait to leave this damn job. I just needed a good excuse first.

“Oh, I don’t know about that. These colors would be too bright for Europe,” one of the designers countered. She’d been giving me the bitch brow all morning. “I’d take out the orange, too.”

“I disagree,” the tanned man, whose name I kept forgetting, replied. “You need the warmth. It’s a gallery, remember. I think it works.”

“The design itself is a piece of art,” Brian grinned, nudging me with his shoulder. “Well done, Jade.” Wow! All this praise and I was only
pretending
to be an interior designer. “Okay, I think it’s time to break for lunch.”

I looked down at my phone to check the time, noticing I had a message from Oliver.

What time are you taking lunch today?

I’m not sure I can wait until tomorrow night to see you.

My heart inflated when I read his words. A lunch date, too. I really was starting to crack his defenses.

I typed a quick response while the others in the room were chatting with each other.

Actually, I’m taking lunch right now.

Where did you want to meet?

Shall I come to your office? J xx

His reply was instant.

No, I’ll meet you outside my building.

In…10 minutes. Is that okay with you?

That’s fine. See you soon. :) x

I figured his response was because he didn’t want any of his employees to see us together. I tried to rise above it, but it still hurt a little.

“Jade, did you want to join me for lunch?” Brian called as I looked up from my phone.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I have plans to meet someone.”

“Oliver?” he glared, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes,” I smiled, picking my bag up. “I’ll see you in an hour.”

Oliver was already waiting for me outside his building. How a guy could look so delectable just standing there in a dark suit was beyond me, but I had the familiar ache in between my legs as I approached him.  

“Hey,” I called from behind him. Once again, he struck me down with those deadly dark eyes of his as he turned around to face me.

“Hi,” he sighed, taking a deep breath in. He looked really stressed.

“Are you okay?” I asked, touching his shoulder.

“It’s been a long morning. I just needed to get out of the office for an hour.”

“Trouble running your empire?” I smirked.

“Something like that.” He ran his hands through his hair, watching me. “So where are we having lunch?”

“You asked me on this lunch date. Shouldn’t you already have an idea?”

Oliver’s face softened before he spoke. “Lunch date? That’s what you think this is?”

“Yes, and don’t even try to deny it,” I countered, putting my hands on my hips. I’d worn a dark blue suit today in an attempt to stop Brian’s delusional advances toward me, but Oliver still gazed over my body, almost trying to unwrap me with his eyes.     

“How long do you have for lunch?” he asked, clearing his throat as he showed me to his car. It was a black Audi.

“An hour. Where’s the limo?” I gasped.

“I do drive myself places, Jade,” he chuckled, opening the door for me.

“This is a nice car,” I purred, stroking the leather seats. “What model is it?”

“An Audi R8 Knight,” he muttered, starting the engine.

“Was it named after Knight Rider with David Hasselhoff?”

“No, Jade,” he snorted, shaking his head as he pulled out into traffic.

“What music are you listening to at the moment?” I questioned, reaching forward to check his playlist on the built-in stereo. The Killers came up first. “The Killers, huh?”

“They’re a talented band.” I nodded in agreement, pressing random play.

“Is this playlist about me?” I asked as
Bad Romance
by Lady Gaga began to play. How varied was Oliver’s taste?

“Mostly, yes. I kept finding songs that reminded me of you and the playlist grew.”

“Mm…what else is on here? You should have songs like Toxic and Tainted Love. ”

“You think I’ve hated you these last six months?”

“I would,” I admitted, looking out the window.

“I don’t hate you, Jade. I may have been disappointed, but I could never hate you. ”

“So, you created a Jade playlist instead. Oliver, that’s the kind of thing a teenage boy would do. You’re not thinking about giving me a mixed tape, are you?” I teased, trying to lighten the conversation.

“God, I’ve missed this,” he laughed, darting his eyes toward me.

“My random conversations?” I asked with a giggle.

“That, and having an escape from work.”

“Has it been
that
stressful today?”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you about the level of stress I have on my shoulders right now.”

“You can always talk to me, you know. Okay, I might not understand a word you’re saying, but if it helps relieve the stress, I’ll gladly pretend to be interested.”

“I wouldn’t even know where to start. Plus, some of the information I deal with could put you in danger. My line of work isn’t easy, Jade. Sometimes I feel as if I’m helping the devil himself.” His voice sounded strained, and I knew I should have pushed him for more information. My mission depended on it. In this instance, however, my heart was overruling my head. I was worried for the man I loved. The mission could wait.

“I want you to trust me again, Oliver. If that means helping you with your burdens, I’ll do it. I need you to understand what you mean to me.”

“You’re so confusing. One minute you’re telling me I let my feelings overrule everything and that’s what pushed you away. Now you’re telling me you want me to understand what I mean to you. You can’t keep giving me these mixed signals. How am I supposed to figure out where to go from here? I need to know—what do I
mean
to you, Jade?”  

It was easier talking to him when he had to keep his eyes on the road. I wasn’t distracted by his reactions.

“I came back. Doesn’t that answer your question?”

“Always so cryptic,” he muttered more to himself than anything. “If this is meant to be helping my stress, it isn’t.”

“You mean
a lot
to me,” I whispered close to his ear. The car swerved a little, and I had to wonder if my closeness effecting him.

“I’ve always known that,” he exhaled, pulling into a parking lot.

“You’re taking me to lunch at Wendy’s?” I giggled as he pulled around to the drive thru.

“You only have an hour for lunch and I wanted to talk to you, too. Where did you think I’d take you?”

“I’m not sure.”

“I try not to let the money define me, remember?” I did remember. That was one of the many things I loved about him.

“You really love fast food, don’t you?”

“Mrs. Davis hardly lets me eat it. It’s a nice treat for me,” he admitted sheepishly. “Plus, it is a quick lunch. We can eat in the car.”

“What a date,” I teased.

“What do you want, a burger, chicken, maybe a salad?”

“If you’re having a burger, so will I. I can’t watch you eat one if I only have a salad.”

“Okay, two burgers it is, then. Coke? Is that okay, too?” I nodded in agreement.

“What’s so funny?” Oliver asked once we’d pulled over to eat our food.

“How much did this car cost roughly?”

“Around one hundred and twenty thousand dollars. Why?”

“We’re eating fast food in it, that’s why. You’ve even let me set my fries on your dashboard.”

“It’s just a car, Jade. I have plenty of others.” He was so casual as he spoke. He didn’t let the money take over his life, but I did wonder how he would cope without it. Being rich was all he had ever known.  

“Sorry, Mr. Rich,” I quipped. “I forgot you must have about twenty cars.”

“Only seven, actually,” he quipped, taking a deep pull on the straw in his soda. “Not counting the limo.”

“Why would you need
seven
cars?”

“Most stay with my different properties.” I guess that made sense. “How’s your car? Do you still have that blue Mercedes?”  

“Yes, but it’s in storage back home. There was no point taking it with me. I was…um…traveling around a lot,” I winced, taking a handful of fries.   

“I’m aware of that, Jade,” he sighed, dabbing his mouth with a paper napkin. Damn, he ate that quickly. I still had half of my fries to eat.

“Oh yes, you had my bank account tracked. Do you do that a lot?” I mumbled through a mouthful of food.   

“You were the first. Look, I’m sorry. I only wanted to know you were safe. If I had tracked you down…I might not have followed through with my plan to go to you.”

“Really?” I widened my eyes. I didn’t believe him because of the lengths he went to to find me. No target had ever gotten as close to discovering a lead before. Miles had to work double time to knock Oliver off my scent.

“Okay, probably not. I still would have gone to you,” he admitted, defeated. “I’m sorry about tracking your account. Truly, I am.”

“Did you search for anything else?” I had fake accounts for Jade Gibbs, but my family’s first names and history were the same. My past wasn’t something I was ready to talk about, even if it was fake. How much did Oliver know about me? Miles had said Oliver hadn’t delved in too deeply yet, but I needed to be sure.    

“What do you mean?” he frowned, searching my face.

“What else did you find out about me?” I snapped, reaching for my drink. My mouth was suddenly really dry.

“Nothing, Jade, I swear. I wouldn’t invade your private life like that. If there was something, I’d want to hear it from you. The tracker was all about your safety. You have to believe me. I was worried you might have been kidnapped. It may sound ridiculous, but you don’t know the pressure I’m under. So many people want the information I have. You would have been an easy target.”
Oh Oliver, you have no idea.
There was more chance of him being kidnapped than me. Not that I would
ever
let that happen.

“Okay,” I sighed, eating my last few fries. “I understand, but don’t
ever
do anything like that again.”

“As long as I know you’re safe, I won’t need to,” he muttered, running his hand through my hair gently. “I’ve missed this,” he breathed, looking down at my mouth. I couldn’t help darting my tongue out, moistening my lips in case he kissed me. “I’m so conflicted right now.” He pulled away, slumping back into his seat.

“What’s wrong?”

“My mind is telling me one thing while my body is saying another.”

“This isn’t going to be an easy fix. I understand that. We just need time. Don’t over analyzing everything.”

“You know that isn’t easy for me.”

“It’s only been a few days. This is strange for me, too.”

“In what way?” he pleaded. “Do you wish you hadn’t come back?”

“No,” I sighed, shaking my head. “Most of me wishes I’d never left in the first place. That I could have been stronger.”

“I wish you hadn’t gone, too,” he admitted, leaning in closer. “Who knows where we could have been by now.”

“We still have time.”  

“I know we do,” he smirked, looking down at his phone when it began to ring. “Yes,” he answered curtly. “I’m out having lunch. Why?” I sat there watching him, my eyes tracing over every line and contour of him. I loved everything about his face as he listened to whoever was speaking to him on the phone, from the slight stubble on his chin, to the worry lines on his forehead as he frowned. “I don’t care if she has to wait. You can tell Imogen that if she has an issue, she can take it up with me later. She shouldn’t even be trying to muscle in on this meeting.  It’s none of her damn business!” I had to hold my legs together as I watched him get all assertive. He was sex on legs. Add in the fact I was madly in love with him, and I had one hell of a mission this time. “I’m heading back now, Alicia.” Oliver looked up, grinning at me. He must have noticed my disapproving face at learning it was Alicia on the other end of the phone. “I took my car, not that it’s any of your business. I’ll be back in ten minutes. You can tell Imogen if she insists on crashing my meeting, she can wait!” With that, he hung up.