Page 26 of Business Temptations

She laughed, tilting her head backwards to maintain eye contact with him. “You use Spanish in the same way that I use chocolate. It’s a fall back to something comforting.” Her head tilted slightly. “What’s going on?”

He shrugged, then said, “I think we should cancel our meeting and avoid work today. The Philadelphia Flower Show is happening today. Why don’t we take the day off and go stroll through the flowers and exhibits, get some lunch, and try to decompress after last night’s revelations?”

She nodded slowly, considering his words. “You think if we’re away from the office, from work pressures, we might relax enough to find a solution or have a revelation about the thief?”

Not even close, Matteo thought. “That too,” he replied, not lying, but not telling her the whole truth, which was that he wanted to spend some time with Bailey away from the office. He was tired of fighting his attraction to her. He wanted to explore…more.

Bailey grinned. “I think that’s a brilliant idea.”

“You have to promise me one thing though,” he warned.

“What’s that?”

He glared at her. “The last time you went to a hardware store, you came back with a bunch of ideas for gardening.”

“What’s wrong with that?” she asked, her lips twitching slightly.

Matteo leaned down so that he could look her in the eye. “What’s wrong is that we live on the top floor of a building in downtown Philadelphia. You can’t grow a farm, raise chickens, or adopt a cow while living in this building.”

Bailey grimaced. “Good point.” She sighed and slapped her thighs. “Fine. I promise I will fight the temptation. I’ll just…” she shrugged and sighed dramatically, “take pictures of all of the creative ideas and pretend I don’t long for a farm where I can grow our own fruits and vegetables, and raise baby chickens, and…”

“Do you even know how to raise chickens?” he challenged, handing her the bag she’d left by his front door. Matteo pulled out his cell phone, texting their assistant so that he could reschedule the meetings this morning.

“No clue,” she replied, peering into the bag and pulling several file folders out, putting them on his foyer table. “But I could learn. And wouldn’t it be fun to go out the backdoor of one’s house to grab fresh eggs for breakfast?”

“Diablos, no!” he muttered, holding the door for her. “I don’t know where our eggs come from, querida. I prefer to assume that they arrived magically in the fridge.” They stepped into the private elevator and stepped back as the doors closed. Matteo pressed the button that took them down to the parking garage. “Thinking about the alternative is just…” he shuddered. “No.”

“You don’t like thinking about the fact that your eggs came from chickens?”

The elevator doors opened smoothly and he put a hand to the small of her back, letting her step out of the elevator first. “I don’t like thinking about the part of the chicken the egg comes out of.”

He pressed the button on his key fob, unlocking the doors to his sleek sedan. Before she stepped into his car, she turned, looking up at him. “You know, it comes out of the same place a woman’s…well, you know,” she replied, blushing at the intimate subject.

He grinned and lowered his voice. “Ah, but I truly enjoy thinking about that part of a woman’s anatomy.” When her cheeks turned a darker shade of red, he laughed softly. “In fact, thinking about that part of a woman is one of my favorite pastimes.”

“You’re…!” she muttered something but her brain shorted out .

He threw back his head, laughing at her discomfiture as she ducked into his car. He closed her door and walked around to the driver’s side, still chuckling.

For the next three hours, Bailey felt as if she were in heaven. There was no work pressure. There weren’t any interruptions of her day. She walked beside Matteo through the display of flowers, awed by some exhibits and amused by others.

For lunch, they chose to stay inside the show’s area and eat from the food trucks. There were several options to choose from and, while Matteo got various food options, Bailey visited the beer truck and brought back four draft beers for them. By the end of lunch, Bailey was no longer stressed by Matteo’s random touches. In fact, as the afternoon continued and they walked down the long line of vendors at the show, she inched closer to Matteo, enjoying the warmth of his touch and the excitement of being near him.

There was the massive “mushroom,” which was really a wooden support system that held the most foul smelling mushroom system she’d ever encountered. Further on, there were flower “dresses” which were flowers supported by a chicken wire frame that formed a gloriously beautiful dress. They also walked through a tent that contained fascinating examples of various succulents, ferns, various hostas, and dozens of other plants that neither of them could name.

And throughout the afternoon, Bailey stayed at Matteo’s side, amazed by how nice the day turned out to be.

When they finally finished touring the displays, they left together, shoulder to shoulder, back to his car in the enormous parking lot.

“How about dinner out?” he suggested.

Bailey looked up at him, then grinned. “How about dinner back at my place with a bottle of wine so that we don’t have to worry about driving home afterwards?”

Matteo nodded his agreement and they drove back to their building. While Matteo navigated the heavily trafficked streets of Philadelphia, Bailey put in an order from their favorite Italian restaurant, ordering the pasta and chicken with garlic bread that they both loved.

Sitting in Matteo’s living room, Bailey pulled her plate of pasta closer. “Oh, this is delicious!” she whispered, closing her eyes to savor the delicious flavors. “I think that pasta should be considered manna from heaven.”

Matteo rolled his eyes, setting his now-empty plate down on the coffee table. He pulled her feet into his lap. “I believe that you’ve mentioned that once or twice before.”

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