Page 31 of RAKEish

“I await the day.”

She started to reply, but he held up a finger. “There’s no rush. For now, I’m going to leave without you, which will leave every man in here curious as to why you didn’t go with me. Then, in three minutes, you should leave and there will be a black sedan waiting to take you home.”

“Got it.”

He pushed her hair off her face. “And Doc, don’t let anyone else charm you on your way out. If they didn’t flock to your side the moment you arrived, they don’t deserve you.”

With those sweet words, Scott sauntered away, leaving Lux standing there wondering what sex with the Prince of Shiretopia would be like.

Dare she call his bluff?

CHAPTER 10

Scott sat at his desk, fixated on the previous night with Doc. He’d kissed her twice now, and both times he’d had to force himself to stop. Kissing her had not been a part of the assignment, so he had only himself to blame.

A gentle knock on his office door pulled him back to the present. He glanced up. Ms. Birdie stood there, her presence as commanding as it was unexpected. “Twice in one week. To what do I owe the pleasure this time?” Scott rose to greet her.

“I’ve stopped by to invite Luxury and you to a lovely event I’m hosting tomorrow evening.” She handed him an invitation. “I understand your last flirtation lesson will occur tonight, and then she’ll be thrown into the dating segment of Frankie’s mad plan.”

“Which means I won’t be at liberty to bring her to your party.” He opened the invitation and scanned the contents:

The Flirtation Gala

A Night Where the Art of Conversation and Unspoken Words Intersect

Date: Friday, May 24th

Time: 9:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.

Location: Revealed upon RSVP

“Not to worry. She will receive her own invitation. This one was solely for you,” Ms. Birdie explained.

“Is Frankie aware of your event? She’s given me an agenda, and a Flirtation Gala is not on there. According to Dragon Lady, I’m to set Doc up on a blind date tomorrow evening…unless she surprises us and lands a date tonight during her lesson.”

“Frankie knows of my invitation…and has signed off.”

“I thought you weren’t in a position to question her decisions for the first year of her employment at Naked Runway.”

“Information was brought to my attention which made it necessary for me to get involved.”

Scott groaned. “Don’t tell me. She had the whole thing somehow rigged?”

“The party will help me achieve both my goals.”

Her goal for him was that he’d win the arrangement. “You haven’t hired someone to pretend insta-love for her? I won’t stand for that. I don’t cheat.”

“I should box your ears for suggesting I would.”

“My apologies.”

“For your information, I’ve invited a number of men whom I believe will provide Luxury with the perfect opportunity to find herself a rakish gentleman—that she’ll like—whose heart is free to be stolen over the remaining days of your arrangement.”

“What’s so special about these men that Doc will be attracted to them?”

“They’re genuine yet socially cautious, intelligent but a bit shy, and kind-hearted while being just a tad reserved,” Ms. Birdie replied, her eyes twinkling.

He groaned. “They’re beige?”

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