Page 221 of Billionaire Temptations

“That’s Terrance, and he’s my personal chef.”

“You have your own chef?”

“Yes, and a housekeeper that comes and cleans twice a week.”

“Do you think that I could borrow them sometime?”

He laughed. “We’ll see.”

We took our seats in the dining room, and Terrance brought out delicious-looking salads made up of mixed greens, cucumbers, walnuts, dried cherries, and tomatoes drizzled with a rose champagne dressing. After pouring us each a glass of wine, he retreated back into the kitchen.

“Did you have a good week since we last saw each other?” I asked.

“I did. It was busy with back-to-back meetings every day, but overall, it was good. How about yours?”

“It was okay. I’m developing an online fashion boutique. I pretty much have everything squared away except a warehouse. I’ve been looking all week and finally found one, but I’m afraid the rent is too high.”

“How much is it per square foot?” he asked.

“Twenty dollars for the first year.”

“What’s the square footage?”

“Twenty thousand square feet.”

“That does seem awfully high. He really should only be charging about fifteen dollars a square foot.”

“I’ll find the right place. It may take a while, but I’ll find it. I don’t give up on something I want.”

“I like your confidence.” He grinned.

“How was your dinner that night at Gramercy Tavern?” I asked as Terrance set my plate down in front of me.

“It was good.”

“Your date was very pretty.”

“She wasn’t my date. She’s my sister’s best friend, and I asked her for help in planning a surprise birthday party for her.”

“Oh. Wait a minute. You and your sister already had your birthdays.”

“I know. She’s worked so hard over the past couple of years getting her Ph.D., and she had to work a double shift on our birthday. So, as far as I’m concerned, she deserves a party.”

A warm feeling grew inside me at the sweetness of this man.

“That’s really sweet of you, Jackson.”

“By the way, I know you weren’t on a date with that guy.”

“Yes, I was.” I took a sip of wine.

“No, you weren’t. I saw you when I walked into the restaurant and saw him and the other girl kiss each other. Why did you lie?”

Shit.

“To be honest, I don’t know why I said it. Maybe because I felt odd being there without a date. Then I saw you had a date, and I just wanted you to think I was cool and had a date.”

“Just for the record, I already think you’re cool.” He smirked.

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