Page 76 of Square Deal

I had to admit, she made a pretty good point earlier. My place did look a little like the Bat Cave—especially considering her house was the epitome of warm and welcoming southern hospitality. My apartment screamed,don’t touch.

Hannah looked at the entryway where my staff had brought her bags from the car. “Is there a guest room you want me to stay in?”

I gave her a curious look.

She smiled sheepishly and sat down on the edge of my bed. “I’m out of my element here, Lawson—I don’t know how this is supposed to work. We’re sleeping together, but not seeing each other. We’re going out on dates, but we’re not dating… I just, I don’t know how to do this. I like order and labels and itineraries and timelines.” She paused before adding, “I’m really trying here, but I feel like I’m teetering on a balance beam.”

“Will it kill you if I keep what we’re doing tonight a surprise?”

“Probably.”

“Will you trust me?” I amended.

Hannah offered a soft sigh and a heart-jerking smile. “Probably.”

I sat down on the bed and pulled her into my lap. She giggled, wrapping her arms around my neck. If anyone walked in and saw us, we would have looked like the picture of domestic bliss.

But that’s not what this was. We had a deal and nothing more.

“Then trust me when I tell you I don’t want you anywhere other than my bed. I want whatever you keep in that trunk you call a makeup case all over my bathroom. I want your clothes on my floorand your body around mine.” I pinned her with a serious stare. “Do we have a deal?”

My words knocked the air out of her lungs. She looked at me with wide eyes and nodded. “Deal.”

19

HANNAH JANE

The ambient hum of bustling servers, clanking silverware, and pleasant conversations filled the restaurant. The place was packed with guests enjoying five-star meals, but it felt like Isaac and I were off in our own little world.

Our spoons clinked against each other as we fought over the last bite of the affogato we shared. Isaac let me win, and I savored the lingering taste of espresso and gelato on my spoon.

He had taken me to Luca’s flagship restaurant for dinner—the one Maddie had worked at when she was fresh out of pastry school.

I didn’t know her back then, but it was neat to see her old stomping grounds. I didn’t know if it was because Luca and Isaac were close friends or because Isaac was insanely rich, but he had his own table.

There were no reservations needed or notice given to the staff. We just showed up and walked to a table that had already been set up.

Isaac sat back leisurely and drummed his fingers on the crisplypressed linen tablecloth. “I think it’s my turn to ask,” he said, eyeing me up and down.

I had packed plenty of date-appropriate dresses, but there was no way in hell I was going to pass up a chance to wear a one-of-a-kind garment from a new designer.

Spenser and I hit it off immediately. Two peas in a pod. He showed me each dress that his husband had sent for me to try on and gave me immediate and brutally honest feedback.

I wanted to throw him in my suitcase and drag him back to Beaufort.

Spenser and I only spent a few hours together, but I knew that when things ended with Isaac, I’d sure as hell miss his assistant.

Finally, Spenser helped me pull the trigger on a sleek black number that fit me like a damn glove. The one upside of being built like a two-by-four is that I usually struck gold at designer sample sales.

The dress was modest. The hem hung a few inches below my knees, and the square-cut neckline covered my modest cleavage.

Teddy, Spenser’s husband, lined the bodice, so I got the luxury of going braless.I really loved Teddy too.

The big wow factor was the slit that nearly went up to my hip. It was sexy and understated, but Isaac’s jaw practically bounced off the floor when he saw me sitting cross-legged on the couch, slipping on my beloved Louboutins.

My hair was in soft curls I had teased out for a vintage look. I added a touch of liner, mascara, and red lipstick. I was ready to grab New York City by the balls.

I looked across the table at Isaac, who was musing over what to ask next. He and I had been playing twenty questions for the better part of our dinner. Nothing profound, just little personal tidbits we had previously avoided talking about between orgasms.

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