Page 27 of Daddy's Naughty Realtor

As I turn to leave, he calls after me. "Gina? I meant what I said before. About love."

I pause at the door, not quite ready to say it back, but not denying it either. "I know." I meet his gaze one last time. "See you at six."

The smile that spreads across his face is nothing short of triumphant.

* * *

The Naughty Girls are ecstatic when I call an emergency video meeting to fill them in.

"He's buying Richard’s share of the company to protect you?" Maya asks, her eyes wide. "That's the most romantic thing I've ever heard."

"Or the most controlling," I point out, playing devil's advocate despite having mostly made peace with his motives.

"There's a fine line between protective and possessive," Elizabeth agrees. "But it sounds like his heart is in the right place."

"And now you're going to his place tonight to... discuss it?" Jessica waggles her eyebrows suggestively. "Should we expect another book club meeting anytime soon?"

I laugh, some of the tension of the day finally easing. "Maybe. I don't know. It's complicated."

"Love always is," Elizabeth says wisely.

Love.

There's that word again. The one I've been avoiding, hiding from, running away from for thirty years.

"I think I love him," I admit, the words feeling foreign on my tongue. "I think I never stopped."

Their collective "Awww" makes me roll my eyes, but I'm smiling too.

"So what are you going to wear tonight?" Faye asks, practical as always. "Please tell me something better than those boring suits."

"Hey, those suits are designer," I protest, but I'm already mentally rifling through my closet for something decidedly un-businesslike.

"Wear the red dress," Karen suggests. "The one with the slit up the thigh. Trust me."

The red dress. I'd bought it years ago for a charity gala and never had the courage to wear it. It’s too bold, too sexy, the slit much too high for professional Gina Long. I don’t know why I never returned it. It wasn’t right for the Holiday Gala, so I bought another, more conservative red gown.

But maybe, just maybe, it's exactly right for the woman I'm finally allowing myself to be.

* * *

Jeremy's expression when he opens his door and sees me in the red dress is worth every penny I spent on it. His eyes darken, traveling slowly from my loose hair to my stiletto heels, lingering on the high slit that reveals a glimpse of thigh with every step.

"You look..." He seems at a loss for words, a first for him.

"Thank you," I say, enjoying his reaction more than I probably should. I step past him into the apartment, the confidence I've always had in my professional life finally extending to this more personal arena.

Dinner is set up on his terrace again. It’s beyond romantic with candlelight, wine, and a view of the city stretching out below us. But neither of us seems particularly interested in eating.

"I've been thinking about your offer," I say, taking a sip of wine. "About starting my own firm."

He nods, watching me over the rim of his glass. "And?"

"I was planning on buying out Richard’s share soon anyway. He’d mentioned retiring. Now I know retiring wasn’t exactly the truth. I think I'd like to do it. But on my terms."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." His smile is warm, encouraging. "No strings, like I said."

"Well, maybe one string." I set down my glass and move around the table, closing the distance between us. "I want you to believe that I can make it on my own. That I don't need you to succeed. I need to know that no matter what happens between us, with how much control I give you in our personal lives, the business is mine."

---