Page 65 of Billionaire's Matchmaker

“Yeah.” She should be pleased.

“I’d high-five you, but that would be unprofessional.”

Less than a minute later, Destiny was showing him her cell phone screen. He leaned forward as if intrigued.

She swiped her finger across the screen several times, and he nodded. Then she began to draw on the face of the device again. After some discussion, he took the stylus and added a few strokes.

“I might not have invited Destiny.” Tony tipped an imaginary hat. “Once again, your matchmaking skills leave me in awe.”

Her attention still straying to the other pair, Hope forced a stiff laugh.

Rafe offered Destiny his business card along with a polite smile before walking over to the champagne fountain to fill another glass.

Destiny studied the card, flicked the edge, then slid it into a pocket in her cell phone cover. The window reflected her smile.

Had he invited her to call him to set up a date? Even though that was against Prestige’s recommended protocol, sometimes a client proceeded at his own pace. Because Rafe’s need was urgent, Hope wouldn’t be surprised if he took an active role in finding a bride.

“That appears promising, right?” Tony beamed. “Let me go find out.” He walked toward the window.

Skyler, evidently finding her professional demeanor and realizing that their client was on the move, intercepted him, then walked with him to where Hannah stood, her eyebrows furrowed.

Hope shook herself. She had a job to do, no matter how challenging the assignment was. This is why it’s a bad idea to sleep with a client. After tonight, she had to turn Rafe over to her associates. She wasn’t as strong as she thought she was, and Skyler was capable of organizing and overseeing the meetings and handling the follow-up. Hope would write Skyler a nice bonus check too, for all the extra work. And maybe move her into the role of an actual matchmaker. That would mean they would need to hire a new assistant. Replacing Skyler would be a challenge.

Tony walked Destiny out while Hope and Skyler mingled with the remaining guests, chatting, making introductions. It didn’t matter who Rafe was speaking with. He left his phone in his pocket and gave each person his full attention. No doubt all the candidates would agree to date him.

Rafe refilled Hannah’s glass before he excused himself. Once again, Skyler joined him and made the introduction to Norah.

After Hannah had finished a piece of chocolate, she came over to say goodbye.

“Did you enjoy the event?” Hope asked.

Hannah glanced toward Rafe. “He wasn’t what I expected.”

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

“I’m not sure.” She frowned a little. “More…personable. Charming, even. Makes me nervous, but in a good way.”

Since Prestige didn’t discuss clients in front of potential candidates, Hope let the conversation hang. “I’ll have Skyler contact you in the morning to follow up. Thank you for coming.”

Over the next half hour, the other candidates exited, leaving the Prestige Group alone with Rafe.

“If you want to go home, I’ll wrap things up with Barbara,” Skyler said to Hope. Then she turned to Rafe. “As we discussed, if you’ll let us know who you’re interested in getting to know better, Mr. Sterling, I’m happy to see if they’d like to join you for coffee or lunch. We recommend you don’t have dinner or drinks until the second date. That way—”

“Thank you, but I won’t be requiring anything further.”

“I’m sorry?” Skyler scowled, then flicked her glance toward Hope.

As confused as Skyler, Hope took over the conversation. “Have you already made arrangements to meet with one of the candidates?”

“No.”

“Then…?

Instead of responding, he sidestepped the question. “Thank you for your efforts this afternoon.” He checked his classic, pricey watch.

Hope pulled back her shoulders. “I’m sorry we didn’t do better for you.” She took over the conversation. He should like at least one of the women. What the hell had Prestige done wrong? “I’ll have Skyler contact you when we have another set of candidates for your consideration. I doubt we can arrange another mixer this week, but perhaps Monday or Tuesday.”

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