Page 18 of A Mutually Beneficial Proposal

She leans over and checks the time as well. “You need me to be presentable for a social event in under thirty minutes?”

I shrug. “As long as you brought a dress with you, then all you have to do is brush your hair and slip it on, right?”

Ella shakes her head. “You’re such a man.”

She hasn’t told me no, which I’m taking as a yes. “What if I buy you a dress?”

Her answering laughter raises my hope that she’s going to agree and also makes me want to kiss her senseless.

“You’re going to make me feel like Vivian Ward. You can’t buy me a dress,” she answers.

“I’m not asking you to sleep in my hotel room for the week, Ella,” I point out.

The widening of her eyes tells me she’s surprised I’m familiar with Pretty Woman, but we don’t have time to dwell on my movie knowledge.

“All I’m asking for is tonight, Ella. We’ll drink and have some fun. That’s it,” I add, begging her not only with my words, but with my lowering lip.

She sighs and fights a smile. “Just tonight?”

I nod, then glance at the time again and cringe. “There are only twenty-four minutes left now.”

She huffs and grabs her cover-up. “I don’t know why I’m doing this. This is going to be horrible. I should say no.”

I chuckle. “Are you talking to me or yourself?”

She shoots me a glare that makes me put my hands up in surrender.

“I want a dress at my door in ten minutes or less. Any later and you can find yourself another Vivian.”

Ella is out of her chair and ten feet away from me before I stand. I watch her ass bounce while she storms off. My teeth click together at the thought of biting her perfectly round rear end.

Unfortunately, I don’t have time to fantasize. I race behind her to find Robert. If I’m going to pull this off, I’ll need his help.

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