Page 5 of His Perfect Woman

I immediately broke into a stride like I had just walked in, not letting on that I’d stolen a few moments to watch her first.

“You came!” she said, sounding surprised. “I was almost certain you’d cancel again.”

“I hate to hear that I’ve left that impression on you recently.” I frowned, pulling out the chair across from her.

I looked over to one of the staff members behind the counters of food and nodded my head, signaling for them to bring me my usual. A salad with steak strips and a baked potato on the side. “Have you ordered yet?” I asked Victoria.

“I didn’t want to be left sitting here, eating lunch alone if you weren’t going to make it. What’s good here?”

I held up two fingers to the waiter so they’d bring a second order for her. “I’ve got you covered.”

“You’re just as bossy as ever, I see.” She smirked.

“You’re one to talk.” I laughed. “I doubt any of that’s worn off you either.”

“I guess that’s what brings us here. You don’t get to where we are without being tough and stubborn.”

Our eyes met and lingered, like they always did. Another reason I had made a point to stay away from her. That magnetic gaze triggered an instant spark between us—one that she seemed to be completely immune to, though the coyness in her expression always made me question that.

“So, if Trent’s not your boyfriend…”

“He’s just a friend, like I said. No interest there. I am still as single as ever. I’m too busy with my career to be bothered with men and dating. I’m actually considering freezing my eggs or finding a sperm donor.” She dropped it so casually before taking a sip of her coffee—as if she was mentioning stopping off at the store on her way home.

“Wow. That ready for kids, huh?” I swallowed hard, trying not to remember the countless times I had imagined us buying a big house together and starting a family—hiring a nanny for the kids, of course, since we both worked so much. It was the kind of scenario I could never picture with absolutely anyone other than Victoria.

“I do want a family...or to be a mother, anyways,” she answered slowly, staring out the window again. I could see a dreamy sort of look in her eyes, but she quickly sobered up and redirected her attention back to me. “But the complications of a relationship? No, thank you.”

I smirked to myself, thinking we were an even better match for each other than I remembered. Maybe even too alike for our own good. Wouldn’t that only make our relationship better? Two cynical workaholics, completely inept at love, making a go at it?

I cleared my throat and stiffened up, just as the waiter appeared with our food. Thank god for their timing, freeing me from Victoria’s entrancing spell, which she cast on me without even trying, just by existing.

“I appear to be in a predicament of the same vein,” I admitted, slicing into my steaming potato. “After everything we’ve accomplished with Heartstring, it’s my own love life that’s threatening to fuck it all up now.”

“I think I remember seeing a thing or two about that. I didn’t read into it at length. I try to avoid internet gossip unless it pertains to one of my clients.”

“Apparently, all these years I’ve spent watching our bottom line and maneuvering our growth, I should have spent finding a trophy wife instead.”

“So, it finally happened.” She grinned. “Lucas Meadows actually overlooked something crucial. I never thought I’d see the day. You can be more anal and meticulous even than me, and that’s saying something.”

“You don’t think that has anything to do with why you’re still single, do you?” I teased her sarcastically.

“I think it has more to do with my ninety-hour work weeks.”

My eyes darted up and down what I could see of her body behind the table. “But you’re still finding time to hit the gym, I see.”

“While you may prefer to work out in the bedroom, I find it far more convenient to take morning runs and, yes, hit the gym in the evenings. No awkward next mornings or obligatory dates you don’t really have the time for.”

Victoria knew all too well about my playboy nature. Most people did, which was what had landed me in my current mess to begin with. If she only knew the real reason behind my refusal to settle down.

“Well, you’re the PR expert. What’s your recommendation?”

Her eyes sparked up at me as she wiped her mouth and tossed her napkin down. Perching her elbows on the table, she interlaced her fingers under her chin. “Is this an official consultation?”

“More than that. It’s a job offer.”

“You can’t afford me,” she taunted.

“I can’t afford not to work with you this time around. It wouldn’t be permanent. I’m just proposing you come onto the team for a while to help me through this one bump in the road.”

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