Page 19 of Twist of Date

I push through the door to the lobby and scan the room to find it empty.

Did he leave?

I just psyched myself up for this meeting. While I don’t want to do it, I don’t want to start over with the mental preparation for being in his presence.

“He’s in Crazy for You,” Jodie says from the reception desk.

My eyebrow rises. “Oh?”

“His attractiveness was obnoxious and I was having a hard time pretending it didn’t affect me.”

“So you hid him?” I grin.

“You bet your ass I did.” She shrugs.

“Well, I don’t blame you, Jodie,” I tell her as I stride to cross the lobby.

“Good luck,” she mutters.

Looking over my shoulder at her, I wink. It’s time to put my game face on.

I will not be affected by Cole Reed.

I will not flirt with Cole Reed.

Cole Reed is a client and a client only.

I take in a breath and reach for the door and slide it open. “Hello, Cole,” I say as I walk into the tiny meeting space. He’s standing, his back to me, looking out the window down at Mass Ave.

The smile he gives me at my arrival is devastating.

“Lays.” His voice is so smooth it could melt butter.

“Layla is preferred,” I tell him, reaching back to slide the door closed. My hand pauses on the wood. Should I close it? Or keep it open? Normally, we close it for privacy, but should I be alone with this man? I blink down at my stilled hand and remind myself I’m a professional and this is a client. So I close the door.

“Please, have a seat.” I motion to the love seat behind him. I quickly get to work setting my stuff down and getting organized. I hear him sit, and I look over at him as I take my own seat across from him.

“So this is professional Layla I’m getting right now.” He grins.

“I’m always professional Layla,” I tell him.

His eyes dance in delight. “Nah, I don’t think so. I think the relaxed, fun Layla is still around.”

Opting not to engage in this line of questioning any further, I hand him the HEA, Inc. branded folder.

“This is for you. A breakdown of the process, how to get a hold of your personal HEA team, as well as a contract agreement on how you will behave at any and all Happily Ever After, Inc. events, on dates, and communication policy between you and anyone you are matched with, or even not matched with. It’s very important that you follow our rules. If you don’t, I don’t care who you are. We will let you go as a client.” I don’t shy away from his stare. This is very serious business and the truth. I don’t care who the client is. If they don’t follow my rules, they are done.

He lets out a low whistle. “Damn, that was hot.” His eyes bore into mine, but I remain firm.

“I’m not joking, Cole. Hard rules. They aren’t guidelines. Follow them. If you can’t, you can no longer be a client. We have very high standards here. All of our clients need to feel safe. Top priority.”

His smile is small, respectful, and I want to take a breath to relax. Even though I can tell by the look on his face that he’s putting the joking aside, I can’t let my guard down around him.

“I understand, Layla.” He holds the folder in his hand and taps it on his knee. “Do I need to go through all this now, or can I read through it all later?”

“We will need it back within four days. There is a QR code inside where you can sign a digital version if you don’t want to bother with scanning or bringing the hard copy back.

“All right. What’s next?” he asks. He still has a hint of mischief sparkling in his eyes, but my outburst must have made it clear this is business.

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