Page 9 of Fiancé for Hire

A sensation Drevon couldn’t quite identify prickled the back of his neck, and he rolled his shoulders before glancing up. That’s when he saw her—a vision in red. Antika.

As she chatted with a woman who was standing near the opening to the dining area, he let his gaze rake over Antika’s tall, shapely body, and he liked what he saw. She was wearing a real attention-getter. The red, one-shoulder jump suit tied at the waist emphasized her full breasts, and hugged every one of her luscious curves.

Hot damn.

She was prettier than he remembered. Now he was glad he’d accepted her request to have lunch. But all he could think about as the hostess led her into the large dining area waswhy did a woman who looked like her need to hire a man?

He also wondered what it would be like to kiss the red lipstick off her tempting lips.

The only way he’d find out is if he took this assignment.

And right now, that was exactly what he planned to do.

* * *

As Antika followed the hostess across the dining room, she spotted Drevon. He was hard to miss, especially since he was wearing sunglasses indoors, which was ridiculous.

Then again, maybe it was a disguise.

As if reading her mind, he slipped off the glasses and rose to his full height. Her gaze traveled over him, noting the way he had one hand tucked into the front pocket of his jeans. Hell, someone could snap a picture of the guy right now. The man screamed fashion model with that pose alone. Head up and slightly tilted. Shoulders back. Arms and legs angled.

He looked seductive without even trying.

Drevon Ross was downrightgorgeous.

He sure didn’t look like he had the other day. Today he looked like a grown-ass, ruggedly handsome man who made her body tingle just by standing there.

No doubt every woman in the place had caught sight of him. He was hard to miss. Tall with wide shoulders that tapered to a narrow waist. The white untucked short-sleeved, buttoned-down shirt that he was wearing molded over his muscular body and hugged his thick biceps to perfection. And then there were his long legs that seemed to go on forever.

Yeah, he was hard to miss.

Calling Drevon yesterday had seemed like a good idea at the time, but what had she been thinking? He wasn’t going to escort her anywhere. The man was so out of her league that it was almost laughable, and a twinge of self-consciousness crawled beneath her skin.

Was her outfit too much? Not dressy enough? Did it bring too much attention to her hips? Was it camouflaging the little extra weight she carried around her stomach? She was definitely thicker than the women he was usually photographed with.

Antika slowed and ran one shaky hand down her side and over her hip while trying to take in a calming breath. Suddenly all her insecurities came crashing through her, and her heartbeat raced fast enough to leap out of her chest. Memories of how her ex-husband had swapped her out for a younger, thinner, and bubblier version slammed into her.

Don’t go there. Don’t go there.That inner voice of reason that helped her get over one bad breakup after another, screamed inside her mind.

Her gaze shot to Drevon. His eyebrows dipped slightly as he met her eyes, and she saw the concern swimming in his dark orbs. She forced her feet to keep moving, and as she reached the table he started pulling out her chair.

“Antika. It’s good seeing you again,” he said, and his voice was like a jolt to her senses. Deep. Melodic. Sultry. He leaned in, placed his hand at the small of her back. The heat from his hand, toasty enough to warm her skin, swished through her as he whispered near her ear, “Are you okay?”

Hell, no,I’m not okay,her brain screamed, but instead of getting sucked in by the anxiety swimming inside of her, she smiled at him. At least she hoped it looked like a smile, and then she nodded and eased into the seat.

“Yeah, ignore me. I kind of freaked out for a minute there,” she said, and then groaned after saying more than she intended. “I talk too damn much,” she mumbled under her breath, but apparently, she hadn’t said it quietly enough because he chuckled.

He sat back in his seat and signaled for the server. Within seconds, a perky brunette with beautiful green eyes was at their table.

“Hi, I see your guest has arrived.” The woman smiled and turned to Antika. “Can I get you something to drink, maybe a glass of wine or a cocktail?”

“May I have a martini?” She considered ordering a shot of their strongest tequila to knock out the jitters, but thought better of it. She’d just nurse the martini in hopes that it would settle her down enough to string a few coherent sentences together.

Antika couldn’t remember the last time she’d been this nervous around a man. It didn’t help that the four women at the table next to them kept glancing at Drevon. She couldn’t blame them. The man was oozing testosterone, and he didn’t look like he even noticed the attention he was getting.

“Can you bring us a couple of shots of your best tequila?” he asked, and Antika’s mouth dropped open, but she quickly closed it.

Was this guy a mind reader or something?

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