Page 94 of The Playboy

I raised my hands as though a beat began to play through the dining room. “I’m almost at the finish line, and I can’t wait.” The relief that came with that statement was enough to make me dance a little, for my shoulders to relax and my hands to stay in the air.

“What about you, Macon?” I slowly lowered my arms. “I know travel and food and buying gifts are things you love.” The heat that entered my face from saying that four-letter word caused me to smile. “What are some other things you love?”

“My family. Friends. Work.” He sighed. “Sounds so basic, but it’s the truth. They own my life. Playing is just a bonus that my job has afforded me, and with that comes travel and tasting different cuisines and doing outdoorsy things wherever I go—whether that’s skiing or kayaking or hiking. I just like being in nature.”

“I’ve done the other two, but I’ve always wanted to try skiing.”

“We’ll go to the Alps. That’s the best in the world.”

I took a deep breath. “How did I know you were going to say that?”

He smirked. “Are you telling me you hate the idea?”

I shook my head, unable to form a response just yet. “I’m saying I can’t even comprehend that idea—it’s that dreamy.” I needed to shift things, to focus on him, where the conversation was easier to process. “Has working for your family business been the goal all along?”

“For as long as I can remember.” One of his arms dropped, and he picked up his sake. “Until my father retired, all I’d ever seen him do was work. My mother was the same. She wasn’t employed at the company. She’s an artist, and she’s sold her paintings to galleries around the country. She has a studio next to their house, and that’s where she spends most of her time, which instilled quite the work ethic in me. My brothers too. We all work our asses off, and as soon as my uncle retires, we have this burning desire to take the company to a level neither my father nor Walter has reached.”

“Do you think a higher level is even possible?” When I didn’t receive a response, I continued, “I mean, Spade Hotels has locations all over the world with a massive following and loyal guests. What would that level even look like?”

He nipped his lip, setting his arms over the plate in front of him, staring at me like I was meat. “When you’ve signed the NDA, I’ll tell you my aspirations for this business.”

“But not before?”

“No.”

“Because you don’t trust me?”

“It has nothing to do with trust, Brooklyn.”

Although I was just teasing, I was curious about his reply. “What does it have to do with, then?”

He was quiet for a moment. “It’s funny, you’ve talked about separation and how you weren’t sure if you would be able to do it. How, in your mind, Spade Hotels and I were the same beast. But here’s a great example of how we’re not.” He pointed at his chest. “This side of me—the personal side, the one who’s been gawking at you because you’re so painfully stunning—wants to tell you everything. But the work side of me—the professional side, who has obligations and responsibilities to my family—can’t.”

“That makes perfect sense to me.” And it did. “I swear to you, I get it.”

He folded his hands together. “Work is a heavy part of me, but it’s not all of me, Brooklyn. You got a glimpse of that part tonight, and if you accept the job, you’ll see a lot more, but work Macon needs to stay put. He can’t enter this conversation. Not yet at least.”

There were two versions of me as well, and he didn’t know the other.

I hid it from him.

I even lied about it.

The guilt was suddenly eating at me, even stronger than it had before.

I reached across the table, placing my hand on his arm. “I respect that,” I said softly. “More than you could ever know.”

As I went to pull my hand back, he stopped me by placing his fingers on mine. “Stay.”

“I think our first round of sushi is going to be here at any second.”

“Then, I’ll feed it to you.” He licked across his lips.

A command that came through smooth and silky, like feeding me rolls and nigiri was a typical Tuesday for him.

“How do you make everything sound so easy?” I inhaled, my lungs so tight that I kept in the air and didn’t release it.

He shrugged. “When it comes to you … it is.”

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