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“I provided the information that it was a formal event.” His dark gaze ran over her, the intensity in the navy depths sent a shiver down her spine. “You’ll do.”
“Good to know.”
She’d gone with the classic little black dress. Wide band sleeves rested just off her shoulders and flowed to a vee in front showing off a hint of cleavage. The material clung to her curves in a loose fit, allowing her to move. It was more provocative than sexy. And because Lexi liked sparkle and shine, the fabric glimmered with every step she took.
The automatic doors swooshed open to the glittering entrance of the casino. There were lights and movement everywhere. People, cars, taxies and valets flowed in a ballet of arrival and exits backlit by a cascading water feature.
A car waited for them and a valet rushed over to get the door. “Good evening, Mr. Calder, Lexi.”
“Hi, Miguel, how’s the new baby?”
A huge grin lit up his face. “As pretty as her mama.”
“Miguel and his wife just had a baby girl a month ago,” Lexi told Calder. “Her name is Saralynn.”
There was no change to Calder’s expression, but he nodded at Miguel. “Congratulations. Lexi,” he gestured to the open door, “we have to get going.”
“Of course.”
Cold fish—check.
Strangely disappointed, she slid in and across the seat. When she glanced back, she saw Calder tip Miguel with a couple of hundred dollar bills. She perked up. Maybe not so cold after all. He joined her, his large body taking up most of the space. She suddenly felt crowded and overly warm. Definitely not cold now.
She might panic—if she were the type to panic—if he didn’t smell so good. No fancy cologne for him. He smelled of soap and man. And he made her mouth water.
Rein it in, girl, you’re on a mission here.
As a distraction, she focused on his generous gesture. It gave her a sense of hope. He’d stated in more than one article that he didn’t want kids or a family, that he didn’t have the patience or skill set for a long-term relationship so why set himself up for failure. Her plan rested on the fact he meant what he said, but it helped to know he wasn’t totally dispassionate about kids. She needed him to care enough to act.
“How do you know Miguel?”
Jethro ground his teeth, annoyed he let the question slip out.
How she knew the other man didn’t matter as long as she was a pretty armpiece and was able to intercede when required to redirect the conversation.
A task she should have no problem with since she’d been chattering ever since they met.
“Just from working at the Pinnacle. I’ve been at the spa now for a month. I like to talk to people so I’ve met a lot of the Pinnacle employees.”
Yes, he could see her as a people person. Where he was not.
“Miguel treated his wife to a day at the spa after Saralynn was born. I thought it was a wonderful gesture and suggested to the owner that she put together a package just for new mothers and publicize it throughout the casino and hotel. She agreed to give it a try. We’ve had quite a few women come in.”
“So you’re in marketing?”
“Oh, goodness, no. I’m a dan—a hairdresser.”
His head swung around and he rolled his gaze over her, accessing every curve. The escorts at Excursions were a mix of entertainers and professional businesswomen. He’d made it clear he preferred the latter. He had more in common with a businesswoman. And the one time he took a date to the next level had been with a dancer. He’d regretted the slip.
He preferred to keep his social and sexual encounters separate. He prized the discretion and privacy Excursions’ services provided. He liked that sex wasn’t part of the arrangement. The last thing he wanted was for the line between social and private to blur. That could only lead to complications and expectations he had no desire to deal with.
He never lacked for partners when he needed sexual release.
Casual dates with no promise of a follow-up were harder to come by until a friend recommended Excursions.
Having a new woman on his arm on a regular basis gave him the image of a player. He didn’t care. He wasn’t out to impress anyone and it gave warning to those who would expect more from him, all the better.
He’d made the mistake of sleeping with a date only once. She’d been a stunning woman of mixed race and he’d been out with her several times. Her intelligence and grace made him the envy of every man at the foundation dinner they’d attended. He’d been receiving an award and drank more than usual to offset the attention. Being in the limelight tore at his nerves but his date thrived on it. She’d been the perfect person to have on his arm that night and the high of the event had carried them upstairs when she made her interest clear.
Alliyah was gone in the morning and the next time he contacted Excursions he asked for a professional woman so he hadn’t seen her again.
Excursions’ quality control was slipping if they’d sent him a dancer. And he didn’t even have her name beyond Miguel’s addressing her as Lexi. He usually got notice and a new profile when he was getting a replacement date. He liked to know something about the women he spent time with even when he paid for the pleasure. He sent off a text.
“A dancer.” He repeated.
“No. I told you, I work at Modern Goddess. I used to be a dancer.” She licked her lips drawing his attention to the sultry lines of her mouth, the perfect bow over a plump bottom lip. “Now I do hair at the spa. I just thought pampering a new mother totally made sense. I remembered how tired and stressed my roommate was after having my goddaughter, Jasmine.”
“Hmm. What’s your name?”
“Oh, goodness.” She laughed—an infectious sound that filled the back of the car. “We kind of skipped that part, didn’t we? I’m Alexa Malone, but you can call me Lexi. And of course you’re Jethro Calder. I read the article in the Pinnacle newsletter where it showed you and the other executives holding up the lifetime award of excellence for the Pinnacle game. That must have been exciting.”
“Yes, it was a nice acknowledgment for the success of the game.”
“I should say so. A top ten seller for ten years, that’s awesome.”
“It’s actually been for fifteen years and more than half those years it was in the top three, but they wanted to have wiggle room for future awards.”
“What’s it like working with Jackson Hawke?”
He frowned. He got that question a lot, mostly from people trying to angle through him to Jackson. But there was nothing in her tone or demeanor to indicate anything other than simple interest.
“He’s a brilliant programmer, but he leaves the finances to me.”
“Of course.” She nodded and pointed at him.
She used her hands a lot when she talked. He couldn’t decide if he found it charming or annoying. Whether he found her charming or was just attracted to that luscious mouth.
“We all have our talents, don’t we? Mine is music. So, Jethro, where are we going?”
Music, he noticed, not dance.
“We’re going to an event at Caesar’s Palace.” His phone buzzed and he read the text. “At least I am. I’m not sure what you’ll be doing.” He held up his phone. “Excursions doesn’t have your name on file. Who are you?”
CHAPTER TWO (#ulink_5aed061e-ac1a-5b87-a8db-7949aff744fe)
OOPS. LEXI BLINKED at Jethro. She’d been caught out. She shifted her gaze to the phone he held aloft as evidence of her culpability and her eyes went wide.
The position of his arm caused his suit and shirtsleeves to slip down revealing his wrist and the tip of the birthmark. Enough for her to see it matched Jazi’s.
The mark reminded Lexi of a dragonfly with a curled tail only kind of blotchy. She’d been stunned when she saw it on Calder’s wrist in the picture accompanying the article she told him about. The top execs of Pinnacle had all been holding the award aloft. Calder had been standing closest to the camera and there on his wrist was the same birthmark as her precious Jazi’s.
Lexi had known instantly that he had to be related to the baby, most likely her father. When she’d read his stance on never having a family, she firmly believed it was a sign. With his help she could get Jazi back.
Between the matching eyes and the birthmark, Lexi had all the confirmation she needed that Jethro Calder was Jazi’s father.
“Ms. Malone?” Fingers snapped in front of her eyes.
She blinked and focused on the man next to her, staring into his unreadable features, into Jazi’s blue eyes. Thoughts of how important he was flooded her mind, crippling her with fear. If she blew this she’d never get Jazi back! And she was about to blow it. Big-time.
Stop. Get a grip.
She drew in a slow, deep breath, released it around a sheepish smile. She only had one option now. She looked him right in the eye and confessed. “I’m sorry. You’re right, I don’t usually work for Excursions.”
A dark brow lifted at her easy admission. “So you were just at the restaurant to shanghai a date with me?”
“Oh, gracious, no.” Now his other brow lifted. Had she offended him? She half shrugged. Best to stick as close to the truth as possible without getting Excursions in trouble. “Today was my best friend Alliyah’s birthday. She used to go to work for Excursions. She passed away six months ago and I needed a distraction tonight, so I called Sally and asked if she could hook me up with a date. She said she had a cancellation and here I am.”
“A cancellation?” Suspicion dripped from the question.
“Yes. You can call her if you like.” Lexi held her breath—the last thing she wanted was to cause trouble for Sally.
“You recognized me.”
“Yes, from the article. Why, did you know Alliyah? Alliyah West?”
He looked away, but nodded. “We had a couple of dates. You said she passed away.”
“She was killed in an auto accident just over six months ago.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. She was a charming companion.”
Lexi glanced out the window and saw they were cruising along the dazzling Las Vegas Strip. “So listen, I’m sorry I’m not what you were expecting. You can let me out anywhere along here. I’ll catch a cab back to the Pinnacle.” She batted her eyelashes at him in an obvious ploy. “Unless you still need a date for the evening?”
“Now you’re propositioning me?”
“No.” She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “You know you can be a bit of a stuffed shirt. You might want to watch that. I’m offering—free of charge—to go with you to whatever thing you have going on so you don’t have to find a replacement date.”
“You’re willing to spend the evening with a stuffed shirt?”
“Hey, I’ve been out with worse. At least you smell good and have a nice ride. But if you’re not interested, just have the driver pull over and drop me off.”
“Let’s say I agree to allow you to accompany me, I’d prefer to pay you for your time.”
Lexi blinked at him. “Why?”
“Because I prefer to keep our association on a professional level.”
“You want me to cut your hair?” She said it just to rile him. The man had no sense of humor. Or sense of fun.
“What?” His brows drew together in a scowl. “Why would you suggest such a thing?”
“Because I’m a cosmetologist and my profession is to cut hair.”
“That’s not what I meant.” His shoulders were razor sharp against the black leather seat. “More, you know it wasn’t.”
“You’re right, I’m messing with you, but you deserve it for being so pompous.”
“A stuffed shirt and now pompous,” he muttered.
“They’re nearly the same thing. And obviously your comfort zone.”
“I merely wish to keep things clear.”
“Oh, I get the point. It wouldn’t be a date.”
“That is correct. And as I value my time, I feel it only fair to pay you for yours.”
“Very gracious of you.”
He sighed and relaxed slightly.
“But forget it.” She patted his knee and flashed a bright smile. “We’ll just go as friends.”
He practically choked on his own breath. “We are not friends. I barely know you.”
“Sometimes people just click and are friends for life.”
“There was no click.”
“We even have a history.” She talked right over him. “We both knew Alliyah, were friends of hers.” If anyone needed a friend, it was this man. He was so cut off from everyone around him. For some reason, Lexi felt compelled to be there for him tonight. Perhaps because he was Jazi’s father or maybe just because she hated to see anyone so alone. “Close enough, don’t you think?”
His hand closed over hers on the seat. “You miss her very much don’t you?”
Tears threatened. She nodded, and without thought turned her hand over in his to give his hand an answering squeeze. “It would be payment enough to spend the evening with someone who knew her.”
“Then that’s what we’ll do.” He pulled away from her. “As long as it’s understood that it’s not a date.”
“Understood. There will be no good-night kiss.”
He gave a shake of his head. “I may be a stuffed shirt, Ms. Malone, but you are outrageous.”
“Huh. You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
He dropped his head forward as if he’d reached the end of his patience, but she thought she saw just the tiniest of smiles at the corner of his mouth.
* * *
“The event at Caesar’s Palace is an art showing at the Maxim Gallery.”
