At the door she drew in a deep breath, tucked her gold purse under her arm and gave Tessa a slightly less than confident smile. “Wish me luck,” she whispered, not feeling at all like her usual self-assured self but more like the wishy-washy women she normally scoffed at. Now, with her mission being to capture the full attention of her target, she had become one of them. Her lips curled in self derision. The things people did for money. Although, in her case it would all go to worthy causes. She didn’t intend to spend a cent of it on herself. That is, assuming she even got it…
But even as she walked to her vehicle Indie knew deep down that this wasn’t all about the money. To her chagrin she was beginning to realize that there was a part of her that really wanted this – the date, getting to know Stone Hudson and maybe, just maybe, getting him to feel something for her, possibly attraction, maybe even…love.
She shook her head. Get your mind out of the clouds, woman. This is business. She started the engine and pulled out of the driveway then headed off to her date with Stone Hudson. With her purse full of notes from Tessa, instructions on how to mesmerize the man in question, the night promised to be interesting, to say the least.
CHAPTER FOUR
Stone strode into Palmetto's where he was a well-known and valued patron. He was immediately ushered to the private lounge reserved for special guests. He’d left instructions for Indiana to be escorted to this private dining room immediately upon arrival. He hated to keep a lady waiting and had made sure to get there over ten minutes earlier than the appointed time.
He was relaxed in the plush chair, skimming the wine list, when the maitre-d’ ushered in an exquisitely elegant lady in a stunning emerald dress that molded her curves like a second skin. As the man brought her closer Stone raised his eyebrows in surprise. Why was she here? Had they got his unexpected visitor mixed up with someone else?
He rose to his feet and gave a courteous nod and that was when he got a really good look at the queen who had sauntered into his private salon. Her lips pert and prettily painted, her hair soft and feathery around her face and her eyes – those beautiful eyes, now arresting in their beauty, the colors on the lids making them sparkling green behind her long lashes. The regal beauty standing before him was none other than his awaited guest, Indiana Lane.
Her dramatic beauty stunned Stone. He knew Indiana was beautiful but this was way beyond what he could have imagined. Realizing he was still staring he gave her a smile to break the tension.
She smiled back then she did something that threw him for a loop. Was she batting her eyelids at him? He had to stop himself before he got caught in a frown. Was cool and matter-of-fact Indiana Lane flirting with him?
He had no time to ponder that question. She was standing right in front of him now, her lips parted, her chin tilted up toward him.
“Indiana, thank you for coming,” he said as his eyes roamed her face. “You look very beautiful this evening.”
She cocked her eyebrow and gave him a slow, even smile. “Why, thank you,” she breathed, her voice a deep, sultry purr.
God, what a contrast to the firm tone she’d used on him the evening before. He blinked then pulled out the chair for her and as she sat down his nostrils were filled with the seductive fragrance of her perfume. He could only describe it as seductive because, if the tightness in his groin was anything to go by, he had already fallen under her spell.
He went to sit on his own chair, thankful for the chance to hide his lower half from view. With relief he took the wine list from the maitre d’ and pretended to be lost in its contents. He needed those few seconds to readjust his thermostat. He put a hand up and ran his finger inside his collar then tugged his tie back in place. God, it was hot in here.
The maitre d’ called a black-suited young man and thankfully, by the time the server took the orders, Stone was back to normal. The room had cooled down wonderfully in the past few minutes.
He turned round from thanking the server and was just about to say something charming to Indiana – or ‘Indie’ as she called herself – when he noticed that she’d opened her little gold purse and was carefully perusing what looked like a folded sheet of paper on which she had notes or some sort of list. And as she read she was frowning, seeming deep in concentration, and she was mouthing the words. If he could read lips he would swear she’d mouthed, “Always flatter him". He almost laughed at his stupidity. There was no way her paper said anything like that. He was ninety-nine percent sure that what she was reading had something to do with business.
“Lots of things on your ‘To-Do’ list?” he said with a smile. “Had to take you work with you, I see.” His tone was teasing. He knew what it was to have a million and one things to cram into a measly twenty-four hours.
Indie jumped and her wide-eyed gaze flew to his. She immediately dropped her gaze again, shoved the paper back into her purse and snapped it shut. Then she dragged it off the table and dropped it onto her lap. When she looked up again her face was rosy with a guilty blush.
That only made Stone smile wider. It was amusing, maybe even sweet, that she’d taken her work with her and then felt guilty at being caught. “It’s okay,” he said magnanimously. “No need to feel bad. I’ve been guilty of the same thing.”
When she gave him a look of confusion he continued. “Taking my work with me. Not leaving it back at the office.”
At that, her face cleared. “Oh,” she said, a look of relief passing over her face, “that. Yes, I…can’t seem to leave the office behind.” She gave a little giggle and it made her seem much younger and a whole lot less audacious than the woman he’d met the day before. Charming, but he sort of missed the woman he’d run into.
By the time the meal arrived Indie was almost back to what he considered her normal self, ribbing him again about his name. She was never going to let him live that one down. But then, just like the transformation that had taken place with her appearance, her personality changed again. Indie’s lips softened in a smile and her eyelids lowered seductively. “Uhm, that’s a lovely tie you’re wearing.”