Buch lesen: «Desire September 2017 Books 1 -4»

One

“I assume this meeting is being conducted with the utmost confidentiality?”

“Of course,” Jasmine Harden said, though she had never before had to assure a potential client of that.

“Then I’ll be honest.”

She eyed Royce Brazier as he paced before her in his suit and tie. The floor-to-ceiling windows of his office overlooked the river and provided the perfect backdrop. Gorgeous—the man and the view. As he paused for a moment, she noticed just a hint of something on his neck, right above his collar in the back. Was that a tattoo?

Quickly Jasmine dropped her gaze. She knew exactly how easy it was to read her expression, so she turned her thoughts in more businesslike directions.

“Besides,” he continued as he faced her once more, “if word got out, I’d know where it came from, wouldn’t I?”

Okay, Royce was making it a lot easier to focus on business.

“My shipping fleet has done very well, but I’m interested in taking my business to a new level. To that end, I’m aiming to attract a certain family that I hope will contract extensive work from my fleet.” A frown marred Royce’s smooth forehead. She could almost see the thoughts as they took hold of him. “This family is very altruistic and so I want to do a fund-raising event that appeals to them.”

“So this is all about a business deal?” Though she could understand the logic Royce was working with, the conclusion was still disappointing. The hot CEO apparently didn’t have a heart...

“It’s purely a business endeavor. As with other projects, I’ll write the check, you do the work.”

Wasn’t that a nice attitude? Not. Though Jasmine regularly worked with high-profile businessmen in this city, she’d never had one approach her with a proposal this cold. “Why me?” she asked quietly.

“I did my research,” he said, turning a direct stare on her that made her uncomfortably aware of things other than business. “You’re well known in the circles I want to attract, your clients have a very high rate of satisfaction and we use some of the same vendors, the best vendors in the city of Savannah.”

His praise should make her feel better, right?

“My assistant received some wonderful feedback on you. You were rated the highest of star-quality event planners in the region.

“I only work with the best of the best. That’s how I can trust you to do the work.”

Why did he have to be so handsome? A handsome automaton. That slight peek at a tattoo on his neck had led her to expect more. A huff of laughter escaped as she imagined him as a true robot in her overactive imagination.

“Is there a problem?” he asked, narrowing his eyes on her as if suspicious she was making fun of him.

“Nothing.” At least she hadn’t giggled. That would definitely be unprofessional. “Can you tell me what charity you have in mind?” she asked, trying to get back on track.

“I don’t. Pick whatever you feel is appropriate.”

Jasmine blinked. Everything about this meeting was completely out of the ordinary when it came to how she worked with her clients.

“I simply need an event that is noteworthy and appropriate,” he continued. “They seem to be involved in quite a few causes. Oh, and I need it in less than two months.”

Oh, my. “So you think I’m a miracle worker?”

This time he relented enough to offer a small smile. “I certainly hope so. Otherwise the event will be too late to have any impact on my bid. Can I count on you?”

She thought back over their conversation. No. No. And no. “Listen, I don’t think I’m the right person for this job.” Or quite frankly, for this boss. She had a feeling that working for him would be a minefield, and with her life in tumult already, she didn’t need a difficult boss.

He stopped his pacing to stare. “Why not?”

You’re too handsome, too business minded and too cavalier about this endeavor altogether.

Only she couldn’t say any of that out loud. Questions rang in Jasmine’s mind as she watched him, thinking hard. She’d heard plenty about Royce Brazier, but she’d never actually met him before today, despite her extensive work with Savannah’s elite. One of the city’s youngest billionaires—self-made through his dedication to his quickly growing shipping business—he attended only a few select events on the social scene. Considering his reputation as a hard-nosed, focused businessman and what she’d seen during this meeting, she had a feeling he only did that much to maintain his business contacts.

His presence was commanding, his look suave and professional. So suave she wanted to mess with his perfectly placed blond hair just for the heck of it. Jasmine was professional, too, but she often had the feeling she was herding cats—especially since the arrival of Rosie...and often feared that it showed.

“Look,” she tried to explain, searching for words that Royce would understand. “I realize charity events are good ways of getting positive press and word of mouth, but my events are known for having heart.”

“Good. Then you can give a heart to mine.”

She was still unsure how to make him understand that this wasn’t a good fit for her. To her relief, his phone rang.

“Yes, Matthew?” he asked over the speaker.

“I’m sorry to bother you, sir, but your lawyer just had the agreement you requested delivered.”

“I need to take a quick look at this,” Royce explained to Jasmine. “Excuse me a moment.”

“No problem.” A few minutes to herself might give her time to regroup.

Glancing around his office, Jasmine noticed right off that there were no personal touches. No novels or magazines. No photographs of his family...or even of him with friends. A framed photo of a large building graced a prominent spot on the wall.

Jasmine couldn’t imagine being this impersonal. She knew a lot of people, cared about a lot of people, but her family was her core support. Few others got to see behind her public persona. After losing her parents when she was a teenager, she couldn’t imagine the devastation she would feel if she lost any other members of her family.

She’d known Royce wanted an event planned—after all, that’s what she did. But his complete lack of personal interest or passion was daunting. And though there were some charities that didn’t require the benefactor to be very involved, it wasn’t the way she wanted to work.

But how could she convince him that a more hands-on approach was needed?

“So what do you say?” The smooth smile on Royce’s face as he returned to the room was so attractive it made her chest ache. She saw a lot of powerful, pretty men in her job, but Royce had to be the pinnacle. Frankly, she wasn’t sure what to do with that, either.

“Should we start talking contracts?”

Jasmine nodded, willing her expression to remain neutral. “Yes, but I have a few requirements of my own.”

* * *

Royce Brazier eyed the woman before him with concern itching at his brain, though he was too smart to let it show.

Jasmine didn’t seem like the bargaining type. She appeared to be nothing like the cutthroat business people he dealt with on a daily basis. So why did he detect a hint of steel in those cornflower-blue eyes?

“A bit unusual for the event planner to start making demands, isn’t it?”

She arched her brow in a challenging expression, but judging from the way she was tightly clasping her hands in her lap, he had a feeling it was false bravado.

“It’s definitely not my normal MO,” she said. “But a girl’s got to have standards.”

No apology—he liked that. “Name your price.”

“Oh, it’s not about price.” She paused for a moment as she studied him. “It’s about participation.”

Royce was so caught up in her beauty that he wasn’t getting all the cues. “I’m not following...”

“I’ll happily take on your event—I already have some great ideas. And don’t get me wrong. Being given a lot of freedom is an event planner’s dream. But as I said, I have certain standards. This isn’t about what’s easiest for me...or you. A contract will require you to participate in each step of the process—”

“I guess we could touch base via phone.” Though seeing her wouldn’t be a hardship. Those blue eyes and her delicate bone structure were the first things to distract Royce from his business in a long, long time.

“You will participate by attending all the meetings that I deem necessary with vendors and representatives of the charity we support.”

What? Hold on a minute. “Nice try, sweetheart. I have a business to run. And more than enough to do. That’s why I’m hiring someone else to do this.”

“I also have a business to run. And a reputation to protect. You need to be involved for this to work. So it’s my way or no way.”

Royce scrambled to figure out just what was going on here. “There’s plenty of other event planners in this city.”

Jasmine nodded graciously, but he again got the feeling there was steel behind the genteel smile. “And you’re welcome to contact any of them, but they won’t have the experience I have with your target audience.” All too soon she was up and across the room, but she paused by the door. How could just the way she glanced back at him be so sexy? Especially as she proceeded to drop a bombshell. “I would like to remind you that I do know the Jeffersons personally, and I am a frequent guest at their parties.”

Shock rocketed through him. How had she known?

“You were referring to the Jeffersons, weren’t you? I do my homework, too.”

As she strode out the door with a tempting flash of leg, Royce was impressed even though he knew he shouldn’t be. Sexy and smart. It gave her too much of an advantage.