I admired him for a moment, taking in his strong jaw, lined with that sexy stubble. His cheekbones were high, his eyebrows thick, his nose perfectly symmetrical on his face. And his hair… The dark, shoulder-length strands were slightly wavy. I wondered if it was as soft as it looked.
Taking a deep breath, I squared my shoulders and smiled.
Troy’s eyes darted to Zeke, then me before he appeared to relax.
“Good evening, Clarissa. I’m Troy.” His smile transformed him from merely handsome to downright lethal. “I’m the one who sent you the email about Chicago.”
I nodded, but my eyes continued to absorb every nuance of his handsome face.
Okay. I knew I wasn’t supposed to be ogling the man. I was having dinner with Trent Ramsey. Probably made me look like a hussy to be thinking his assistant was hot while fantasizing about the man’s boss.
But he was hot. Extremely hot. In that just-out-of-bed, mussed look that was hard to resist.
“Please, come in,” I urged. “I … um…” I giggled like an idiot.
“I’ll wait outside,” Zeke said, rolling his eyes as he closed the door behind him.
“I’m sorry,” I told Troy. “But I’m not ready. Trent just called and…”
Troy seemed to take up a lot of space. He wasn’t quite as big as Trent, but he wasn’t a small man. Probably close to six feet. And it was obvious the guy spent some time in the gym.
“Let me guess,” Troy said as I motioned for him toward the living room. “He just called and informed you I was on my way.”
“Actually, yes.” I smiled shyly. “Like less than two minutes ago.”
“Figures. I left half an hour ago and specifically asked him to call you.” He smiled as though he was amused by Trent’s ability to ignore instructions. “Well, please, take your time. The food won’t arrive until seven, so we’re not in any hurry.”
I glanced down at myself. I was wearing my tried-and-true shorts and a T-shirt because I was packing, and those were not the least bit appropriate for a dinner date with Trent Ramsey, regardless of where we were going or who would be there.
“Wait. You said the food would arrive at seven? Does that mean we’re eating at Trent’s house?”
“It does.”
That settled some of my curiosity.
“Would you mind if I showered?” I asked.
“Not at all.” He raised his hand, showing off what appeared to be an iPad. “I can get a little work done while I wait.”
“I’ll just be…” I nodded my head in the direction of my bedroom.
“Please take your time. I’ve got plenty to do in the meantime.”
If first impressions were anything to go by, I really liked Troy. Not only was he nice to look at, he was pleasant. And not the least bit intimidating. Unlike Trent.
“Thank you.”
Knowing I was now simply wasting time, I hurried to my room. With a heavy sigh, I raced into the bathroom, stripped off my clothes, and hopped in the shower. It was only a little awkward knowing there was a complete stranger in my house. Then again, I felt somewhat safe knowing Zeke was close by. I hadn’t known him long, but the man made it easy to feel secure in his presence.
While I went through the motions, my mind raced a million miles a minute. I was having dinner with Trent and Troy.
Trent and Troy.
Hmm.
For some reason, my hands felt especially good as they traced over my soapy skin.
Instantly, I shook myself out of that thought. No way was I going to fantasize about Trent and Troy while I was in the shower. I mean, sure. I was undoubtedly due for some sexual release. Not counting yesterday, it had been months since I’d even played with a Dom. A couple of years since I’d…
“Stop it,” I hissed as I stuck my head under the water and let the spray rinse the conditioner from my hair.
I was acting like an idiot. This was simply dinner. With Trent. And Troy.
Then it hit me. If Trent had invited Troy to have dinner with us, perhaps this was related to business. Maybe about Chicago. Surely, with his assistant there, Trent didn’t intend for… No. No way. Unless…?
God, I hoped I found some sense of decorum before I walked out of this room. Otherwise, I feared I was going to make a great big fool of myself.
And wouldn’t that be the worst possible thing that could happen?
Well, actually, no. The worst possible thing would be for me to fall in the shower, break my leg, have to be carted to the hospital. Troy would likely wait for me because he seemed polite. Dinner would get cold, Trent would wonder what happened…
I was an idiot and this worst-case scenario was stupid.
After shutting off the water, I quickly dried off, then grabbed my short silk robe. I pulled it on, then hurried to dry my hair. I took a little extra time putting on my face and trying to make myself presentable. Business or not, I was still having dinner with one of the most famous men in the world. Trent Ramsey was a household name. Like Tom Cruise. Or Bruce Willis. When people mentioned his name, no one questioned who they were talking about.
