Chapter 72 72
She hummed on the other line, as if mulling over her decision. “Yes. I’ll be there. Should I hire a car or is there a flight I can catch?”
“We can ride up together. Text me your address and I’ll pick you up early tomorrow morning.”
“Oh, okay. Great. Is there anything special I need to bring?”
“Maybe your bikini?” The instant it came out of his mouth, he realized it sounded like a bad pick-up line.
“Not really my go-to for a meeting.”
Find a save. Find a save. “And there’s nothing like a soak in the hot tub after a tough negotiation.”
__________
A getaway. With Justin. Sherry pressed the button to take the elevator down to the lobby of her building. She sucked in a deep breath. Her skin noticeably prickled when she thought about what she was doing and with whom she would be doing it. This was about as wrong as wrong could be— going away to discuss a business venture that was supposed to be a dead issue. Going away with the man her brother despised, the man she’d been warned to stay away from.
But Sherry spent every day doing what everyone expected of her and where had that gotten her? Frustrated and running in circles. There was no reward in playing it safe. Of that, she was absolutely sure.
Could she have devised a more tempting plan to make Adam regret ever selling her short? Not likely. So, she’d be spending it in close proximity to the man she had a certifiable weakness for, a man who’d been sure to remind her to pack a bikini. She was strong, or so she hoped.
After she and Justin had gotten off the phone the day before, the bathing suit talk had sent her rushing to the salon to get everything imaginable waxed as well as getting her nails done. Sure, it was girlish and vain, but if she was going to let Justin see her climbing into his hot tub, he was at least going to second-guess the wisdom of ever turning her down.
Sherry stepped off the elevator. As she made her way to the glass doors, a sleek, black SUV pulled up to the curb. She wasn’t sure exactly what make it was, only that several guys eyed it as they walked by, as if it was a supermodel bending over in a short skirt. Justin rounded the front of the vehicle in a black sweater, jeans and dark sunglasses. Had he managed to get hotter since she’d seen him? He was as tempting as ever, square-shouldered, as if he was bulletproof. Damn.
She ducked into the revolving door with her overnight bag just as Justin caught sight of her. He came to a halt on the sidewalk, grinning. His magnetism was so effortless. It was in his DNA. He ran his hand through his shiny, black hair and pushed his sunglasses up on his nose. That seemingly harmless sequence of motions left her dizzy. Hopefully she’d get reacclimated to Justin quickly, desensitized to the ways he could make the most benign action enticing. She had more than a few recollections of staring at his hands while he shuffled playing cards.
“Ready?” His impossibly deep voice stood out amidst the sounds of the city.
“Yes,” she answered with a squeak.
He reached for her bag, grasping the handle. Their fingers brushed and her body read it as an invitation, even though her brain insisted it was nothing. Meaningless. Still, if he touched any more of her than that, she was a goner. He opened the passenger door. Something about him standing there, waiting for her to climb in, gave this the distinct feel of a date, even when she was sure it was only because Justin was a perfect gentleman.
“I’m a little surprised you’re driving. I figured you and your driver would pick me up,” she said after he’d tossed her bag into the backseat and gotten in on the driver’s side.
Justin shook his head and started the car. The engine roared, quickly calming to a low and even hum. “It's going to be snowing soon in Kilbrough according to weather reports, and I figured this little trip made for more quality time to catch up. No prying eyes.”
Sherry swallowed hard as Justin expertly zipped into the confusion of cars whizzing by. “Oh. Sure.”
“I trust my driver, but he’s only been with me a few months and you never know. I’ve been burned before by people who talk behind my back. This way, it’s one less person who knows what we’re doing.”
She nodded. What we’re doing. What in the heck were they doing? Tempting fate? Undoubtedly. If Adam found out about this, especially before she had a chance to be out in front of it, he wouldn’t merely go ballistic. He would explode into millions of pieces, only after he was certain she and Justin were in the bull’s-eye of the blast zone. “Thank you. I appreciate that.”
“Look, the last thing I want is for you to end up in the doghouse with your brother. We have legitimate reasons to explore this business venture, but we need to put some real numbers together before you can entertain it seriously. If this meeting doesn’t go well, no harm, no foul. Adam never needs to know it happened.”
“Sounds reasonable to me.” The covert nature of their trip was appealing for practical reasons, but misbehaving was its own temptation. She was always the good girl, always did what was expected of her. For once she could deviate from plan, even if her confidence about it wavered. She didn’t like deceiving anyone, especially not her family.
That didn’t change the fact that she had to get Adam’s attention and shake him out of the mindset that she wasn’t ready to take over as CEO.
Justin had become her very unlikely ticket to doing that. She had to wonder if money was Justin's only motivation, or if he thought this deal might show Adam that he’d made a mistake by ending their working relationship. He certainly seemed focused on the business aspect. Telling her to bring her bathing suit was probably a slip or Justin being a good host. It was hard to imagine it was anything else.