He waggled his eyebrows. "I like the way you think, pretty lady."
She held up a hand, forcing away a budding smile. "'Melissa' will be just fine from now on, thanks."
She could feel JP's eyes on her ass as she walked out of the room, and she was flattered. But even though he was her age, he was too cocky. Too wild.
Dominic was the kind of man she wanted to be with. Mature. Quietly confident. And so gorgeous, looking at him made her eyes cross.
The next two hours flew by as she quizzed JP on his entire football career, starting from Pop Warner. She didn't ask him about his DUI; she didn't want a confrontation to rule their first meeting. Next time, though, she was going to push him up against a wall and be in his face about his poor behavior.
Every time JP made a pass at her that morning, she deflected it. Had being with Dominic transformed her in some way? She'd never been a target for such magnetic male attention before, especially not from a man like JP, whose looks could kill.
Honestly, it was kind of fun. She wasn't going to encourage him, of course, but a girl was allowed to enjoy feeling pretty.
She drove back to the office with a smile on her face. Although she hadn't seen JP on the field yet, he certainly was a charmer. But charm could take him only so far. He needed to be the real deal to attract a new team, especially given his past off-the-field antics. For the next few hours she was going to hole up in the film room with JP's game tapes. Once she had a handle on the type of wide receiver he was— whether he had great hands, speed, blocking skills, or, best of all, a combination of all three—she'd make a list of potential teams to woo on his behalf.
From now on, things would start to look up. Not only would she do a kick-ass job with JP, she'd make herself get over Dominic. Maybe she'd take yoga classes or join a book club. And then she'd meet a nice guy who'd fall in love with her at first glance. They'd get married and have babies, and life would be perfectly normal. Boring, possibly, but that was okay. Anything was better than this roller coaster of emotions.
When she took the elevator upstairs, the cute girl behind the front desk squeaked with excitement. "Melissa, I've been dying for you to get back. Someone very special is waiting for you in your cube. Lucky you!"
The music in Melissa's head ground to a screeching halt.
He wouldn't. He couldn't.
Jenny looked positively starstruck. "Dominic came by again to see you." Lowering her voice to a whisper, she said, "He's so sexy I can't stand it, but don't tell your father I said so. He fires anyone who thinks the players are cute."
Dominic walked around the corner, and Jenny's giggles filled the tense silence. "Oh good, Dominic, you've found her." She looked at Melissa. "He's been waiting over an hour."
"Have a good meeting with JP?" he asked in a voice that was as smooth as butter.
Remembering everything that had happened last night in the restaurant in vivid detail, she croaked, "Yes."
He smiled, moving closer, much closer than she was equipped to deal with. "I'm glad. I'll buy you a cup of coffee and you can tell me all about it."
He knew she couldn't refuse his invitation in front of Jenny, and she forced a smile. "Great."
Jenny beamed at her, clearly thrilled. "I'll answer your line, Melissa. Don't worry about a thing."
Melissa managed to keep her smile intact until the elevator doors closed. "What do you think you're doing?" she hissed.
Dominic was all innocence. "Taking a meeting with my agent."
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, regretting it when she realized how good Dominic smelled. Her eyes flew open again.
"For the hundredth time, I'm not your agent, Dominic."
He nodded. "You're right: not yet. But since I'm currently agentless, I'd like to run something by you, if you can spare me a few minutes."
Melissa sighed. "I need to watch JP's game tapes this afternoon, but I suppose I could have a cup of coffee with you." What kind of danger could she be in, in a bustling coffee shop with dozens of strangers around?
The elevator opened at the garage, and she looked at him questioningly. "We can walk to the Peet's Coffee just around the corner."
"I know," he said, unlocking his car with his remote. "Hop in."
" I agreed to get coffee. Not get in your car."
"If you don't want to give me your opinion on a new business venture, just say the word."
What could she say to that, without sounding like she was afraid of being alone with him? She got into his car.
He pointed out several excellent restaurants on their drive out of Union Square, acting like nothing had happened last night. They wound through various neighborhoods, heading west of downtown into Golden Gate Heights.
"Where are you taking me?" she asked, unable to keep her curiosity at bay any longer.
"We're almost there." He made a sharp turn around a jagged rock face, then pulled into a dirt lot next to a building that seemed to be made entirely of glass. It wasn't a house, but it wasn't an office building, either.
She got out and followed him to the front door. "What is this place?"
He slipped a key into the lock and grinned at her. "It might be my new restaurant."
She blinked in surprise. "You're going to open a restaurant?"
He opened the door and she walked into the light-filled space. The view from the floor-to-ceiling windows blew her away; the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay Bridge and Alcatraz were spread before her.
"Wow, what an incredible view! I've never seen the city from this vantage point before."
He came to stand beside her, the heat of his body warming up the chilly space. "I agree. But I'm not going to make any final decisions just yet."
She turned to study his beautiful face. "What are you waiting for?"
He looked her in the eye. "You."
She took a step back. He couldn't say things like that to her. Not when her brain took off and ran with it, mutating whatever he really meant into what she wanted to hear. She needed to clarify his statement, and fast.
"I'm happy to give you my opinion. But 1 don't know anything about restaurants."
His eyes were such a deep, rich brown that they were nearly black. It was too easy to get lost in them, and she forced herself to look away. A gleaming silver espresso unit sat on a chipped granite counter-top. He followed her gaze and motioned for her to sit down on a folding chair, dusting it off first.