Chapter Six

Janna entered the Coffee City near the south end of campus and scanned the occupants, hoping to recognize Brice's assistant although she had no idea what he looked like. No one's eyes met hers, so she headed to the counter and ordered a caramel macchiato. Taking a seat at one of the tables she sipped her drink slowly. Each new person who walked through the front doors was given the once-over, and before long a pair of alert hazel eyes met hers and a handsome and fashionably dressed young man made his way over to her.

"Janna Puchina?" his well-modulated voice asked politely.

"You must be Tony Beckham, Brice's assistant. How did you know it was me?"
Tony smiled down at her, and Janna liked him instantly. "I googled you," he said with a shrug, then motioned toward the counter. "I'm going to grab a coffee. Be right back."

Before long he was sliding into the chair across from her and giving her a business like grin. "You've got exactly six hours of my undivided attention, per the ridiculous rules that have Brice's stink all over them. How can I help you beat the pants off that bastard?"

Janna laughed. She could tell Tony was kidding around. He must like his boss very much. She couldn't help continuing the joke. "Believe me; I don't need any help in that department. He's only too eager to take his pants off."

Tony laughed, a happy sound, almost like a songbird at dawn, and Janna relaxed. Suddenly Tony spotted someone across the room and his laugh faded. His eyes grew dark, and his face took on a pained expression. It all happened so fast, Janna barely caught it before he composed his features back into a professional mask.

Janna glanced across the room and saw a handsome, silver-haired man in conversation with one of the coffee shop employees. His dark brown eyes flicked up once, quickly, to check out their table. Interesting. Janna wondered what the connection between the two men was. Tony didn't let her wonder long, however, before he steered the conversation back to the wager. "So how do you plan to beat Brice? He's not going to concede defeat easily."

Letting out a big exhale, Janna's shoulders slumped, her confidence fading. "I don't know. I've been thinking about it for days, but I haven't come up with any winning ideas yet. I was hoping I could pump you for information about Brice and maybe I'd come up with something then."

Tony smiled. "It's very intimidating, trying to plan a date for someone like Brice. He's a goddamn millionaire, after all."

"I know!" Janna said, glad that Tony understood her dilemma. "And I barely know the guy. I don't know if he hates pizza, or likes to go bowling, or if he knows how to use chopsticks. All I know is that he has a disappearing dimple, dances like the Devil himself, and is dynamite in the sack." Janna covered her mouth when she realized what she'd just blurted out, but when Tony laughed with delight, she joined him. Something about Brice's assistant put her at ease.

"Well, yes, he likes pizza. He is human after all. Not sure about the bowling, but he definitely knows how to use chopsticks." Tony scratched his stubbly jaw, his bright blue eyes traveling up to the ceiling while he thought. "Your best bet would be not to put too much thought into it."

He laughed when he saw her eyes bug out in disbelief. "Hear me out. You're over-thinking things. It's just a date in the end. Dates should be enjoyable, an opportunity to get to know one another better. Find something you'll both like doing that provides time to talk and enjoy each other's company, and you can't go wrong."

"I guess you're right," Janna grumbled finally. "And even if I lose the bet, it won't be that bad I suppose."

"So what happens if each of you wins?" Tony asked, clearly curious. It seemed his boss had not informed him of all the terms of their wager.

"Well, if I win, Brice has to donate two hours of his time to a charity of my choosing." Janna bit her lip, wondering how much to tell her companion. "And if Brice wins, I have to donate two hours of my time as well."

"To whom?"

"To him."

Tony laughed again, and her embarrassment melted away. "Greedy bastard isn't he."

Janna nodded her head in agreement. "Sure is." She caught his eyes flicking over to the silver-haired man again, and she couldn't resist. "Who is he?" she asked, then instantly regretted it when she saw the haunted look that flashed in his eyes and was just as quickly smothered.

"That's Jake Dawson. He owns this coffee shop and seven others like it in town. Brice has some business with him, and the negotiations aren't going so well." Tony's face was strangely shuttered, and Janna realized he wasn't telling her everything. Several pieces clicked into place. Tony's fashionable outfit, his carefully styled features, his laughter and attitude, her total comfort with him, and the what could only be called longing looks he gave the handsome man across the room. Tony was gay.

Janna didn't say anything. Maybe he wasn't out of the closet. Maybe Brice didn't know. It was best to keep her discovery to herself. "Right, well, as I don't want to give my hard-earned free time to the Masterson Foundation, I'll have to figure out something to knock his socks off nonetheless." Janna was glad that the tense moment had passed and Tony's attention returned to their task.

"Agreed. A question though. If you do win, I'm sorry, when you win, what charity will you be gifting with Mr. Masterson's time?"

Janna smiled. "There's an after-school program downtown that has been planning to build a new playground on its property for three years now. They've almost raised enough money to start construction. I plan on volunteering Brice to help build the playground. I'd like to see him doing some real work. And I bet he looks sexy, all sun-tanned and sweaty."

They laughed together at the image of the immaculately tailored millionaire getting dirty. Unfortunately for Janna, that image sent an unexpected jolt of electricity through her system. She glanced at her watch and decided to get busy in earnest. "All right, I've already wasted a half-hour of your undivided attention. Let's get down to business already."