Cade had been searching through everything in the box in hopes of not staring at the woman in front of him.
Not that he didn’t appreciate everything she was showing him that she’d produced, because he did. He was truthful when he said his brothers were going to wet themselves; he just shouldn’t have been so uncouth about it.
This stuff was rad. Things he had been trying to get his brothers to agree to for years. Now that he had the samples, he might be able to push them more.
But he really wished his mother had mentioned that Alex was a woman and not a man.
A woman that was stunning. One that looked like a model disguised in jeans, an old T-shirt, and sneakers, with her hair pulled back in a messy bun on her head. A natural beauty that he didn’t see often.
One that didn’t use what she had to get his attention or that of any man to get her way, if he was guessing by her business demeanor.
One that stood out by doing nothing more than being her confident self.
It was obvious she worked with her hands. They weren’t dirty by any means, but there was no polish on her nails, no rings on her fingers, nothing at all that most women wore on a daily basis when they left the house.
Or most women that he came in contact with.
She was rather plain...or trying to pull it off. She was failing miserably though.
He saw right through her act to her porcelain skin, her clear green eyes with the strawberry blonde hair, and the chest she was trying to disguise in her shirt that was two sizes too big.
If she put even an ounce of effort into her appearance, she’d stop traffic in New York City with nothing more than a toss of her hair. He figured she probably knew that too.
Instead, she was standing in front of him trying to hide what was so natural.
It had been on the tip of his tongue to make a comment on her beauty. To say she looked nice. To compliment her in some way, but he’d held back and was glad he did. If he’d been warned ahead of time by his mother, he would have known what to expect and could have prepared.
Good thing he was fast on his feet.
He was here for work and he was trying to keep it professional. Hell, his brothers were all falling for their employees, but he didn’t have anyone other than his married assistant, so that wasn’t going to happen. Why did that thought pop into his head?
Not that he had any intention of falling in love anyway.
Out for a good time. Keeping it fun. Nothing serious to even think about, let alone worry.
Those had been his mottoes over the years, among several others.
Just because he might be slightly jealous that his brothers were settling down didn’t mean he had any intention of giving up the fun life. The life that most dreamed of having, even if it wasn’t as exciting as most thought he’d led.
Besides, if he’d learned one thing, he’d learned that no matter how hard you try to change your ways, they always come back to haunt you. Stupid shit from his past was going to outlive him, he knew.
The women he’d spent the last ten-plus years dating were out for the same things he’d always said he was. Too bad it’d never really been what he was after. To change that now would be difficult when no one seemed to take him seriously anyway.
The biggest problem of all with Alex though...she went to Duke.
The college he had such a blast at but where he’d earned a less than desirable reputation. Then his senior year when three girls decided to set him up because he’d spent three years earning the title “the man most likely to date for a week.” He had no idea that having fun and being friendly would have turned into what it had. Looking back, he should have realized it.
Those three girls, though, that was the turning point for him to take things more seriously. Or at least try to. It was when he started to settle into school and was determined to prove to everyone he had what it took to be a lawyer and the one his family could depend on.
So rather than put much more charm into Alex, he was going to talk business with her. Talk shop. Maybe help her out if he could. It seemed she was doing well for herself but he’d seen the hope behind her eyes when he’d brought up the web design and negotiating.
She was hungry and he was ready and willing to serve her.
Too bad it wouldn’t be the way he’d like.
“Don’t believe everything you hear,” he said, laughing. What else was he supposed to say to her when she said she went to the same college as him?
“I’m not one that believes gossip or rumors,” she said, her face straight.
“You’d be in the minority then.”
“Let’s say I’m sure I’ve had my fair share of talk about me and not much of it has been true.”
He wondered what she could have meant by that but decided to leave it alone. Someone that looked like her was bound to draw attention. He still was going to keep it businesslike. At least for now.
“So let’s get down to the nitty-gritty.” He rubbed his hands together. “Prices and timetables. My sister, Ella, is a freak on the details so I need it all before I can make any decisions.”
She pulled out a folder and opened it up. “Everything on this side is the items and costs associated with products, along with timelines. On the other side are printing costs associated with brochures, fliers, and the like. There are samples in there of that but not specific to Fierce. Just enough to give you an idea of what we’ve done in the past, though I’m flexible and enjoy creating outside of the box too.”
He pushed the flexible comment out of his brain for now. It had no business being there when he was determined to be good. To be professional. Thinking of her long legs moving in various positions was just the opposite of that.
“This is great. Lots of good information for me to take back to everyone.” He pulled his wallet out and then placed his card on the table. “A way for you to reach me if you’ve got any questions.” He’d seen her card already in the folder.
“Do you have an idea of when you’ll come to some decisions?” she asked, picking his card up and looking at it. Nice long lean fingers. Sexy fingers. Damn it, the last of his professional thoughts just flew out the window like a gum wrapper in an open convertible.
“I’ve got a meeting with my siblings Wednesday morning, so that gives me time to prepare a few things to talk to them about. Do you mind if I take a few of these items to show them, then I’ll return them?”
She started to put everything in the box. “They’re yours. Free samples to do what you wish. I know the logos are old and not what you currently use. I’ve got no need for them here though.”
“First off, thanks. That’s a great business practice. Second of all, don’t you want to keep them to show other businesses samples of what you do?”
She smiled at him and he was right. A knockout. Her eyes lit up, more in humor than joy, but it still made heat rush to every part of his body that it had no business being in right now.
“When I’m mass producing things, I always make extra and keep them as samples. But these are for you to take back and show your family.”
“I appreciate it. You know, if you ever want to bounce any ideas off of someone from a business standpoint, I’d be happy to help.”
“You don’t think I can run my own business?” she asked, narrowing her eyes.
Damn, the fire was better than the humor in her eyes and he wasn’t sorry if he offended her, even if that wasn’t his intent.
“I think you can run it well. I think it looks like you’re doing a great job. But I’ve been doing this longer. I’ve got a lot of connections and a greater reach, you could say. I’m not sure if you know that we bring in live entertainment and that is my area of the business. That means I have my fingers in a lot of pies and am in contact with various agents and other businesses. Places that could use these types of products and services.”
“Oh,” she said. He didn’t want to think of it as dangling a carrot in front of a rabbit, but if it got her to spend some more time with him, he’d go plant a garden right now.
“Think about it,” he said, not wanting to push right now either. “You’ve got my information, but I’ll be talking to you soon, I’m sure.”
“I will. Thanks.”
He picked the box up and walked back out to his car, almost salivating right now in thoughts of how he was going to present this on Wednesday to his family.