CHAPTER TWO

      OOPS. LEXI BLINKED at Jethro. She’d been caught out. She shifted her gaze to the phone he held aloft as evidence of her culpability and her eyes went wide.

      The position of his arm caused his suit and shirtsleeves to slip down revealing his wrist and the tip of the birthmark. Enough for her to see it matched Jazi’s.

      The mark reminded Lexi of a dragonfly with a curled tail only kind of blotchy. She’d been stunned when she saw it on Calder’s wrist in the picture accompanying the article she told him about. The top execs of Pinnacle had all been holding the award aloft. Calder had been standing closest to the camera and there on his wrist was the same birthmark as her precious Jazi’s.

      Lexi had known instantly that he had to be related to the baby, most likely her father. When she’d read his stance on never having a family, she firmly believed it was a sign. With his help she could get Jazi back.

      Between the matching eyes and the birthmark, Lexi had all the confirmation she needed that Jethro Calder was Jazi’s father.

      “Ms. Malone?” Fingers snapped in front of her eyes.

      She blinked and focused on the man next to her, staring into his unreadable features, into Jazi’s blue eyes. Thoughts of how important he was flooded her mind, crippling her with fear. If she blew this she’d never get Jazi back! And she was about to blow it. Big-time.

      Stop. Get a grip.

      She drew in a slow, deep breath, released it around a sheepish smile. She only had one option now. She looked him right in the eye and confessed. “I’m sorry. You’re right, I don’t usually work for Excursions.”

      A dark brow lifted at her easy admission. “So you were just at the restaurant to shanghai a date with me?”

      “Oh, gracious, no.” Now his other brow lifted. Had she offended him? She half shrugged. Best to stick as close to the truth as possible without getting Excursions in trouble. “Today was my best friend Alliyah’s birthday. She used to go to work for Excursions. She passed away six months ago and I needed a distraction tonight, so I called Sally and asked if she could hook me up with a date. She said she had a cancellation and here I am.”

      “A cancellation?” Suspicion dripped from the question.

      “Yes. You can call her if you like.” Lexi held her breath—the last thing she wanted was to cause trouble for Sally.

      “You recognized me.”

      “Yes, from the article. Why, did you know Alliyah? Alliyah West?”

      He looked away, but nodded. “We had a couple of dates. You said she passed away.”

      “She was killed in an auto accident just over six months ago.”

      “I’m sorry to hear that. She was a charming companion.”

      Lexi glanced out the window and saw they were cruising along the dazzling Las Vegas Strip. “So listen, I’m sorry I’m not what you were expecting. You can let me out anywhere along here. I’ll catch a cab back to the Pinnacle.” She batted her eyelashes at him in an obvious ploy. “Unless you still need a date for the evening?”

      “Now you’re propositioning me?”

      “No.” She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “You know you can be a bit of a stuffed shirt. You might want to watch that. I’m offering—free of charge—to go with you to whatever thing you have going on so you don’t have to find a replacement date.”

      “You’re willing to spend the evening with a stuffed shirt?”

      “Hey, I’ve been out with worse. At least you smell good and have a nice ride. But if you’re not interested, just have the driver pull over and drop me off.”

      “Let’s say I agree to allow you to accompany me, I’d prefer to pay you for your time.”

      Lexi blinked at him. “Why?”

      “Because I prefer to keep our association on a professional level.”

      “You want me to cut your hair?” She said it just to rile him. The man had no sense of humor. Or sense of fun.

      “What?” His brows drew together in a scowl. “Why would you suggest such a thing?”

      “Because I’m a cosmetologist and my profession is to cut hair.”

      “That’s not what I meant.” His shoulders were razor sharp against the black leather seat. “More, you know it wasn’t.”

      “You’re right, I’m messing with you, but you deserve it for being so pompous.”

      “A stuffed shirt and now pompous,” he muttered.

      “They’re nearly the same thing. And obviously your comfort zone.”

      “I merely wish to keep things clear.”

      “Oh, I get the point. It wouldn’t be a date.”

      “That is correct. And as I value my time, I feel it only fair to pay you for yours.”

      “Very gracious of you.”

      He sighed and relaxed slightly.

      “But forget it.” She patted his knee and flashed a bright smile. “We’ll just go as friends.”

      He practically choked on his own breath. “We are not friends. I barely know you.”

      “Sometimes people just click and are friends for life.”

      “There was no click.”

      “We even have a history.” She talked right over him. “We both knew Alliyah, were friends of hers.” If anyone needed a friend, it was this man. He was so cut off from everyone around him. For some reason, Lexi felt compelled to be there for him tonight. Perhaps because he was Jazi’s father or maybe just because she hated to see anyone so alone. “Close enough, don’t you think?”

      His hand closed over hers on the seat. “You miss her very much don’t you?”

      Tears threatened. She nodded, and without thought turned her hand over in his to give his hand an answering squeeze. “It would be payment enough to spend the evening with someone who knew her.”

      “Then that’s what we’ll do.” He pulled away from her. “As long as it’s understood that it’s not a date.”

      “Understood. There will be no good-night kiss.”

      He gave a shake of his head. “I may be a stuffed shirt, Ms. Malone, but you are outrageous.”

      “Huh. You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

      He dropped his head forward as if he’d reached the end of his patience, but she thought she saw just the tiniest of smiles at the corner of his mouth.

      * * *

      “The event at Caesar’s Palace is an art showing at the Maxim Gallery.”

      Interest flared in her bright blue eyes. “Oh, that sounds like fun. I’ve heard of the Maxim. I’ll warn you, though, that I know nothing about art.”

      “There’s no need for you to have knowledge of art.” Jethro assured her.

      He