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chocolate off her belly.

      Instead, he’d barely warmed up when Hailey flashed those big green eyes at him and he’d totally forgotten his plan. That had never happened before. He’d had women flash their breasts in the middle of a sales pitch and he hadn’t missed a beat.

      But now, with his freedom on the line, he’d stepped all over his own tongue. Nothing like coming off as an arrogant ass to tip his hand and piss her off. He’d already lost his shot at seeing her naked. Time to table the idea of dinner, and dessert, and just get her to agree to give up the Rudolph deal. That way he could get the contracts nailed down before ole Rudy decided to add another twist or drag it out further. Then Gage could keep his own client appointments and maybe still get in a little holiday vacation.

      Noting the chill in her eyes as she pulled out her wallet to pay for the ice cream, he figured he’d better do it before she walked out.

      It was going to take some quick talking.

      And some clever marketing.

      Good thing he was good at both.

      “I already know firsthand how great your lingerie is.” He waited a beat, enjoying the way her eyes widened and a hint of pink touched her cheeks. Unable to resist, his gaze dropped to her chest. Completely covered to her chin in a black turtleneck, he could still imagine how she’d looked Saturday night. “You have a distinct sense of style, and now that I think about it, your elf outfit featured pieces of your lingerie line, didn’t it?”

      Like that bustier. The candy-cane-striped one that’d made his tongue ache to lick her.

      “It did,” she agreed slowly, as if not sure she wanted to trust him. Gage had to hand it to her; she looked like a china doll, but she was damned smart.

      “I’m impressed. Most men don’t notice what a girl’s wearing, let alone remember and recognize pieces of it days later.”

      “You made quite an impression. Even if I’d known we were competitors, I’m sure I’d still have hit on you, but I might have been a little more aware that this could get awkward.”

      “Oh, I don’t know,” she said, her words as sweet as the hot fudge on the edge of the ice-cream glass. She reached out to touch her finger to the thick chocolate, then pressed it to her tongue. His brain shut down. Gage didn’t know whether she’d done it because she was nervous or because she just knew it was the perfect way to torture him. Either way, the south side of his body took a quick leap north.

      “You don’t know?” he repeated, totally forgetting what they’d been discussing. Something about lingerie, probably.

      “I don’t know that this is awkward, really. More like a disappointment. I mean, we’re both trying to win the same contract. That means our dinner date is off.” As Gage was trying to find some appreciation for her practical acceptance of that, she gave a deep sigh that pressed her full chest against that lucky black fabric—and made the blood flow to his dick.

      It was that rush of blood that inspired his next words.

      “I don’t think it has to be quite as cut-and-dried as that,” he argued. “You can take my offer, reel in some big clients and everyone’s happy. Then we can play the rest of the game just fine.”

      “You see this as a game?”

      “The contract?” he asked. “Or our date?”

      Her laugh was a soft puff of air, barely there and not enough to reach her eyes.

      “Well, I guess that answers that.”

      “I’m just saying I don’t think we need to let this contract business get in the way of any potential pleasure between us,” he heard himself propositioning. This was the first time his dick had ever taken direct control of his brain and had him saying things he knew were insane. Gage wasn’t sure if he should be impressed or terrified.

      “Well, that does sound tempting,” Hailey agreed, her look so warm and sexy that he decided terrified was the wisest choice.

      “But I’ve got to ask,” she continued, turning the ice-cream glass in slow circles, its tempting fudge and just a smidgen of whipped cream on the side making him crazy with hunger. “Are you comfortable in second place? Because I plan to win that contract.”

      It took him three whole seconds to rip his gaze off her full lips and realize what she’d said.

      She thought she could beat him?

      Hell, all she had to do was take a deep breath and he’d be so focused on her body, she just might have a shot at it.

      “Babe, you might want to rethink your plan.” Despite feeling as if he’d fallen off a very unfamiliar cliff, Gage gave her a cocky smile. “I never lose.”

      He knew that statement edged him over into total ass territory. But dammit, he was rattled.

      Since this was a first, he clearly wasn’t handling it well.

      “Rethink my plan?” Her thick lashes fluttered over those big, round eyes, but she didn’t look intimidated. Nope. If anything, Hailey appeared irritated. “In what way do you think it needs rethunk?”

      Was that even a word? From the way she’d lifted her sharp chin, and arched one brow, Hailey looked as though she was challenging him to question it.

      Gage shook his head, trying to bring his thoughts back in line. This wasn’t about words, silly or otherwise. This was about her potential disappointment.

      He might have had to kiss goodbye all of the prurient sexual plans he had for her body, but he wasn’t the kind of guy who took his disappointment out on a lady.

      He liked to think he was too chivalrous for that.

      So he decided to warn her instead. Hopefully keep her from getting her hopes up too high.

      “You’re clearly the kind of gal who throws herself into things wholeheartedly,” he observed. From the tiny furrow between her brows, he figured he’d hit the mark, and she wasn’t exactly thrilled to be read that easily. No surprise. Most of his competitors weren’t. “But in this case, you’d do better to have a backup plan.”

      “Because you’re so sure you’re going to win.”

      “I’m just saying I don’t want to see you disappointed,” he told her, his smile as soothing as the hand he gently glided over her arm.

      Her green eyes chilled and she shifted her arm to one side. Only a few inches, but enough to make it clear that touching her had just made the off-limits list.

      “Ooh,” she said, drawing the word out in a husky tone that made him think of bedtime moans and whispered words in the dark. She tilted her head to one side and nodded. “So you don’t want me to be disappointed.”

      Never taking her eyes from his, she grabbed her jacket and purse from the seat beside her and slid from the booth. Her body moved with a grace that made it impossible for him to look away, even as manners automatically kicked in and sent him to his feet, as well.

      Her lips flicked in a satisfied smile, as if she’d expected nothing less.

      Then, in a move as deliberate as it was bold, her gaze slowly—oh, baby, so painfully slowly—drifted down his body. When she reached his zipper, and every wonderful thing contained therein, she gave a sad sort of shake of her head, then looked him in the eye.

      “Since our date, and any other plans that it might have led to, are clearly canceled, I’m sure the odds of my being disappointed just plummeted.”

      With that perfect put-down, and a smile more wicked than a woman with a face as sweet as hers should be allowed, Hailey turned on one sexy heel and walked away.

      Leaving Gage to stare at her very fine ass while trying to pull his jaw off the floor.

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