“Hesitation. Negativity in her choice of words. Body language and facial expressions will give me much of what I need. I want you to tip me off to any negative nuances in her language.”
She set down her glass. “Look, Gabe, I don’t know what…my father told you, but I’m not a linguistics expert.”
He pinned her with an uncompromising stare. “You’re fluent in the local dialect. All I want are impressions. If she’s hedging, I want to know.”
She studied his earnest face. No wonder he’d achieved so much at such a relatively young age. A man who controlled every detail of a meeting, including dialect nuances, couldn’t help but succeed.
“Okay, I can see where a second set of eyes and ears could be helpful, but how am I supposed to let you know there’s something you should be concerned about without tipping her off? You said her English is limited, but she’s bound to notice if I halt the conversation to say, Hey, Gabe, I think she’s trying to jerk you around.”
Humor twinkled in his eyes below arching brows.
She cleared her throat. “What I mean is, how do I let you know if I sense she’s dissembling? Do I kick you under the table or something?”
He chuckled, sitting back once more. “I’d rather you didn’t resort to kicking.” His Texas drawl dropped an octave to a near croon and an utterly male smile slid over his face. “Those boots you’re wearing are damn sexy, but they look lethal.”
She blinked. He noticed my boots and thinks they’re sexy?
Jane swallowed against the resumed batting of delicate wings. Okay, she should probably reevaluate that whole “ingrained habit” thing. The sensual challenge in his eyes was far too purposeful for him to have uttered his comment out of simple habit.
He smiled when she remained silent. “I see your point. Let’s try something a little less…intimate.” He nodded toward the glassware in front of her. “Straighten your water glass if you sense something is off.”
Heat tingled across her cheekbones. God, was she blushing? She clenched her fingers in her lap to keep her hands from flying to her face. Relief clashed with disappointment when his intent gaze suddenly left hers and settled on something beyond her shoulder. Though subtle, his countenance shifted. His smile broadened, even as his eyes cooled, full of polite greeting rather than the amused warmth of a moment ago.
She sighed on an internal shrug. Playtime was over. The businessman had reappeared.
Chapter Two
“Wow.” Jane stared at the taillights of the cab pulling away from the curb. “You may want to consider a personal bodyguard for the duration of the Sexy Six Spring.”
Gabe jammed the Stetson onto his head, spinning to face her. Dark brows arched over narrowed green eyes.
Okay, so maybe she’d stepped over the line by announcing Gabe had to leave to make the charter he’d booked with The Condom King, but after witnessing the predatory glint in the beautiful designer’s eyes for the past hour, Jane’s catty side had finally had enough. She covered her guilty grimace with a cheeky shrug. “I just wanted to give her something to think about on her lonely ride home.”
Big hands propped on his hips, a reluctant smile tugged at his mouth. “If you really were my assistant, I’d fire you for insubordination.”
Relief made her cocky. “And I’d demand a hefty severance package.”
He shook his head. “No doubt.”
She grinned, and the moment stretched out in silence. Finally, she cleared her throat. “Well. I’ll report back to Dad, so you needn’t bother coming up with an excuse for why his matchmaking failed.”
“What will you tell him?”
She cocked her head. What the hell. She’d never see him again anyway. “I’ll tell him the truth. Gabe Sutton was a perfect gentleman, and lovely to look at, but we just didn’t click.”
He arched a brow. “Will he be satisfied with that?”
If Michael Austin was anything like her father, he wouldn’t settle for anything less than a ring, a prenuptial agreement and a ceremony.
She jerked her shoulder in a careless shrug. “Of course not, but you’ll be off the hook. He’ll find another stud to dangle in front of me soon enough.” She shifted the strap of her purse over her shoulder and stuck out her gloved hand. “Thanks for tonight. The meal was delicious and the business interesting.” He shook her hand, lingering over the process a bit longer than she expected. She tugged free. “Well, bye.” Turning, she headed down the sidewalk.
“Shae.”
Jane winced, stopped and looked back over one shoulder.
“Where are you going?” He jerked a thumb toward a waiting cab. “Can I give you a lift?”
“I’d like to walk, thanks.”
His gaze followed the night-dimmed sidewalk to the end of the block. “A woman walking alone at night isn’t a good idea.”
She glanced around. The hour was still relatively early by Parisian standards, and though the sidewalks weren’t overly crowded, they weren’t empty, either. Couples still strolled and occasional shoppers carried their purchases on their way home. “People are still out. I’ll be fine.”
He waved off the cab, closing the distance between them. “I’ll walk with you.”