Playing Her Cards Right: Choose Me

Her step faltered as he caught her eye. She smiled, one of those full-on middle American smiles that showed a whole lot of teeth. But as she started walking again that faltered, too. By the time he’d jumped down and met her on the sidewalk, she seemed worried. Or hungry. No. Worried.

“You all right?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said, nodding. “Fine, thanks.”

He wouldn’t press now. First they needed to order. “Hungry?”

“Sure.”

He grabbed her hand, and before they took a step toward the line at the big white truck, he kissed her cheek. He’d debated that move all the way over here. It seemed rude not to acknowledge their night together, yet he didn’t want to emphasize that aspect of their acquaintance, despite the fact that the memory of her in his bed had been a constant low-grade fever since he’d opened his eyes this morning. It didn’t surprise him that she stopped short and looked at him as if he were crazy. It didn’t matter. He stood by the kiss decision. Come on, how could he have resisted? One look at her with her pink bow and that small skirt …

Okay, shit, wrong turn. He breathed deeply the scent of fried foods and city buses, getting his bearings once more. They wouldn’t be able to order for at least ten minutes, considering the length of the line, then there would be the food to deal with. Might as well dive in. He kept hold of her as he maneuvered himself close enough to talk without being overheard. “I have a proposition for you.”

Her eyebrows rose.

“Last night, at the party, you were great.”

“Thanks,” she said, with just enough of a lift at the end to make it vaguely a question.

“I spent all morning trying to write the blog. So much time I ended up posting fillers from freelancers so people wouldn’t get antsy.”

“I know. I saw.”

“Ah. Of course.” He moved them up a half step in line. “Anyway, the thing was, you kept popping up in my first draft.”

“I popped up?” She said it slowly, her forehead now furrowed in confusion.

He didn’t normally confuse people. Piss them off, all the time, but clarity wasn’t an issue. “I realized that I’d felt as if last night was my first time at Fashion Week. That didn’t happen even when I did go for the first time. Seeing through your eyes was … different.” He’d almost said exhilarating. True, but too much information. “That’s what I wrote about. This morning.”

“O … kay,” she said.

He was not making his point. “I’m posting my blog late because I wanted to talk to you about it. I want to use your vision, for want of a better word, as the hook for the column. An innocent at Fashion Week. A new perspective.”

“I’m not that innocent,” she said, her tone brusque and bruised, as if he’d insulted her.

“You’re new to the city. You’re not jaded yet. Since Naked New York excels at jaded, I like the idea of approaching this series from another angle. I won’t mock you. In fact, I won’t use your name or image if you don’t want me to. It’ll be my impressions of your impressions. Which I’ve never done before, so you may or may not be fine with it.”

“You already wrote the blog?”

He nodded. “Three different versions. One with you specifically, one with you obliquely, and one that focuses only on my impressions. I can send them to your phone now, if you want to read them.”

“I would,” she said. “Does it say that I … we …” She flinched briefly, then carried on. “You know, got together … at your place?”

“No. No, that’s … no. This isn’t about personal stuff. It’s about the event. The party.”

“Oh,” she said, and this time it wasn’t equivocal. “Send them, then.”

He clicked the necessary buttons as a group of five in front of them suddenly dashed off, which moved him and Bree up to the food truck window. “What’ll you have? I’ll order while you read.”

“Fries. Large.”

“Nothing else?”

She thought for a moment, but couldn’t imagine eating a whole sandwich. Not while her stomach was in knots. “Tea, two sugars.”

He grinned. Couldn’t help it. He still couldn’t believe he’d actually served her tea on a silver platter. With tongs. Bizarre. But then, everything about last night had been.

He heard the sound of her receiving the documents on her phone, then he turned his attention to the guy behind the counter. He ordered, glanced at Bree, paid, looked again, then moved them to the waiting line where he out-and-out stared. He ignored everything but her body language, her expressions, the speed with which she read the screen. He learned absolutely nothing.

Turning so he could only see her in his peripheral vision, he reminded himself that whatever her response, it would be fine. Even if she went along with his whole scheme, it didn’t mean anything. Not personally. This was a work thing. That’s it. Maybe they’d have the opportunity to get together again, but that wasn’t the point.

Even though the pink ribbon killed him. In fact, the pink ribbon was the point. None of the people he hung out with would have put that outfit on, not on a bet. It was an anti-Manhattan look. Those who attended Fashion Week were more afraid of not being cool than they were of being hit by a car. Bree’s kind of unabashed adoration was straight from the heart with nothing expected in return.

Her point of view would ring true for the majority of his readers, many far more like her, young people who would never have a chance to go to a gala, never stand next to icons of fashion and film, never be able to afford a scarf from any of the designers, let alone a couture gown. The trick in this approach was the balance. There was a hint of sarcasm, because he was a sarcastic son of a bitch, but he didn’t make fun of Bree. It was a fine line, a welcome challenge.

The whole concept could bomb, but he didn’t think it would. He had good instincts about his readers, and this felt right.

She’d gripped an edge of her lower lip with a barely visible tooth, white and perfect. The urge to kiss her hit him again, only he didn’t want her cheek, but her mouth. Ah, Christ, what was his problem? This was business.

“Hey, you. Blog guy. You gonna move up or what?”

The question had come from a beefy man with a pencil thin mustache. Charlie moved closer to the truck, gentling Bree along with a light touch to her forearm.

She looked at him as she closed her cell phone. Her cheeks blushed a pink that almost matched her ribbon. “Oh,” she said.

That wasn’t enough information. Out of an overabundance of the need to appear cool at all times, he didn’t push for more. He schooled his expression into one of disinterest, which was the only acceptable stance during a strictly business meeting.

Her head tilted a tad to the right. No blinks now, only a piercing gaze and “Why?”

“Why?” he repeated.

She nodded. “Your blog works perfectly as it is. Obviously. Your numbers are incredible. Why would you want to mess with the format?”

“Mixing things up isn’t messing with the format. If it doesn’t work, I’ll find out quickly and drop the idea. It’s not the first time I’ve tried something new, and it won’t be the last.”

BREE STARED AT CHARLIE. This lunch was even stranger than she’d expected. And not for any of the reasons she’d anticipated. It most definitely wasn’t about the sex. Of course. Because that would have been crazy.

“Whatever your decision,” he said. “I need to know quickly.”

“Sure. Right. I understand.” How could she have forgotten even for a second? From the moment Rebecca had shown her Charlie’s trading card, she’d wondered what in the world a man like him would want with a girl like her. It had almost been a relief when she’d finally gotten last night that Rebecca had done her a favor, and in turn, he had done one for Rebecca. Why else would he have taken her out on Valentine’s Day? Even so, it had not been a date. He’d been very clear about the fact that it was work. She doubted he was ever truly distracted from his business. That’s how he’d become Charlie Winslow in the first place.

So he’d used her. Not maliciously, not at all. He’d found a way to parlay the favor, so good for him. He’d grabbed an opportunity, and by sheer luck, it might give her a spot on his blog. Other people would want to know who she was, how she’d scored a “date” with Charlie. She couldn’t have asked for a better shot at her dreams. But she had to be smart about it. Especially smart, given that the girlie part of her brain seemed to want to turn this into a romance. Nothing wrong with romance, but there was a time and a place.

Now that she had leapfrogged into the big time, she had to be more clear than ever about what was in her best interest for the long term, and not be dazzled.

“Look—” he said.

“If you need to have an answer right this minute,” she said, “it will have to be no.”