‘Hold on.’ He pulled a white envelope out of his breast pocket. ‘Maybe this will convince you. This is where we’d be going.’
She took the envelope by the corner. It was heavyweight paper with razor-crisp edges. The name Melvin Summers was written on the envelope in fine calligraphy. It was obviously a special event, but her breath caught in her lungs when she read the invitation inside.
‘The White House? You’re inviting me to a function at the White House?’
His blue eyes flashed. ‘I knew that would get me somewhere.’
Rielle dropped the invitation. She wanted to be suspicious of it, but everything about it screamed that it was real. ‘No, no. I didn’t say yes.’
‘But you’re tempted.’ It didn’t matter what she said, he’d scented blood.
She sprang out of her chair. ‘That’s a reception to welcome the Prince and Princess of Sweden.’
‘Yes.’
‘But why?’
‘Why? It’s good for foreign relations. It’s polite for the U.S. to welcome them. They just got married.’
She couldn’t help rolling her eyes. ‘No, why would you come here?’
His grin came and went so quickly, it was questionable if it had ever been there, but the edginess about him changed. Became sleeker and more approachable. ‘Word is that you’re all trained in protocol. You’re not going to grab the wrong fork or say the wrong thing.’
‘I haven’t had that training.’
‘But you have manners. You haven’t told me to get the hell out yet – which you should have, by the way.’
She knew, and it made her even more nervous that he knew. Nina would be horrified to learn that a stranger, even a client, was in the office alone with her after hours. Yet Rielle’s grandmother had been a stickler for etiquette. Learned behaviour was hard to shake.
She took a deep breath. This was just crazy. ‘I can’t believe you came here looking for an escort to meet the President with you.’
‘I came here looking for an escort, but I found a date.’ He watched her closely as he slid the invitation back into his pocket. ‘And a beautiful one at that. Come on, save me here.’
Warmth rose up in her. She hadn’t been called beautiful in a long time.
She dragged her hand through her hair, forgetting completely about the alarm button. She couldn’t go out with a complete stranger, not even to a dinner at the White House, as tempting as it might be.
Why not? the devil on her shoulder asked.
Because it wasn’t safe, the angel on the other replied.
But it could be.
She worried her thumbnail against the back of her chair. Luxxor had security. She could tell their crew about her plans. She could inform them who she was with and where they were going. Where on the face of the earth would there be more security than the White House? He was bold, but she doubted he’d try anything there.
‘Full disclosure,’ he said. ‘We’d probably only get to meet the President and First Man for thirty seconds, tops. We’d shake hands, say a few words, snap a picture and then be on our way.’
‘Only get to’?
Rielle fought not to roll her eyes again, but she caught him watching her. Studying her. Trying to figure her out.
It made her stiffen. She knew she should say no. She didn’t know this man. She shouldn’t go anywhere with him. Luxxor might have her everlasting loyalty, but there were limits to what she would do for them. Her salad and book were safer. Known quantities. Boring quantities.
Everything inside her wanted to say yes. Just dive in and go for it. When would she ever get a chance to go to something like this again?
She saw escorts leaving the office every day on high adventures. She’d heard the stories that Sienna, Dane and Genieve would tell, and she secretly envied them. They were wined and dined, entertained and offered opportunities solely because people had become so busy, they didn’t have time to form close connections of their own. She hadn’t been out on the town in so long. It had been a self-imposed limitation, but that didn’t mean it didn’t feel constricting.
And she’d felt more alive and alert in the last fifteen minutes than she had in the past few years.
Of course, she wasn’t willing to go beyond drinks and small talk. Some of their escorts went beyond that. Way beyond that. She didn’t like to think about that aspect of Luxxor’s business.
But that didn’t mean a part of her didn’t secretly envy them, too. Sex was such a long-ago memory, she’d begun to forget what it was like. To kiss someone, to touch someone, to feel the stroke of a long, hard body atop hers…
With the way he was looking at her, though, she was starting to remember.
‘I can’t,’ she blurted, falling back into her safety zone.
‘You can’t go out on a date?’
She fidgeted. ‘It’s black tie. I don’t have anything to wear.’
The look of success in his eyes warned her she’d lost the battle. ‘Well, that can be fixed. We’ll go shopping first. I’ll pay for whatever you need.’
‘No,’ Rielle said, one last bit of self-preservation rising up within her. One last bit of fear.
Lines rippled across his forehead. ‘No, you won’t go with me or no to the shopping?’
She bit her lip. She didn’t want to disappoint him, but that was the biggest warning sign of all. She shouldn’t let politeness overrule her instincts.
The look of confusion on his face slowly slid into a look of concern. ‘Listen, nothing is going to happen that you don’t want to happen. I’m just looking for someone to have dinner with, to talk to and maybe share a laugh with about all the overly important people there. You can leave if you feel uncomfortable with me.’
But she did feel uncomfortable.
In a charged-up sort of way.
Rielle stared at him in surprise. She suddenly realised that her stomach was knotted and her nerves were jumpy, but she wasn’t scared of him. She would have pushed the emergency button if she was.
She sighed. She’d become so used to being careful that her radar was always cranked up to high. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Couldn’t she just let go and have some fun?
‘No to the shopping.’ She forced her shoulders to relax. She could make this work, and it might even be a good first baby step for her. She almost coughed. This guy was no baby step, but the controlled situation would be. If she wanted to get out there again, she needed to make a move sometime.
Why not now? It was the White House.
And he was easy on the eyes.
‘Let me see if my boss has anything I could borrow.’
‘Excellent.’ He folded his arms and stood in a wide stance.
‘Stay here,’ she ordered. She grabbed her purse, locked her desk drawer and made sure her computer was secure. When she turned towards Nina’s office, he started to follow. She pointed at a chair in the lobby. ‘Right there.’
He frowned. ‘Nothing too attention-drawing or flashy.’
‘I know how to dress appropriately.’
He gaze went over her in a flash of heat. ‘Point taken. OK,