Alex smiled coolly and shook his head. “I wasn’t trying.”
“Sure you weren’t.” Jaiven stretched out in the booth and drained half his beer. “So were you out at some swanky media thing?”
“A birthday party.”
Jaiven just shrugged and took another swig of his beer. Although Jaiven’s fortune rivaled Alex’s own, his friend steadfastly refused to rub elbows with the people he still considered snobs and he never attended any society parties or events.
He’d quit school at sixteen and started his own shipping business with nothing more than with a strong back and a beat-up van with expired plates, and in the fifteen years since then he’d built it up into a multimillion-dollar shipping enterprise. In all that time he’d never left the Bronx behind.
He still lived there, admittedly in a much nicer place, and he was proud of where he’d come from, who he was and always would be. He often told Alex he’d punch him in the face any time he started acting like an ass again, and Alex took him at his word.
“But there is a woman, right?” he asked now, and Alex lifted one shoulder in a shrugging answer.
“There might be.”
“What, she’s playing hard to get?”
“Not exactly.”
Jaiven shook his head, let out another laugh. “Whoever it is, she’s got you by the balls, my friend. You’re looking like you need to get laid.”
Alex smiled grimly. “Maybe I do.” He and Jaiven had always shared the same approach to sex and love: one-night stands, the occasional week-long fling, and absolutely no expectations of anything else. He was honest about that as he was about everything else; he made sure a woman knew the rules before he’d so much as got her bra off.
Except he doubted Chelsea Maxwell was looking for a relationship. No, he was pretty sure she’d view sex the same way he did. Mutually enjoyable for an evening, and no more.
He felt his insides clench with anticipation. That would be plenty.
* * *
Chelsea stared at the little pink slip with Alex Diaz’s name scrawled on it and wondered again just what the man wanted.
He’d called two hours ago, and she wasn’t about to trip all over herself to call him back. No, let him wait. Let him wonder. She tucked the slip in her purse—no need for anyone to know Alex Diaz was calling her—and reached for her laptop.
“Chelsea? Do you have a minute?”
She looked up to see Michael Agnello entering her office. “Of course.” She shut her laptop, pushed her chair away from her desk and crossed her legs. “Just answering some emails.”
“I wanted to talk about the Treffen interview.”
“All right.” Seemed like everyone did, she thought. Coincidence? Probably not. Probably everyone, even Michael, was surprised she’d actually scored a prime-time interview with Treffen. Everyone but her. She’d worked hard for it, and she’d earned it, and she fully intended to have it make her career.
“What about it?” she asked as Michael sat down across from her.
“Treffen and his lawyer want to meet with you before the interview to go over exactly how it’s going to proceed.”
Chelsea frowned, even though she wasn’t really all that surprised. “That seems a bit counterproductive. I’d like to have our conversation progress naturally.”
“Treffen wants a little more control.”
“Why?”
Michael shrugged. “Why not? The man has a reputation, Chelsea, and it’s not to sob on a pink velour sofa.”
Annoyance prickled, even though she knew Michael had a point. “You know this interview isn’t going to be like that.”
“I know, which is why you should meet with him. It makes sense.”
“Maybe.”
In the past week she’d taped two shows, one with a disgraced Olympian who’d had to give back her bronze medal after a doping scandal, and another with a country Western star trying to resurrect her career after several album flops and public meltdowns. Chelsea had brought them to tears both times.
But her interview with Treffen was going to be different. No sordid secrets, no noisy tears. Just honest, respectable journalism. Treffen, after all, wasn’t a washed-up has-been trying to resurrect his career.
I know what he’s done.
She thought suddenly of the hard look on Alex Diaz’s face when he’d spoken about Treffen. No matter what he had or hadn’t said, he clearly didn’t like the man.
And now, Chelsea realized, she wanted to know why. She needed to know, especially if Treffen intended on imposing his control over the interview.
“I’m happy to meet with him,” she told Michael. “But he’d better not expect to dictate all the terms of the interview.”
“He just might,” Michael warned her with a shake of his head. “And if you want Treffen to do this interview, you just might have to agree.”
Chelsea pressed her lips together in silent, if unwilling, acceptance. Nothing could jeopardize this opportunity to interview Treffen, to finally make her career. Rise above the rumors she had always refused to deny. Nothing—not even the man himself.
Several hours later she was still mulling over the upcoming meeting with Treffen, set for next week, when her administrative assistant buzzed through. “I’ve got Alex Diaz on the line.”
Chelsea felt a surge of satisfaction. So he’d called. Twice. A smile of anticipation on her lips, she reached for the phone. “Alex.”
“Hello, Chelsea.”
Her insides contracted at the sound of his husky murmur. His voice seemed to steal right inside her and wrap around her soul. It wasn’t fair, to be affected by a voice so much.
More importantly, it was stupid. And Chelsea was never stupid about men. Not anymore. She’d ignore that kick of attraction for now. Play it businesslike. Smart. Safe.
“What can I do for you?” she asked briskly.
“Interesting that you ask,” he answered, and that soul-stealing voice took just a little bit more away from her.
“And why is it so interesting?”
“Because what you can do is go out to dinner with me.”
Heat flared. He made it sound like a date. And maybe it was. “Why would I do that?” she asked, and this time she kept her tone on the wobbly line between challenge and flirt.
“Because I’d like to get to know you a bit better,” he answered, and it was impossible to tell what he meant. Personally? Professionally? Chelsea had no idea, and she was pretty sure that was how Alex wanted it.
“Interesting,” she drawled, “but I’m not sure it’s mutual.”
Alex laughed softly, the sound strangely, stupidly intimate over the phone. “Are you sure about that, Chelsea?”
The sound of her name on his lips made her feel weirdly exposed, especially considering it wasn’t even her real name. “I never said I wanted to get to know you,” she answered flippantly. “Now, if you’re offering something else...” She dropped her voice suggestively, wondered what he’d do with her innuendo. What she would.
“And what would you like me to offer?” Alex asked after