Just great. She’d only known Josh for a week and already he was disrupting her predictable lifestyle.
“But look at what I’m wearing.” Becca glanced down at her black slacks and simple black blazer that covered her beige blouse. Her outfit was hardly suitable for having lunch with a man like Joshua DeLong.
“You’re a beautiful woman,” Leanna said. “Here, let’s just make a few changes.” Leanna pulled off her jacket and unbuttoned the first three buttons of her blouse.
“That’s too many,” Becca said as she buttoned up two of the three.
Leanna frowned. “Can we compromise at unbuttoning at least two?”
Becca nodded her head. “I can work with two.”
“Well, I definitely want you to ‘work it,’ but how about we just focus on getting you through the lunch for now. Here, let’s change shoes. I think we wear the same size.” Leanna kicked off her black heels.
Becca glanced down at her beige ballerina shoes. “What’s wrong with my shoes?”
Leanna blinked rapidly. “Sweetie, you can’t dine with a man like Joshua DeLong wearing flats.”
Becca shrugged. “I suppose you have a point.” She easily slipped her feet into the heels. She wasn’t a stranger to high-heeled shoes, and putting on Leanna’s reminded her how much she’d missed them.
Leanna stepped back and admired the wardrobe changes. “Perfect. Now all you have to do is take your hair out of that tight bun.”
Becca swatted Leanna’s hands away. “No way I’m taking down my bun. My hair will not cooperate in this Miami summer heat right now without my products.”
“Hello? I own my own hair and beauty salon.” Leanna lifted the bag on her shoulder. “I always bring hair reinforcements with me.”
“Sorry, hon, but your magic bag of tricks is going to have to make an appearance at another time. I refuse to change my hair for a business lunch.”
Leanna and Stacy shared a look. “Okay, I guess this is good for now,” Leanna said. “Now go out there and redeem yourself from the last conversation.” Leanna slapped her butt for good measure, causing Becca to laugh. Unfortunately, her laughter was short-lived, because she turned the corner and focused her gaze on Josh, who was standing near the reception desk.
You can do this, she thought as she approached. Unlike their first meeting, he was dressed in business casual clothing—maroon slacks with a light blue button-up and his Ray-Bans. His blue suede shoes complemented the entire outfit. When Josh saw her, he removed his Ray-Bans and once again, she was temporarily entranced in his beautiful baby blues.
“Hello, Becca,” he said as she approached. “It’s nice to see you again.”
“Hello, Josh.” Try not to stare so hard at his pearly whites. “What brings you by our office?”
“I was hoping that we could have lunch and go over the final paperwork.” He briefly glanced over her shoulder at something behind her. Becca figured it was Leanna and Stacy, who were ready to jump in if she declined his lunch offer.
“Sure, I’m available for lunch.”
“Great, I’m parked right outside. If it’s okay with you, I’ll drive us to the restaurant and drop you back off after.”
“That’s fine.” She briefly waved at Leanna and Stacy as she followed Josh outside. The minute she stepped out onto the sidewalk, she froze.
“Oh my God,” she said, walking toward the gorgeous vehicle parked in front of her office. “Does this breathtaking beauty belong to you?”
“Um, yes,” Josh said with a laugh. “This is one of my vehicles.”
One of? Becca had a few guilty pleasures, and luxury cars had to be in her top five. “May I?” she asked, itching to run her fingers across the smooth steel.
“Sure.” Josh didn’t look phased by her request, which only increased her boldness. She felt like her hand moved in slow motion as she touched the exterior of the car.
“I take it you like luxury vehicles?” Josh asked. “It’s a—”
“French blue Bugatti Chiron. It goes as fast as two hundred and sixty miles per hour and is one of the most powerful luxury vehicles in the world.” Becca hadn’t meant to cut him off, but she was salivating over the car. She walked around the entire Bugatti and admired the detail.
“I wish the vehicle was see-through,” Becca said, more to herself than Josh. “If it was, I imagine I’d see a sixteen-cylinder engine with double-powered turbochargers and a frame so sexy it would make me want to cry happy tears and thank the inventors for creating such a beautiful piece of art.”
After a few more minutes admiring the vehicle, Becca finally looked at Josh. He was standing on the sidewalk with his arms crossed over his chest and a smirk on his face.
“Sorry,” she said. “I guess you can say I have a bit of a car fetish.”
“There’s no need to apologize.” He walked over and opened the door for her. “If I was the type of man to get jealous, I’d have stopped you from admiring my car minutes ago. Instead, you just made me more curious about how you developed your love of cars.”
Becca smiled as she got into the car, and Josh followed. Neither of them spoke for the first couple minutes of the drive.
“So are you going to make me beg?”
Becca turned to Josh. “Make you beg for what?”
“Are you going to tell me how you know so much about cars, or are you going to make me beg for the details?”
Becca’s laughter echoed throughout the car. “Something tells me that a man like you has never had to beg for anything a day in his life.”
As the car stopped at a light, Josh met her eyes. “Something tells me that you’re the type of woman who would make me beg.” His look was intense and one that she hadn’t yet seen. “And something tells me that I wouldn’t mind begging.”
Is he flirting with me? There’s no way Joshua DeLong is flirting with me. Yet the minute his lips curled into a side smile, she disregarded her previous thought. For whatever reason, he was flirting with her, and for an even more insane reason, she was liking it.
* * *
“Is French okay with you?” Josh asked as they were taken to one of the best seats in the upscale restaurant. Even in the daytime, the dim lighting in the restaurant provided an intimate ambiance.
“French is fine, but I wasn’t aware that this was going to be such an extravagant lunch.”
Josh glanced around. “This restaurant has the best French food in Miami. The head chef just won another prestigious award.”
“I’ve heard great things about this place,” Becca said as she opened her menu.
“I meant to tell you,” Josh said, opening his menu, as well. “You look really nice today.”
“Thank you,” she said with a smile. He noticed that her black-rimmed glasses seemed smaller than the ones he’d seen her wear in her online picture. He actually liked these glasses a lot. They fit her.
He couldn’t quite place what was different about her today, but she looked less restricted than he’d seen her look before. He’d meant to comment on it when they were leaving her office, but her enthusiasm over his car had caused him to forget.
If he hadn’t needed to discuss the paperwork, he would have been content with watching her admire his Bugatti all day. The excitement he’d seen on her face was enough to keep him entertained for hours. He still wanted to see just how deep her knowledge of cars went, but she’d grown quiet