“It’s fine. You saved me from another ten minutes of a boring pitch,” I replied, slipping my hands into my pockets and doing my best to stare anywhere but her chest. I’m no saint, and she had an unbelievable body. Nothing like the fashion girls I usually saw around Lorena’s office. Emaciated seemed to be the desired look as of late, but Josephine had curves.
“Oh crap. You were doing a pitch?” Her eyes widened and then she covered her mouth. “Ignore the fact that I just said crap.”
I smiled.
“Twice,” she said, uncovering her mouth and seeming to regroup. She rolled her shoulders back and stared up into my eyes. She looked so young, much too young for me.
I laughed. “It’s fine.”
“This whole event is making me a little nervous to be honest,” she offered, glancing up at me from beneath her long lashes. She blushed, a rosy tinge dotting her cheeks—the same blush I’d appreciated outside earlier.
“Is this your first big event?” I asked, tilting my head to the side with a curious smile.
“Is it obvious?” she asked, touching her curled hair self-consciously.
I shook my head. “No. The event coordinators tend to memorize faces after a while, so their guest lists are more of a formality.”
She laughed, interpreting my subtle reference to her delayed entrance earlier.
“Well, my face is far from being memorable.”
I resisted the urge to insist otherwise.
“Should I get us a drink?” I offered, trying to figure what her game was. Most women were a little more forward, but Josephine seemed to be working up the nerve to ask me something. I thought perhaps I could make it a little easier on her.
She held up her hands to stop me. “No thank you. No drink.”
Her gaze drifted to the party as she took a deep breath and then she met my eye with newfound conviction.
“I wanted to speak with you because I’d like a job at Lorena Lefray Designs. I actually submitted my application this afternoon—before I realized you’d be at this event—and I was hoping if I got a chance to speak with you, maybe you could put in a good word for me.”
Son of a bitch.
She wanted a job, not a night in my hotel room.
I narrowed my eyes and studied her: delicate features, bee-stung lips. She was practically lethal.
“What position did you apply for?”
Her back straightened as she replied, “Executive assistant. I think it would be for Lorena, but the job description didn’t specify.”
Of course.
I stared out at the party, trying to regroup for a moment before glancing back to her. This was dangerous territory. The feeling of being near her in public was tempting enough; would I really want her working alongside me every day?
When I glanced back, the glimmer of hope hadn’t faded from her eyes. God, she was so young. Couldn’t have been a day over twenty-five. Was I willing to dash her dreams just because I found her attractive?
I cleared my throat.
“Actually, the position isn’t with Lorena. It’s with me. Lorena is ill and I’m stepping in to help with the company for the time being. I’m hiring an assistant to help me for a few weeks.”
I was feeding her a lie, but the truth was too personal to explain at the moment. The paparazzi were already hounding Lorena’s every move and it was my job to protect her as much as possible.
Josephine’s red lips formed a small “o”.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” she said, nodding and brushing a strand of light brown hair away from her face.
Was she disappointed she wouldn’t be working with Lorena? I couldn’t tell.
“You can retract your application if you’ve changed your mind,” I offered with a quirked brow.
Her eyes widened and she reached out to touch my forearm. I ignored the desire to wrap my hand around hers.
“No! No. I would still like to be considered for the position,” she reiterated. She stared down at her hand on my forearm as if to nail the point home, then quickly pulled it away, clasping it with her other hand in front of her trim waist.
“But now that I have to interview with you this just seems…”
She hesitated and I smiled.
“A bit awkward?”
She laughed. “Well, yes.”
I watched her try to collect her thoughts. The light tan covering her clear complexion made her bright eyes stand out even more. The freckles dotting the tops of her cheeks were a refreshing sight.
I smiled. “Don’t worry about it. I can hardly fault someone for showing initiative when opportunity strikes.”
“Okay well, um, I hope to hear from you about an interview,” she smiled. “But y’know, don’t feel like you have to give me one because of tonight, and me now practically begging for it.”
I choked back a laugh.
Her eyes widened.
“That didn’t sound right, I admit,” she laughed and covered her face for a moment.
I wanted to bail her out of the hole she was digging, but it was too damn cute to watch her squirm.
“Let’s just ignore the fact that I’ve made a fool of myself, all right? I’ll just walk away and you can pretend that I was very charming and put together.”
I bent to catch her eyes and smiled.
“I assure you that there won’t be any favoritism during the interviews. I’ll evaluate everyone with a clean slate.”
She smiled. “Okay good!”