Page 4 of Simply Irresistible
The doors opened, and a couple models walked on barely sparing me a glance. I took offense to it in the beginning…the whole being blown off thing. I’d always thought I was a good-looking guy, and when these women wouldn’t even look my way, it was a major blow to my ego. Then I realized that most of the models were so self-absorbed (or hungry) that they didn’t pay attention to anyone around them, not even male models, so it wasn’t just me. Ego restored.
Just as the doors were about to meet in the middle, a slim hand slipped between them, causing them to reopen. I was met with those wide greenish-brown eyes, and I couldn’t help but smile. She smiled back. What was odd was that both models smiled and said hello to her when she stepped inside.
Who was she?
My mystery woman looked like a pin-up girl. She was wearing a black dress with a high neckline. It fit tightly around her chest and flared out from her waist, stopping just above her knees. She had a long, hot pink scarf tied around her trim waist. She sidled up beside me, giving me another shy smile, another peek at those beautiful eyes. I wanted to ask her to lunch right now, but I didn’t want to do it with an audience. What if she spooked? Or turned me down in front of people? So, I waited. I wanted nine whole floors, three of which we stopped at. As soon as we reached the lobby and the car unloaded, I reached for her arm.
“Excuse me?” I said softly, and she turned to look at me, a question in her eyes. “I’m Tyler,” I said, feeling like an idiot, but knowing I had to at least tell her my name before I asked her out.
“Melanie,” she said, and I smiled again. Her voice was soft and angelic. Well, maybe a little huskier than an angel, but still sexy.
“It’s nice to officially meet you, Melanie.” Her cheeks pinked when she realized I’d noticed her before that moment. “I’m heading to lunch, and I was wondering if you’d like to join me.”
She looked towards the door briefly, as if seeking out an escape route, and my heart sunk. Then she looked back to me, her cheeks redder than before, and she smiled a beautiful smile.
“I’d like that.”
I exhaled the breath I’d been holding and returned her smile. “Great. There’s a little Thai place up the road that’s pretty quick.”
“Thai Two?” she asked.
“You know it?” I asked, turning towards the door.
She fell into step beside me. “Know it? I think I’ve probably single-handedly kept their delivery guy in business over the last couple years.”
“Ah, I’ve never ordered delivery from them.” She looked at me, surprised. “I prefer to leave for lunch.” I almost saidescape,but I held back since I wasn’t sure what her role was yet withLeading Lady. No matter how much of an asshole I thought he was, I wasn’t about to bad mouth my boss to one of his colleagues. I had a great reputation atYou’re the Manand I wasn’t about to ruin that.
She nodded, and we exited the building onto the crowded city street. The heat hit me as soon as I’d stepped outside, that and the smell of pretzels and hot dogs from the nearby street vendors. It made my stomach growl, and I was thankful we were headed to lunch.
“What do you do atLeading Lady?” I asked, breaking the silence as we waited on the corner for the signal to walk.
“I’m Brianna Heatherly’s executive assistant.” I stared at her, speechless for a moment. This girl was the equivalent tomeat her magazine, executive assistant to the editor-in-chief. The reaction from the models made sense now. Melanie was a gatekeeper.
“Wow, that’s pretty cool.”
She shrugged off my comment as we crossed the street. “What do you do?” she asked.
“I’m actually the executive assistant to the editor-in-chief ofYou’re the Man.”
Her eyebrows went up. “You work for Roger Hoffstadt?”
“I do,” I said, wanting to deny it.
“I’m so sorry,” she said, then she slapped her hand over her mouth, and her eyes went wide, like she couldn’t believe she’d said the words aloud.
I couldn’t help but laugh. “I take it Roger’s reputation is well known?”
She made a face. “There’s a lot of talk around the water cooler about him.” I shook my head, surprised he still had a job given his notoriety. “I’m sorry,” she apologized again.
“No need to apologize,” I told her, stepping ahead to pull open the restaurant door.
“But if you like him…”
I laughed at that. “I don’t like him, Spice. Not even a little bit.” She frowned, and I could tell she wanted to say more but we were interrupted by the hostess.
We were escorted to a small table in the back, and I held out Melanie’s chair for her. Her long hair moved over her shoulder, and I caught scent of strawberries and peaches. It smelled delicious—shesmelled delicious.
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