Page 26 of Tempting Kat
Tessa,
Thanks for reaching out. I'm available today at 2pm at Grind House Coffee on 7th. Looking forward to hearing more about your project.
Kat
Glancing at the clock, I have ninety minutes to transform from feral gremlin to functioning human. I slam my laptop closed and dash to the shower.
I wash my ass and hair in the least amount of time possible and now I’m staring at my closet wondering what I should wear today.
Shorts and a t-shirt or jeans and a t-shirt.
This is a real Sophie’s choice, so I do what I always do when I’m undecided and make a wheel choose.
Grabbing my phone, I pull up my go-to website and enter jeans or shorts five times each, shuffle and then spin.
The wheel finally stops and jeans it is.
I pull on a pair of black jeans that make my ass look spectacular, a crimson red t-shirt and a pair of Converse. Mascara, black eyeliner and red lipstick pull it all together.
Grind House is busy but not packed when I arrive. I head to the counter and order an iced brown sugar shaken espresso and scan the crowd looking for anyone who might be Tessa.
My eyes skip over the girl with the light purple wavy hair, but when she quirks an eyebrow at me, I do a double take.
“Kat” my order is called out and I grab it before walking over to Miss Lilac.
“Tessa?”
“Katarina DeLuca,” she says, sounding like someone who's used to knowing exactly who she's talking to. “Please, have a seat.”
I slide into the chair across from her, trying not to stare. But fuck, it's hard not to. This woman is the opposite of what I expected. In my head, Tessa G was some middle-aged Karen with a designer handbag who wanted beige everything for her boring-ass business.
“You look surprised,” she says, lips curving into a knowing smile.
“I am,” I admit, taking a sip of my coffee. “You're not exactly what I pictured when I read 'luxury venture' in your email.”
She laughs, a sharp, pleasant sound. “I get that a lot. People expect someone older, more conservative.” She leans forward slightly. “I know I don't look how you expected, but that's part of why I wanted to meet in person. I got your name from Natalia, by the way.”
“Natalia?” I wrack my brain. “The fitness influencer?”
“That's the one. I saw what you did with her branding and website—the clean lines, the edge you gave her that set her apart from every other perky blonde selling protein powder. She couldn't stop raving about you.”
“That was a fun project.” I take a long drink of my coffee, feeling more at ease. “She let me do whatever I wanted, basically.”
“Which is exactly why I'm here.” Tessa leans forward, elbows on the table. “I need someone who can think outside the box.”
I mirror her posture. “So, what's this mysterious luxury venture?”
“I'm launching a high-end sex toy line.”
I nearly choke on my coffee. “You're—what?”
“Sex toys.” She says it loud enough that a guy at the next table glances over. “But not your basic vibrators and dildos. I'm talking artisanal pieces that double as sculptures. The kind you'd leave out on your nightstand because they look like expensive art.”
Holy shit. My brain is already spinning with design possibilities.
“I've got the product development handled,” she continues. “What I need is branding that's sophisticated but unmistakably sexual. Something that makes people feel both classy and turned on.”
“And you're only twenty-three?” The question escapes before I can stop it.
