Page 26 of Dating the Billionaire
“My joining was a mistake,” he said.
“Please don’t let one bad date spoil the entire experience for you,” she said.
But it hadn’t been a bad date. It had been the perfect date—just as Miranda Fox had promised him.
“You’re going to have to give it more time,” she continued, “and go on more dates before you give up on finding your soul mate.”
Teo chuckled at her romanticism. He’d given up on finding a soul mate long ago. Hell, even as a kid he’d known no such thing existed. His mother’s inability to maintain a relationship had shown him that there was no such thing as romance. She’d used men for money, and they’d used her for sex...until she’d gotten too old to attract them.
“I’m not looking for a soul mate,” he assured the matchmaker.
“Then why did you join the service?” she asked.
“To date.” Specifically to take a date to that gallery opening. He’d known Francesca wanted to set him up with an artist friend who was looking for a benefactor. The last thing he wanted was to get involved with another woman only after his money.
Savannah hadn’t lied about not using him for financial gain or influence. If she’d wanted anything from him, she would have called him back. Maybe she had only wanted that one night.
That had been one spectacular fucking night, though. His body ached with tension demanding release—the powerful, mind-blowing relief that she had given him. He wanted her again, still, so damn badly.
“So date,” Miranda Fox challenged him. “Go out with someone else.”
He snorted at the thought of getting as lucky as he’d been when Savannah had shown up at the door of his hotel suite. Lightning like that wasn’t about to strike twice.
“You already claimed to have set me up on the perfect date,” he reminded her.
“There is more than one perfect date,” she said.
“I thought you believed in soul mates,” he challenged her.
She chuckled now. “I also believe in just dating to date, to enjoy the company of another person, to have dinner, drinks, relax...”
“You don’t often use your own service, do you?” Matteo wondered.
Because there was nothing relaxing about dating, about becoming so intrigued with someone only to have her disappear and never call back.
“That would be a conflict of interest,” Miranda haughtily informed him. “My job is to help others find their soul mates, not to find my own.”
“Why does that sound like an excuse, Ms. Fox?” he challenged her.
She chuckled softly. “It could be,” she acknowledged. “It could also be the truth.”
“To truly represent your company and your clients,” he said, “you should try dating more. Then you’d know what it’s really like.”
“If you try another date, I might take your advice,” she said. “As it is...you’re being as hypocritical as you obviously think I am.”
“Tou—” He couldn’t say it. He couldn’t think it without thinking of Savannah. He understood why the two women were friends; they were both clever and quick-witted. And knowing that they were friends tempted him to press her for more information about the intriguing Savannah.
But maybe that was Savannah’s ploy after all. Maybe she was playing a game with him—making him want her so damn much more than he already had.
She’d made him lose control that night, and when she’d disappeared, she’d wrested control entirely away from him. It was damn time he took back control of his own life.
“Go ahead,” he told her.
“What?” she asked.
“Set me up with someone new,” he said. “Someone who really is everything you promised me—incapable of playing games with no ulterior motives.”
“Savannah—”
“Savannah is gone,” he said. And it was past damn time for him to accept that he wasn’t going to see her again. “So set me up with someone else. Someone I can trust.”
He knew that whoever she was, he would probably not be as attracted to her or as intrigued. But that was good. That was a hell of a lot safer than the way Savannah had made him feel. No. It was good that she hadn’t contacted him.
It would better for him to never see her again.
