“I don’t think it does either, but I wouldn’t know.”
“Neither would I.”
He took a seat across from her. “Never been in love, Evelyn?”
She looked down at her laptop. “Not really. Not that all-consuming kind of love Stacie was telling me about. The kind where you can’t bear to be apart from the person you’re crazy about.”
“Yeah, me either. Half the time I think it’s just a bunch of bullshit you see in the movies and read about in books and that love like that doesn’t exist.”
When he didn’t say anything else, she met his gaze. “And the other half?”
He shrugged. “I guess I just haven’t found the time to meet that person who makes me wish I could be with them all the time.”
“Neither have I.”
He took a long swallow of his beer. “Too busy with career to fall in love?”
“My career has been my number one priority ever since I graduated from Georgetown.”
“On a career track, are you?”
“Yes. Very much so. I intend to end up at the White House.”
His lips curved. “As president?”
“It’s possible. Right now I’d be content working for someone in that position.”
“If my father makes it to the vice presidency, you’ll be close.”
She took a deep breath and let it out, trying not to let the excitement at that thought make her wiggle in her seat. “Closer than I thought I’d get at this point in my career.
When I first started working for your father, I knew he was a mover and a shaker with determined career aspirations. I told him then that wherever he was going, I not only wanted along for the ride, but I assured him I’d help him get there.”
“I can only imagine how his ego ate that up.”
“He’s a very nice man, Gray, and dedicated to his constituents. I believe in his platform.”
Gray rolled his eyes and took several swallows of beer, then laid the bottle on the table. “You’ve been poisoned by the Mitchell Preston Kool-Aid. I feel sorry for you.”
She wanted to smack that smug look right off his face. “Do I look stupid?”
“Not particularly, but you’re not the first woman to be taken in by the Preston charm.”
She pinned him with a look. “I don’t know about that. At this moment, I don’t find you very charming.”
“That’s because I’m not turning my charm on you. You should see me when I do.
You wouldn’t be able to resist me.”
Now she wanted to roll her eyes, but since he was technically a client, she didn’t dare. “Oh, trust me. I’d be able to resist.”
He stood and dumped the empty beer bottle in the recycle bin, then turned to her.
“Get up. We’re going out.”
She slid out of the booth. “We are? Where? Do I need to change clothes?”
“Yeah. I’ll take you to your hotel. Change into a dress.”
She peeked at her calendar on her phone. “I don’t see any event on your schedule.”
“It’s not an event, Evelyn. I’m taking you to dinner.”
“Oh. And I need a dress.”
“Yes. We’re going to a party after. There might be dancing.”
“Uh . . . if this isn’t a scheduled event, I could just go to my hotel . . .”
“Oh, no. You’re supposed to hang with me, right?”
“Well, yes, but . . .”
He slipped his hand in hers. “Then let’s hang out.”
SIX
OKAY, SO MAYBE GRAY DIDN’T NEED TO TAKE EVELYN TO dinner. He could have ended their night, she could have gone back to her hotel, and he could have gone over the stacks of paperwork and emails he knew were waiting for him.
Instead, all he’d thought about was her not finding him charming.
He could be f**king charming. He could charm the panties right off of her if he wanted to. He got a lot of women in his bed with very little effort. And if she thought for one second he couldn’t turn the charm on full throttle and do the same to her without her even being aware of it, then she hadn’t researched him as well as she thought.
Not that he had any intention of seducing her. She worked for his father and he wanted to keep things between them business only. The last thing he wanted was to get any closer to Evelyn Hill than was absolutely necessary.
But he could sure as hell show her that she couldn’t resist his charms when he set his mind to it. No matter who she was.
He’d waited downstairs while she ran up to change clothes. He’d done that himself, switching from his jeans and T-shirt to a pair of black slacks and a white button-down shirt.
Evelyn came through the doors in a slinky red dress and high heels that nearly made his tongue fall out. Those legs—Christ, she had spectacular legs. His c**k tightened and he was glad he’d left his shirt untucked because he was going to have a hard-on before she made it to the car.
He figured he deserved that for having nefarious plans where she was concerned.
So his dick would just have to suffer the consequences tonight.
He got out and came around to the passenger side, making sure to lean in and whisper against her ear, “You look gorgeous.”
She looked confused as she turned toward him. “Thank you.”
Point one in his favor.
It was about an hour’s drive, but well worth it, in his opinion, to eat at The Oak Room, one of his favorite restaurants in Louisville. And okay, he wanted to impress her. From her wide-eyed look at the menu, he’d succeeded.
“Wine or a bourbon tasting?” he asked. One of his favorite things about The Oak Room was their fine bourbon, though because of the long drive he wouldn’t be able to indulge like he normally would if he was staying closer.
“By all means, please select however you’d like.”
“You don’t strike me as a bourbon drinker.”
“You forget, I make my life around politicians. I adapt.”
“Bourbon it is.”
He ordered five different bourbons. Like a trouper, Evelyn sampled all of them and showed no signs of inebriation, though he made sure their waiter kept a steady supply of water at the table.
“You down the contents of those glasses like you know your way around a glass of bourbon.”
She laid an empty glass aside. “These are excellent bourbons. And I told you, I work with politicians, some of whom are heavy drinkers and act insulted when you don’t drink with them. I’ve learned to tolerate alcohol quite well.”