Kimberly Dean - Courting Innocence

‘I’ll make a call, but that’s not what I meant,’ he said. He sat back in his chair, coffee mug in hand. ‘What’s Erin planning to do with her life?’

Sienna sucked in a breath. ‘Don’t push her. Not today.’

‘I want to find a job,’ Erin said without hesitating. ‘I want to take cooking lessons and maybe start a blog. I could do more charity work.’

She’d do anything to make herself less humdrum and tiresome. She’d gone into her engagement with no thoughts past being someone’s wife. Now, she wanted more. She wanted to stand on her own two feet. She wanted to explore her interests. And she wanted to find a man who thought she was sexy and captivating.

She sat up a little straighter and felt something brush against her bare foot. Looking down, she saw a stiff black piece of paper.

It was a business card, a classy one. Black with gold trim, it had Sienna’s name on it with a phone number underneath. Erin felt excitement rise within her. When Sienna tried to snatch it, she pulled it out of reach.

Luxxor Limited.

‘Is this where you’re working?’ Her roommate had recently got a job, but Erin hadn’t been able to ferret any information out of her.

Sienna turned pale. She shared a look with Jason, but then admitted, ‘Yes.’

‘Don’t you like it there?’ Erin had thought Sienna was happy with her work. She always seemed to be in a good mood when she came home from a day at the office.

‘I love it.’

‘Then why won’t you ever talk to me about it? What do you do there?’

‘I’m their communications director.’

‘Director? That’s great!’ After struggling to find a job after receiving her degree, Sienna must be thrilled.

‘Thanks. It’s a small office.’

Small or not, it had been smart enough to hire a great employee. Erin wiggled the card between her fingers, but the company name didn’t ring any bells. ‘What does Luxxor do?’

Sienna shifted in her seat. ‘It’s confidential. The company likes to keep a low profile.’

Erin frowned. In DC, that could mean a few things. Defence contractor, intelligence related, even political fundraising. None of those seemed to suit her friend, though. ‘Oh, come on. Tell me. Please?’

‘I…I can’t.’

Erin pouted. ‘I was supposed to get married today.’

Sienna looked pained.

Jason just laughed. ‘You’re evil.’

‘I just want to know.’ Curiosity had been killing her. She could keep a secret, but she hated when she was kept out of the loop – especially if it was to ‘protect’ her. Her family had done that her entire life and where had it got her?

Blindsided when she’d been dumped.

Jason reached out to gently hook Sienna’s hair behind her ear. ‘She’s just embarrassed.’

The look that his girlfriend threw at him could have melted steel.

‘Why?’ Erin asked. What could a company possibly do that would be that embarrassing? ‘Do you make feminine products? Erectile dysfunction pills? Urinal cakes?’

Her eyes widened. ‘Oh, no. It’s not the call centre your mom referred you to?’

Sienna covered her face with her hand, while Jason fought not to laugh.

‘It’s a…’ he started to say.

Sienna grabbed his wrist. His gaze locked with hers, and he turned his hand over to take hers.

‘Matchmaking service,’ he finished. His thumb moved over the back of Sienna’s hand in a gentle caress.

Erin put down her fork and sat back in her chair. She looked at the card again. ‘Matchmaking?’

‘Of a sort,’ her roommate replied. She fiddled with her unused knife. ‘It’s very exclusive, catering to high-end clientele.’

Erin ran her finger over the crisp edge of the stylish card. Matchmaking… Take charge. Be aggressive. Go for the gusto. She didn’t know what was running faster, her pulse or her thoughts.

‘You can’t say anything to anyone,’ Sienna begged. ‘Not even your parents or your brother.’

Why would she say anything to them? This was information she needed. She wanted to break out of the norm and try new things. This was certainly new. ‘It’s that confidential?’

‘Yes.’

‘I won’t tell a soul.’

Sienna’s shoulders relaxed. ‘Thank you.’

‘Thank you for finally telling me.’ Erin lifted an eyebrow, but let the question go. Jason and Sienna had met at a charity function before Sienna had started working at Luxxor. But this was interesting…

She set the card beside her plate.

Sienna held out her hand. ‘I’ll take that.’

Uh uh. No way. ‘I’d like to keep it.’

‘I’m sorry. I’m not allowed to hand out my business cards to anyone but clients.’

So she wasn’t high-end enough? Erin cocked her head, ready to argue, but it obviously wasn’t a question that Sienna would be open to. She’d have to find someone else who’d be willing to give her more information. For that, she needed Luxxor’s phone number.

She lifted her chin stubbornly. ‘I’m your roommate. I need to know how to get in touch with you.’

‘You have my cellphone.’

‘But what if you drop it or it loses power? What if you get sick and need me to call into work for you?’

‘Jason has the number.’

‘Well, now I do, too.’ Erin deliberately took another bite of her waffle. Sienna stiffened, but Jason squeezed her hand, and the subject was dropped.

Yet Erin’s gaze kept going to the card as they finished their breakfast. Luxxor Limited. Her mind was awhirl, and, surprisingly, not over her cancelled wedding. She’d wanted to move on. Had the opportunity just fallen into her lap?

Did she have the guts?

When the meal was over, she helped clean up, but the first thing she did was take the card to her bedroom and hide it away. Sienna might not like the idea, but the more Erin thought about it, the more she liked it. A matchmaker might be exactly what she needed.

She was determined to do things differently this time. She wanted to stir things up and meet new people. Try new things. Broaden her outlook. Obviously, she needed help understanding men.

And who better than a relationship expert to tell her why her former fiancé had found her so boring?

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.