of the table, and damn, did she look fine. For a moment, all I could think about was locking the conference room door, bending her over that table, and giving it to her as good as I had the other night.
“Well?” she asked. “What did you want to ask me about?”
I shook my head, trying to snap back into the moment. But Lord, did she make it hard looking the way she did. “I wanted to see if you’d be up for another date.”
She sighed, looking away and shaking her head. “I should’ve known that’s what you wanted to talk about. Patrick, this was a huge meeting. I’m trying to secure investments to keep a clinic for low-income citizens afloat. Now’s not the time to ask me for a date.”
“You are aware that I’m one of those potential investors, right?”
Lola cocked her head to the side. “What’re you saying? That you’ll only invest if I go on a date with you? I have to tell you, that’s pretty gross.”
Shit. No, that’s not at all what I was trying to say. I had to play this smart, not let myself get distracted wondering what kind of underwear she had on under that pantsuit.
“No – you’ve convinced me,” I explained. “That presentation was killer. I’m on to invest even if you told me to fuck off and never talk to you again.”
Her expression softened. “No offense,” she began, “but how does a guy like you afford philanthropic investments like this? I mean, we’re not talking about a small amount of money here.”
I smirked, happy to indulge her curiosity. People wondering how a mere photographer had money to spend was something I had plenty of experience with. “Now, I don’t mean to toot my own horn here,” I said as I slowly stepped closer to the table to get my coffee. “But I’ve made something of a name for myself as a photojournalist.”
Lola pursed her lips, as if realizing she’d screwed up. “I know. And I’m not belittling what you do, it’s just…this a lot of money. Wait.” Her face lit up with realization. “It’s your dad, right? I bet he gives you money. Finn mentioned that he’s this big doctor back in Ireland.”
The notion was so hilarious that I nearly spat my coffee down the length of the conference room table. “Holy hell,” I said with a laugh once I forced down my coffee with a smile. “You’re kiddin’, right? I mean, the only way you’d say somethin’ like that is if you didn’t know me da in the slightest.” She frowned, not understanding. “Lola, this is a man who’d tell me to wash his car any time I asked him for a Euro or two to buy some ice cream. The man’s wallet is tighter than a housefly’s arse. Not to mention, I’m a grown man. I don’t go askin’ me da for money.”
“Sorry, sorry,” she said, lifting her hands. “I’m just curious.”
“I get it. And to answer your question, when I started makin’ a bit of money, I found out that when you don’t have a home and you’ve got all the equipment you need, there’s not a hell of a lot to spend it on. So I started some investments, hired a good money man and shoveled him all the cash I’d been making from my photo sales. He made some smart calls, then a little money became a lot, and that became even more, and then before I knew I was flush with cash. So I decided to use that money to do some good in the world. Not everyone was lucky enough to have a charmed life like mine, so it was my way of giving back, showing how thankful I am.”
She said nothing for several long moments after I spoke. My words had clearly surprised her, like Lola hadn’t expected a guy who jet sets around the world taking pictures to have any kind of depth to him.
Finally, she cleared her throat. “That’s very impressive. And if you would be kind enough to invest some of your money in our project, I can assure you that it’d go a long way toward making life better for the less fortunate.”
“I’ve no doubt about it, love –you convinced me of that during your presentation.” I smiled at her. “So, that’s all but done. Right now, however, I’m wondering what it would take to get you on another date with me.”
She regarded me for a few beats, as if