Nailed - Opal Carew Page 0,28
better approach. The shirt and blazer were a nod to the business nature of their meeting, and the jeans said she wasn’t stressing about the outcome. Now if only she could get her face and demeanor on board.
A shiny black car pulled up in front of her building. Not an elegant limo like the other night, but a town car.
Was he being sensitive to her discomfort at lavish luxury?
No, he probably just didn’t want to spend the money. She’d already shown him she would not be impressed by his wealth.
She sighed. Even though she was going to gain from it by partnering with him.
The driver opened the door and she slid inside.
She was surprised when the driver took the parkway by the canal instead of heading to the market area where the trendy bars were, including Hades.
“Excuse me. Where are we going?” she asked the driver.
He glanced at her in the rearview mirror. “We’re going to Mr. Winters’s residence, ma’am.”
Her stomach clenched. She was going to his apartment?
They drove through a residential area with elegant homes behind wrought-iron fences. The driver turned into a driveway and the gate opened, then he drove up the curved path to a large, stately home.
There was a lovely garden out front with peach tulips and purple hyacinths in bloom. There were wide steps up to the elegant double doors with stained-glass windows.
He opened her door and walked with her to the entrance.
“Mr. Winters said to go right in and sit down.” He opened the door for her.
She stepped into the house and her eyes widened at the luxurious surroundings. The foyer had cream marble floors and a curved staircase leading to a second level. A chandelier with glittering crystals hung from the ceiling.
She glanced around and saw a living room on her right, glass French doors on her left, and a hallway beside the staircase leading to other rooms. She wasn’t sure which direction to go. He’d said to come in and sit down. She noticed a settee in the foyer, so she sat down there.
As she waited nervously, she realized she was way out of her depth. Not only was she intimidated by this lavish house, she was going to partner with a man who ran a huge corporation. She was well aware of how successful Synergetic—the company Kane had started with Will—had become. It was leading the edge in many new technologies and had become almost a household name.
And yet he was partnering with her for a small nail polish company.
To assuage his guilt. And to encourage her to continue their relationship—which meant he wanted sex—but that was not going to happen.
“There you are. Why are you sitting out here?” Kane stood in the entrance to the living room, looking way too handsome in a pair of designer jeans and casual blue shirt with a thin red stripe.
“The driver said to sit and wait.”
“I assumed you’d go into the living room and make yourself comfortable.”
Was he kidding? There was nothing about this situation that made her comfortable.
She stood up and followed him into the large room, which was filled with an eclectic mix of furniture in tasteful neutral tones. She sat down on the couch and he sat beside her.
Far too close for her comfort.
He poured a glass of wine from a full bottle on the coffee table and handed it to her.
“You have a nice home,” she said, then sipped the wine.
“Thanks. I have an apartment right downtown, but I often spend weekends here. It’s quiet, and a great place to entertain.”
She couldn’t imagine having more than one place to live. And such a big place for only one person. His apartment was probably a huge penthouse, too.
“So you’ve changed your mind about my offer?”
She put down her wineglass and sat up straighter. “Yes. Well, I thought we could discuss it.”
“What happened?”
Her gaze darted to his. “Why do you think—?”
“You were adamant against the idea last time we talked, so I’m just curious what changed your mind.”
She was sure telling him put her in a worse negotiating situation but … she couldn’t lie.
“I lost my job. So I thought rather than working for someone else, I should invest that time in my future.”
Also, before finding the job at Giselle’s, she’d been unemployed for over a year and she just couldn’t handle that again. She had to make this company work.
“Good. I figured that’s what you wanted to talk about so I went to the liberty of bringing the partnership papers. We