The Weekend Proposition - Ella Jade Page 0,21

and had drunk more than he should have. As he looked around the suite, he couldn’t recall how he’d even gotten back there. Had he retrieved the blanket and pillow from the closet? He hadn’t drunk like that since college. Losing control wasn’t something he liked to do.

He felt like a jerk for turning Coda down the night before. He couldn’t get the look of disappointment on her face out of his head. What right did he have to want her? A sexual relationship wasn’t part of the deal. He would never pay a woman for sex. Being intimate would blur the lines. He had two more days to keep his determination.

By then he would have survived the weekend, escaping Ava’s advances, and Coda would have a comfortable sum of money to help her get a better start in life. He wanted her to have that. There was a sparkle in her eyes that couldn’t be ignored. He had great respect for a woman who wanted to make her own way in life. Her work ethic and determination were admirable. He’d never met a woman quite like her before.

He rolled off the couch, stretched his aching back, and headed for a hot shower. The steam would do him some good. He needed a couple of aspirin and a cup of coffee. He squinted at the clock. It was after eight. How had he overslept? He walked down the hall and peeked into Coda’s room, but she wasn’t there. Hopefully she had made her way down to breakfast. He hadn’t even heard her leave the suite.

After his shower, he answered a few emails. He had to meet his grandfather, Pierce, and Tyler in thirty minutes to discuss the logo issue with the most stubborn client he’d ever encountered. If they didn’t resolve this issue soon the client was going to pull the campaign. The agency had never lost a client before, and he wouldn’t allow it to happen on his watch.

As he looked out the windows overlooking the property, he heard the double doors to the suite open. Dressed in a pair of jeans and a dark blue camisole tank top that revealed a thin line of skin below her belly button, Coda came into the foyer with a large cup of coffee and a white paper bag.

“Hey.” Her smile lit up the room and stirred his insides. “You’re awake.”

Why did she always look so happy to see him? Her mood only made him feel worse about last night.

“I never oversleep.” He walked toward her. “Why didn’t you wake me?”

“You were out.” She gazed at his bare chest and unbuckled belt. “I didn’t want to bother you.”

“Sorry.” He reached for his t-shirt. “I just got out of the shower.”

“I’ve never seen you disheveled before.”

“Is that what I am?” He laughed as he buckled his belt.

“I brought you coffee and a muffin. You missed breakfast.”

“Thank you.” He took the cup from her. “I hope my family didn’t torture you.”

“I sat with your mom. Tyler didn’t make it down either. I guess you guys over did it at the bar?”

“You could say that.”

“I hope I didn’t cause you to drink.” She looked down at her feet.

“No.” He moved closer to her and lifted her face so he could look into those wide, trusting eyes. “Are we okay?”

“We’re fine.” She nodded. “Why wouldn’t we be?”

“Good.” He kissed the tip of her nose because he needed to feel close to her. He wanted to touch her.

Selfish bastard.

“This package was at the front desk for you.” She pulled an envelope from under her arm and then set the muffin on the foyer table.

“Thanks.” He took the large envelope from her. “They’re from the art department.” He scattered the various logos Vince had sent him across the coffee table. “We have a meeting this morning, and Grandfather insists on hard copies. He doesn’t like computers.”

“May I?” She looked over his shoulder at the artwork.

“Sure.” He waved her over. “We’ve been working on this logo for three weeks. The client hates everything we do. They fear if we can’t get the logo correct, how will we accomplish anything else? I’m afraid they’re right.”

She studied the pictures, placing several of them side by side.

“Vince sent this set.” He pointed to the new logo. “We’re conferencing with the client in less than thirty minutes.”

“I’ve seen your artists working on this before. There’s too much color.” She spoke with such confidence. It intrigued him enough to listen to what she had