a new thing. He’d spent most of his life surrounded by gorgeous women, so lust was as very familiar to him as breathing.
And it wasn’t as if he had problems mixing business and pleasure. Gage worked with too many beautiful women to hamper himself with silly rules or false moral restrictions.
And while he wasn’t a cocky ass, he’d had enough success with the ladies to feel both comfortable and confident that he could handle anything a woman had to offer.
Nope. He’d never had women problems.
So clearly, it must be the costume.
“Mr. Rudolph puts on quite a party,” Hailey said as she wandered between marble columns wrapped in twinkling white lights. “Do you attend often?”
“This is my first,” he admitted. “How about you?”
Gage didn’t wander. Instead, he scoped the room, found a semisheltered wall and leaned against it. That way, she could come to him. She didn’t, though. Instead, after an inscrutable look through those thick lashes, she shrugged and continued her slow meander through the conservatory.
“This is my first, too. I’ve talked to plenty of people who are involved behind the scenes, though. If the rumors are true, things are going to get pretty wild and naked in there soon.”
Behind the scenes?
She must have a few models in there showing off the wares. Theirs, and the designers. He debated how long to wait and steer the conversation toward some of her other clients. A minute or two, maybe. First he needed to figure her out. Usually by this point, fifteen minutes into their first meet, he’d completely pegged a person.
But Hailey the elf was a mystery.
“You don’t sound disgusted by the idea of wild and naked,” he observed.
Was she wilder than her sweet face and cute demeanor portrayed? His body stirred, very interested in finding out.
“Everyone has the right to enjoy the holidays in their own special way,” she said, her laugh as light as the bells jingling on her hat. “And I like the idea that the lingerie samples might be so sexy, they inspire that kind of thinking.”
“On the right woman, an elf hat and ballerina skirt inspires that kind of thinking,” he murmured quietly.
Not so quietly that she didn’t hear, if the pale pink washing over her cheeks was any indication. She didn’t say anything, though. Just kept on wandering.
“So what did you find most interesting this evening?” she asked, trailing her fingers along the edge of a larger-than-life, white wicker sleigh filled with a tree, gifts and more lights. “Were you here for the shoes? There were some gorgeous new lines being shown. Or are you more a women’s-wear kind of guy?”
Her arch smile was teasing and filled with as much light as the twinkling display around them. Gage had to wonder if she was always this cheerful or if she’d been hit with a little too much holiday cheer.
“I was only interested in the lingerie,” he said, figuring it was time to start winding the conversation toward her coveted client. “At least I was until I saw you. Everything else sort of faded at that point.”
“Uh-huh,” she laughed. “Me versus a dozen perfect women in lingerie. I can see how you were torn between the two views.”
“Do you doubt me?”
At his mock offense, she stopped wandering and gave him a wide-eyed once-over. Then, finally, she joined him next to the nice, semiprivate wall.
“Doubt the Grinch? A figure known for his good cheer, holiday honesty and love of everything sweet and cuddly?”
Gage grinned. Damn, she was cute.
“Is that what he’s for?” He looked down at the green fur monstrosity he was wearing and rolled his eyes. How appropriate. He had to hand it to his brother; the guy was clever with the inside jokes.
“You don’t know? You’re supposed to be portraying your favorite holiday character.”
“I lost a bet.”
“So you’re not really all Grinchy about the holidays?” She tilted her head to one side as she asked the question, her bells tinkling as if to dare him to deny the joy of the season.
Gage hesitated. He never tried to hide his disdain for the holidays, nor was he worried about offending a potential business associate over differing views. But he couldn’t quite bring himself to dim the sparkle in Hailey’s eyes. Sharing his opinion of Christmas would be akin to telling a four-year-old that Santa was a sleighload of crap. Which was exactly what his stepmother-du-jour had done to him.
Instead, he did what he was best at. Sidestepped the question with a charming smile. “I promise you, I’ve never been called Grinchy in my life.”
The speculation in her big eyes told him he might need to toss out a little more charming distraction. Otherwise, she seemed like the stubborn type. The kind who sweetly nagged at a person until they’d spilled their every secret, then thanked her for dragging them through the ugly memories.
“How about you?” he asked. “Why is an elf your favorite holiday character?”
“Elves are clever. They bring joy and create beauty, but they stay behind the scenes. They’re the cute and cuddly part of the background.” To emphasize her point, she offered a bright smile, tilted her chin toward her shoulder and twirled around so her skirt offered a tempting view of her stockings. Which, Gage’s mouth watered to realize, were thigh-high and held up with garters.
“But elves don’t have their own movie,” he pointed out. “As grumpy as he is, even the Grinch gets top billing.”
“Elf is a movie. And top billing usually comes with top headaches,” she pointed out. “Expectations and demands of excellence. Appearances, groupies, haters. Is all of that really worth the spotlight?”
Gage frowned.
Hell, yeah, it was worth it. The other option sounded kind of...forgettable. Who aspired to that?
Maybe that was why she was an agent instead of striving to be the star, he guessed.
Still...
“Being on top is better than being on the bottom,” he pointed out.
“Not always.” Her words were low, teasing and lilting with innuendo. The look in her eyes was hot, sexy. And way more appreciative of the view than he figured his costume warranted. But who was he to dissuade a gorgeous woman from appreciating him?
His momma didn’t raise no fools. Of course, she didn’t raise her sons, either, but that was beside the point.
Right now, the point was seeing how hot this spark could flame between him and the deliciously naughty elf.
He stepped closer.
Amusement and desire both clear on her face, Hailey stepped back. With a quick glance over his shoulder, as if gauging their privacy, she wet her lips.
Gage
