going,” Frank said, glancing at the wall clock. He returned the golf club to its rightful place, then checked himself out in the mirror hanging beside the wardrobe. “My next client is due to arrive at any moment, and I don’t want to keep him waiting.”
Long after his father left, Harper sat at his desk, thinking. He wondered what it would take to upstage his cousin Jake, because he was sick of being the number two guy at Hamilton, Hamilton and Clark. It was time for him to shine, time for him to represent the firm’s big-dollar clients. Harper was nothing if not focused, and tonight, after his date with Azure, he was going to sit down and prepare a plan of action. He had to do something to steal the spotlight away from Jake, something that would garner national headlines. The only question now was what?
* * *
“Is this seat taken?”
Harper glanced up from his cell phone. A redhead with fake eyelashes and glossy lips was standing beside his booth, smiling so brightly Harper wished he was wearing sunglasses.
“Yes, as a matter of fact it is.”
“Then I’ll be brief.” The redhead slid in beside him, got so close he could feel her double Ds pressed against his forearm. “I saw you interviewed outside the courthouse last night on the evening news, and I just had to come over and say hello. I’m, like, your biggest fan!”
Harper wanted to send the buxom redhead on her way, but he nodded and produced a winning smile. Had to keep the public happy. Hamilton, Hamilton and Clark had been founded in 1960 by his grandfather, Jacob Hamilton Sr., and his business associate, Albert Clark, but these days the firm was more popular than ever. Harper enjoyed all the perks that came with being a Hamilton, but he could do without the aggressive gold diggers and so-called fans. This was the third woman who’d approached him since he arrived at the Clearwater Grill and she was by far the pushiest. The small, cozy restaurant was overrun with love-struck couples, but there were plenty of scantily clad women out on the prowl.
“The cameras don’t do you justice, Harper. You’re even sexier in person.”
“Ah, thanks.”
“On the news, they said your client was awarded a half-million-dollar settlement. I bet that’s chump change to you, I mean, you are a Hamilton....”
Harper didn’t want to talk about the sexual harassment case he’d won last week, or his family’s staggering net worth, either. All he wanted to do was sip his cappuccino in peace while he waited for his date to arrive. The last thing Harper wanted was for Azure to walk in and spot him talking to this Pamela Anderson look-alike, so he slid to the edge of the booth.
Harper glanced over at the waiting area and strangled a groan. Too late. Azure was standing at the entrance of the lounge, and she was staring right at him. “It was nice meeting you, miss. Enjoy the rest of your evening.” Grabbing his cell phone, he leaped to his feet as if the booth were on fire and took off before the redhead could give chase.
As he approached Azure, he fought the overwhelming urge to kiss her, to caress her flawless brown skin. She looked sensational from head to foot, and her lush, scarlet-red lips were tempting. So tempting, in fact, kissing her was all he could think about. For the past six months, his life had been an endless stream of business meetings, and the thought of spending the rest of the night with Azure Ellison excited him.
Instead of succumbing to his needs and planting one on her, Harper settled for a peck on the cheek. She smelled delicious, heavenly, as intoxicating as a bottle of Herbal Essences shampoo, and thinking about those infamous shower-scene commercials made Harper wonder what Azure was like in bed. He’d bet that she was vocal, confident, a woman who didn’t hold back, who gave as good as she got.
A grin claimed his lips. Maybe if he played his cards right tonight he’d find out. The thought stunned him. Harper hadn’t had sex in months, hadn’t wanted to—until now. The pain of being betrayed by his ex—a woman he’d been prepared to spend the rest of his life with—ran deep, and until five minutes ago, he hadn’t given anyone a second glance. But there was something about Azure Ellison, something about her that appealed to him on a physical and intellectual level. And it didn’t hurt that her figure was a thing of beauty. Everything about the magazine reporter was sexy. Her lush hair, her lean arms and hips, the graceful way she moved through space. Harper was burning up, so blinded by his attraction to her he narrowly missed crashing into the lanky busboy cleaning tables. An ice pack in his boxer briefs wouldn’t cool him down, and when Azure smiled at him, his blood pressure spiked and his skin felt hotter than the flames crackling in the stone fireplace.
* * *
Azure looked Harper over. Not once, not twice, but three shameless times. His argyle sweater fit his very sexy, very gorgeous body perfectly, and his dark slacks accentuated his long, lean legs. Looking casual but polished was an art, and Harper Hamilton was the master. His smile, his energy and those warm brown eyes got her every time. And obviously she wasn’t the only one. The redhead sitting in the lounge was staring longingly at him, like a woman desperately and hopelessly in love.
“Harper, my man, great to see you!”
Nodding at Louis, the affable restaurant owner with the moustache and slicked-down black hair, he said, “Likewise, sir. How are things?”
“Great, great, can’t complain. What have you been up to? It’s been months since you paid us a visit,” he complained, wearing a forlorn face.
“Work’s been keeping me busy.”
Louis grinned like a leprechaun with a pot of gold. “Work? Or this gorgeous woman standing beside you?”
“Azure is stunning, isn’t she?”
“You can say that again.”
Harper slid his arm around her waist, held on tight. A thousand volts of electricity rushed through Azure’s body. Why did that keep happening? she wondered, trying to ignore the fluttering sensation in the pit of her stomach. Azure didn’t know what was wrong with her. She was a bold, confident, take-charge kind of sister, but around Harper she became a different person. Shy, skittish, as nervous as an Amish girl on her first date. And the more Harper flirted with her, the more her hands and legs shook.
“Your girlfriend caused quite a stir when she walked in. My cooks were so busy checking her out they bumped into each other and spilled appetizers all over the floor!”
“Then you better find us a quiet, secluded table far away from the kitchen,” Harper joked, clapping a hand on the restaurant owner’s shoulders, “because they’re liable to burn the whole kitchen down if we sit out here!”
Azure lost the use of her tongue and the ability to form words. She waited for Harper to correct the manager, to explain that they weren’t a couple, but he didn’t. Instead, he requested his favorite table and led her into the dining area. The cream-and-beige space was outfitted with candlelit round tables, a stone fireplace showered the room with warmth and the padded leather booths along the far wall were large enough to fit an entire basketball team. The restaurant had the perfect ambience for romance or a clandestine magazine interview, and once their orders were placed and their drinks arrived, Azure got right down to business.
“I appreciate you meeting me tonight,” she said, setting her tape recorder on the table and her trusty notebook on her lap. “I know you’re a very busy man with no time to waste, so I’ll try my best to keep my questions brief and to the point.”
“Why
