My Addiction (Club Desire #2)(43)

She sighed. “I don’t think I’m caffeinated enough yet to read these yet.” She shook her head. “They will just have to wait. Maybe another cup of coffee and then a shower.”

Dex handed her the cup and smiled as she blew on it and then slowly sipped the hot brew.

He wasn’t surprised she was ravenous, after yesterday. “Are you still hungry? I have another sandwich and some bagels and cream cheese.”

She shook her head, looking more steady. “No, I’m good. Thank you.”

He sat next to her again, resisting the temptation to touch her, no matter how much it pulled at him. “Do you want me to help you read those emails? That way you could make sure there’s nothing urgent.”

She nibbled her bottom lip, as if considering his request. Finally, she nodded. “Thanks. That would put my mind at ease.”

She pulled up her email program and then handed him her phone.

Dex scanned the emails until he found one from Merestone Resorts. He was impatient to get to that one, but started at the top of the list.

Most of them were asking for small changes like adding another option in a drop-down menu, fixing a web link, or asking for a color update. As Dex read them to her, Kate just nodded, her expression relaxing with each one as she slowly sipped her coffee.

When he read the name of Merestone Resorts, she sighed and shook her head. “What busywork do they want today?”

Dex laughed, even though he was carefully watching her every reaction. “That bad, huh? Hopefully they pay well.”

She smiled at him over her coffee cup. “They do. They take up more time than most of my other clients combined, but they do make it worth it. That’s why I put up with most of their requests, and their sometimes very tight deadlines.” She shrugged. “Dealing with them allows me to take on some other clients pro bono who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford me, like the NKLA Adoption Center here in L.A. It’s a no-kill animal shelter. And PATH, which provides services for the homeless in several cities.”

Dex looked at the beautiful woman in front of him. The fact that she dealt with Merestone in order to donate time to worthy causes gave him more hope that she had no idea what Merestone was doing behind the scenes.

He knew he couldn’t count on that, but he very much wanted to.

“All right. Tell me what my high-maintenance client wants today.” She ended her sentence on what sounded like a resigned laugh.

He scanned the email. “They want you to add three large diamonds into the logo on the L.A. site page. They specify that they want them well hidden and blended into the logo, but still visible. And they want it completed by two p.m. today.”

She rolled her eyes toward the ceiling and blew out a long breath. “Ugh.”

Dex inwardly stiffened. Ralston had mentioned that Stanton was being blackmailed for three million dollars. The three diamonds might not have anything to do with that, but it followed the pattern his team had seen, and his gut told him they were related.

“What do the diamonds denote?”

She shrugged again. “Most likely that their marketing team drinks during their meetings. They’ve asked me for various things over the last year since I took them on as a client. The worst was adding fifty mosquitos to a logo in Arizona, and masking them enough so if you didn’t know they were there, you wouldn’t see them. But for someone looking for them, they could be found and differentiated.” She sighed and drank the last swallow of her coffee, setting the cup aside. “I nearly quit after that assignment. They talked me into staying with more money, and a marketing promotion to raise money for underprivileged kids to go to college.”

Dex smiled.

“What?” she demanded with a self-deprecating smile.

He shook his head. “You’re a crusader with a soft heart.” When she looked dubious, he added, “There’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, I admire you for it. Most people would take the extra money and run. But you’ve used it as a way to help others and make a difference.”

She gave him a small smile. “My father calls it being na?ve and giving away my time for very little return on my investment.” She shook her head.

“Forgive me for saying so, but I think he’s missing the big picture. He should be proud he has a daughter who has empathy and compassion for others.”

She pursed her lips. “Sometimes I’m not sure if he’s proud of me for anything. I love my father, but we definitely don’t see eye to eye on much.” She straightened in her chair. “Thanks, Dex. For everything.”

“You’re welcome.” He ran his thumb down her cheek. He couldn’t get enough of her silky-smooth skin. “Oh, I have to tell you, I gave in to the pitiful looks and put down some treats for Rusty.”

She laughed. “He has you wrapped around his paw already? Don’t be surprised if your sister talks you into your own cat soon. They are pretty great, and they treat their servants well.”

“Servants?” Dex asked.

She nodded. “The old saying is that dogs have owners and cats have staff. But I think it’s more like cats have servants. We go into captivity willingly, but we are their servants nonetheless.”

After a minute he nodded. That was the impression he’d always gotten from watching his sister with them. He still didn’t think he was up for getting one of his own, but he didn’t mind spoiling Rusty while he was here taking care of Kate.