The Singles Table (Marriage Game #3)(24)

“Movie and Broadway stars?” Zara grabbed his tie and yanked him forward until they were almost nose to nose. “Names. Give me names. Who have you guarded? A-list? B-list? Anyone from Hamilton?” Her full attention was on him now and it was hard not to get pulled into the depths of her liquid brown eyes.

“Our client list is confidential.”

“Did you work for Lin-Manuel Miranda?” She tipped her head back and gave the kind of groan he’d only ever heard from a woman between the sheets. “What was he like? Tell me. No. Don’t tell me. We’re in public and I can’t be responsible for what might happen if you do.”

His mouth opened but no words came out. He’d convinced himself there was no chemistry between them. But now, with her face only inches away, he was almost overwhelmed with the desire to taste the curve of her lips.

“C’mon, Jay.” She leaned close, the gold flecks in her eyes sparkling, her voice a husky purr that he felt as a throb in his groin. Had he ever met a woman with eyelashes so long? He could swear that every time she blinked, they swept over her cheeks.

“Just one name,” she pleaded. “One itty-bitty little name for me to fantasize about when I’m alone in bed tonight.” She ran her tongue over her bottom lip, slow and sensual. “Or even better, an introduction. I’ll make it worth your while.”

Jay swallowed hard, loosened his collar. Need, tightly controlled, began to unravel. He knew he shouldn’t ask, but the words came out just the same. “What do you mean worth my while?”

“What do you want, Jay?” Her breath whispered against his cheek. “What is your greatest desire? World domination? Ten glamor models in a limo? Your own island? An endless supply of samosas? Six blue silk ties? A perfectly balanced set of accounts? A night of hot sex, no strings attached . . . ?”

His mouth went dry. “Are you offering to sleep with me for an introduction?”

Shock chased horror across her face, putting an instant chill on his desire. “I didn’t mean me.” She gave a hollow laugh. “I’m not that desperate.”

His jaw dropped. Was she serious? “You think only a woman who’s desperate would sleep with me?”

“No,” she said quickly, her lips flattening in a grimace. “I meant I’m not so desperate for a celebrity introduction that I would sleep with someone to get it.” She tilted up her chin. “But I could find someone for you if that’s what it takes . . . whatever the cost.”

He stared at her aghast. “You’re going to hire a hooker?”

“Jay.” She heaved an exasperated sigh and fell back in her chair. “Why do you always think in extremes? I’m a matchmaker. I can find you a match.”

“For a hookup?” His brain was still stuck on “hot sex” and wouldn’t let go.

A slow smile spread across her face. “I can do better than that. I’m going to find your perfect match. It will be my ultimate challenge. I will save you from the time-consuming perils of the dating pool and a life of singles table loneliness, all for the low, low price of a simple celebrity introduction.”

Jay didn’t need a match. He didn’t need a girlfriend or a wife or even a hookup. Work was all consuming. His goal was almost within reach. Loneliness was a small price to pay for success. But he’d made that promise to his mother, and now the woman who had shot him in the ass was offering him a way to fulfill it.

He couldn’t deny she had piqued his curiosity. And it wasn’t just about a match. She had touched something inside him. Something he had buried beneath the darkness that woke him night after night. He could feel when he was with Zara. She had crashed into his life like a hurricane, and after years of feeling numb inside, he was tempted to ride out the storm.

“Hello? Jay? Are you in there?” She rapped his head with her knuckles, and every nerve ending in his body fired at once. “Do we have a deal?”

Even as he hesitated, his betraying mouth was forming the word, “Yes.”

“Yessssss!” She pumped her fist in the air. “This is going to be fun. I know that word isn’t part of your vocabulary but by the time I’m done with you, it will be.”

“That sounds like a threat.” Why had he agreed to this? He didn’t want “fun.” He didn’t even want a match. Maybe she’d put something in his wine.

“It’s a promise.” She bounced in her seat, her enthusiasm almost infectious. “I need to get to know you better so I can find your perfect match. Why not enjoy the time we spend together?”

“Can’t I just fill in a form with my details and you find someone with similar interests?”

With a sigh, Zara shook her head. “Jay. Jay. Jay. My matchmaking inventory consists of people I know. I’m not going to hook up a friend or relative with some random dude I just met at the singles table.”

“I’m not some random dude,” he huffed. “We met at paintball and then again at the sangeet. We’ve been sitting here talking all evening. I’m a simple man. You’ve seen all there is to see.”

“I’ve seen the surface. Now I need to see what lies underneath.” She gave him a broad smile. “Don’t look so worried. I won’t take up much of your time. Maybe two or three interviews at most. How about Wednesday afternoon? I’m in settlement meetings Monday and Tuesday, superior court on Friday and Wednesday morning—”