Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 77046 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 385(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77046 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 385(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
“Tend to my needs,” I said, trying to match his deep tenor. “Sounds like I’m a cocker spaniel you’re fostering until you find the dog a better home.”
He laughed just as he was taking a sip of his iced tea, nearly spitting it out over the table. He quickly set down the drink, dabbing his lips with a napkin.
“You most certainly aren’t a cocker spaniel,” he said, shaking his head.
“You keep doing that,” I said, nodding toward him while I cut a piece of chicken and popped it in my mouth.
“What?” he asked, focusing on his own plate.
“Shaking your head at me.”
He arched a brow, but continued to cut his chicken. “You keep surprising me,” he said, then shrugged. “That’s all.”
I nodded as I devoured the delicious lunch. “Being a billionaire definitely has its perks,” I said.
“Oh, yeah?” he asked. “Which one is your favorite so far?”
“The food,” I answered honestly, taking another glorious bite. Asher laughed again, and I widened my eyes at him. “What?” I asked.
He waved a hand at me, stabbing another piece of chicken. “I think that’s the first time I’ve ever heard anyone say that before.”
“Really?” I asked. “What do the women in your life usually say is their favorite perk of dating a billionaire? Not that we’re dating, but for research purposes,” I hurried to clarify.
Something dark crossed his features for just a blink before it disappeared. He took a few more bites before he shrugged. “The fancy cars. Expensive trips. The money.”
I smiled at him, sipping my iced tea. “Well, I can see how those things would be slightly appealing,” I teased. “But this?” I motioned to my nearly cleaned plate. “This is what I live for.”
“Good food?”
“Yep. Give me good food and good coffee, and I’ll basically be putty in your hands.”
Asher wet his lips, and a zap of heat lashed down the center of me. I set down my drink and finished the last bites of my lunch.
“You probably think that’s super basic,” I said when he hadn’t replied.
“Not at all,” he said. “Just…surprising. Again.”
I laughed, then pushed away my cleaned plate. “I hope you pay James well,” I said. “He’s a genius.”
Asher laughed again, leaning back in his seat now that he was finished too. “I assure you,” he said. “I do.”
“Good.” I leaned forward. “Speaking of geniuses,” I said, flipping open my tablet. “I picked up a little during the endless parade of meetings, but I wanted to ask you directly, what drives you?”
His brow furrowed. “I’m not sure I follow.”
I waved my hand to indicate his office. “You have a schedule that starts at four thirty in the morning and doesn’t break often during the day. You have meetings with people who clearly envy you for your success, and you have your financial hands in a lot of different pots. What drives you to keep up with what I can only describe as an exhausting schedule?”
A slow, easy smile shaped his lips, clarity clicking in his eyes. “Ah,” he said. “Well, for one, it’s not as exhausting when you’re used to it. I’ve been doing this every day for nearly ten years now, so it’s pretty ingrained in me.”
“Okay, I can see that. Still, I’d never pick this routine, even if it did make me a billionaire.”
“Really?” Asher asked, tilting his head in a way that was entirely too cute.
“Well, maybe,” I admitted, then shook my head. “You know what? No. I live a comfortable life. I don’t need billions. I need to be able to sleep in and stay up late. Live my life on a whim and fly across the world if the mood strikes. Go where my passions take me.”
“I can go where my passions take me,” he said.
“Really?” I mimicked him. “It doesn’t seem like you have a lot of room in your schedule for last-minute vacations.”
I swear the man cringed at last-minute.
“I have a monthly vacation—”
“The infamous poker game?” I asked, intrigued.
“Yes.”
“I’d love to see that,” I said, smiling at him. “But that’s scheduled in advance, right?”
“Well, yes,” he admitted.
“Exactly. I’m not knocking your lifestyle, Asher. I actually admire your level of dedication. We’re just incredibly different. And so are my characters in the book. I’m trying to see how we’d fit.”
Asher dragged one of his fingers over his lips, his eyes churning with deep thought, as if he was trying to figure out how we’d fit too.
I cleared my throat. “So, back to my original question. What drives you?”
Asher let out a breath. “I was raised to never waste my gifts,” he said, a bit of nostalgia playing over his features. “I have two brilliant sisters, and my parents made sure to push us to use our gifts for the greater good. We have this trait to go after what matters to us most, and I made some very smart choices early in life, which brought me here. It gave me the ability to buy a sports team I love, and to help my sister create a new line of safety gear that can’t be matched.” He shifted in his seat, his tone taking on that passionate air that I was quickly realizing was my favorite. “And now, I want to take the safety gear line recreational and make it more affordable so the general public can have the same level of safety and quality standards as my professional athletes.”