Luster Read Free Page A

quirks his mouth to the side, trying to stop himself.
    “As much as I’d love to address the fact that you sound like an old lady clutching her pearls, I have to say I’m somewhat disappointed. Getting a woman like you to pose for me is one challenge I’d love to take on.”
    I purse my lips together, wishing I could just drop through a hole in the floor. I’m not used to being treated like a child—especially by a client. And I know Matt’s words should be rolling right off my back but for some reason they’re cutting too close to the surface. I really need to keep it together long enough to get our work done here.
    The way Matt has me so tensed up, all I can think about is the hot bath and glass of wine waiting for me at home. It’s like he went to school to become an expert at antagonizing others.
    “I’m most certainly not clutching any pearls. I just have standards is all. And apparently a hell of a lot more business sense than you do, seeing as you pretty much just asked me to get naked so you can draw me. This isn’t the Titanic, and you’re not Leonardo Di Caprio. No, you cannot draw me like one of your French girls,” I say, gesturing the assortment of nudity displayed on his studio walls.
    Much to my dismay, Matt’s still leaning up against the beam like he’s some sort of rogue predator tracking his prey. With his arms folded and his dick still standing at attention it’s difficult not to admire his… form. But I try my hardest not to.
    “If that was supposed to offend me, you did a terrible job. And no, you’re not going to be just some cover model, Falyn. I’m actually trying to pull you out of that little cage you keep yourself locked inside. I can see you in there, you know. I do see you—a beautiful woman hell-bent on making herself known. Living a life where every single detail needs to be planned and perfectly executed no matter how small. Where you have to be on your most excellent behavior at all times. I kind of feel bad for you… that shit must get old.”
    The words hit home like he means them to, but I shake them off. Oh, so he thinks he knows me, does he? He can’t possibly think that line works on women…
    “Wow. You must think you’re some sort of modern day Casanova feeding women that kind of poetic bullshit, don’t you?” I smirk back at him, clutching my clipboard tightly. “You’re so right, Matt. I’m just some robotic and naïve woman who thinks she knows everything. But secretly I know nothing about anything, and I also hate sex. How did you ever guess? Now, can we please get back to our interview here, maybe even sign the contract? Or do I have to find someone else capable of giving my company what it needs?”
    He refuses to budge even an inch from his slouched stance, his eyes lazily roaming from my clipboard in one hand, to where my other hand is placed on my hip. I’ve honestly never met someone who can be so infuriating just standing there looking at me like that!
    “Working too hard and never giving into your playful side really messes with you. I can’t imagine being involved with something that uses so much pretense and red tape business shit to cut through that I forget about my life. But I get it now. The way you’re all prim and proper, maybe even disgusted by me. It all makes sense. You either need to get laid or you need to pull that stick out of your ass.”
    My face goes slack and I nearly drop my clipboard. Oh hell no . “You did not just say that to me.” No way. This isn’t actually happening.
    He shrugs his shoulders like he couldn’t care less that he just insulted me. Seriously, who the hell does he think he is? Just standing there like some kind of sex god amongst us mere mortals. His ego’s bigger than the dick that’s swaying out in front of him, and believe me, that’s saying something.
    I mean could you at least put your pants back on, for god’s sake? How am I supposed to conduct business with someone when their dick is