Dare Me: A Dark Billionaire Romance (10 page)

She went back into the bathroom and twisted her hair into an elegant chignon, tilting her head one way and then the other to make sure it looked even, and fell the way it should. Jasmine rarely had the patience to put much thought into her hair; for her daily routine, she usually did little more than wear it straight or pull it back into a tight, low-maintenance bun. But a date with Dominic—that was enough of an occasion to pull out all the stops, to put forth some effort into looking absolutely stunning.

Jasmine chose her makeup carefully, deciding on a shade of eye shadow only slightly darker than her natural skin tone, and lining her big, dark eyes with a pencil that just matched the green in the embroidery on her dress. She dusted her cheeks lightly with blush—just enough to give a hint of color, to provide some contrast and give her cheekbones some depth. She swiped a pink-toned lip color across her lips, adding a little at a time until it was just enough to show. Admiring the effect in the mirror, Jasmine decided that she would, in fact, live up to the incredible dress she had found; she would look just as stunning, if not more so, than the night she had met Dominic —and without looking as though she was incredibly invested in the date.

Thirty minutes before she had to leave the apartment, Jasmine slipped into the dress, brushing its slightly crinkling folds along her hips and thighs. The cut of the gown was flawless along the curves of her body, making the most of her bust and the flare of her hips, showing just enough of her legs to be subtly provocative without looking either needlessly short or prudishly long, an effect that would be heightened when she slipped her feet into the shoes. She called a cab and brought her shoes into the living room as she waited for the notification that her driver had arrived, her heart beating faster as she wondered just what Dominic was doing at that precise moment.
Probably only just now getting dressed,
she thought wryly. Jasmine shrugged off the possibility that she was much more interested and invested in the date than Dominic was—it was a night out at a fancy party; she should be invested in it. When the call came, she slipped the shoes onto her feet, took a moment to admire herself in the mirror she’d hung next to the front door, and decided she was absolutely as flawless as she possibly could be.

Chapter Nine

As Jasmine rode in the cab to the bar Dominic had told her to meet him at, she looked at her phone for the first time all day; it probably had been unwise for her not to pay attention to it, but she had thought in the back of her mind that not looking at it would mean she wouldn’t risk finding out that Dominic had canceled on her. Instead of any untoward message from Dominic, as she unlocked her screen Jasmine saw a missed call from James.
That is weird as hell,
she thought, frowning. She had been certain after not hearing from him after the party that she’d shaken him off her trail for good; certainly after the humiliation of that particular event, she had thought he was totally uninterested in hearing from her. He’d abandoned her, why would he want to have anything to do with her?

After a moment, Jasmine dismissed the issue. It wasn’t worth thinking about. James would give up on her—probably the call had been nothing more than an invitation for sex, which she would gladly do without. She had more important things to think about—and much more inviting prospects than a guy who had treated her as nothing more than arm candy and a tool to gain someone’s attention.

The cab arrived at the bar, and Jasmine stirred herself out of her reverie enough to pay the driver, along with a good tip. She took a deep breath as she stepped onto the curb, looking up at the sign. The subtle décor of the exterior, the clean lines, promised an exclusive experience that Jasmine thought she would never forget—no matter what happened between her and Dominic. Jasmine threw her shoulders back and stepped up to the front door, telling herself that she belonged, and that she would blend right in—or stand out—just as she liked.

As she stepped into the bar, she heard the quiet murmur of voices, a discreetly tinkling piano off in one corner. Everything about the bar promised unobtrusive comfort and beauty. Jasmine’s traveling gaze caught the bright glimmer of cut crystal, the yellow warmth of candlelight and the soft white of clean tablecloths. Jasmine licked her lips, glancing around until she caught sight of Dominic, tucked into a booth which was barely visible from the front door. Jasmine felt a delicate shiver run through her spine. Dressed in a perfectly tailored, pitch black suit, with burnished gold tie, he looked just as stunning as she did.

Jasmine took a deep breath, swallowing against the instinctive tightness in her throat that rose up at the sight of him. She gathered her composure and strode across the room quickly, her shoulders back, lips curled in the slightest of smiles. As she approached the booth where Dominic sat, he looked up, his bright eyes widening slightly as he saw her. Jasmine felt her cheeks heating but didn’t pause, taking the last few steps then sinking down carefully onto the seat opposite Dominic with her smile still firmly in place. “You are a vision,” Dominic said, recovering so quickly that Jasmine wondered if she had imagined the look of appreciation in his eyes.

“I’m glad we were on the same page,” Jasmine said, keeping her voice carefully level as she pointed to the tie around his neck.

“A little bit of serendipity,” Dominic said with a grin. “What will you have to drink?” Jasmine considered the question, glancing around the bar, at the table. Of course, there was no convenient menu with specials and signature cocktails for the bar listed; it was far too exclusive a place. “Anything you can imagine wanting, they can prepare,” Dominic told her.

“What are you having?” she glanced at his drink: it was in a martini glass, pale brown alcohol with a twist of orange peel.

“A Manhattan,” Dominic confirmed. “I don’t normally drink hard liquor early in the evening, but considering the event we’re going to I thought it would be fair.” Jasmine grinned.

“I’d love an Old Fashioned,” she said. Dominic raised a hand and a waitress in perfectly pressed, clean white shirt and black slacks appeared at the table within moments.

“An Old Fashioned for the lady, please,” he said quietly. Jasmine glanced around the room again, wanting to commit everything to memory. “Have you never been here before?” Jasmine turned her attention back onto Dominic.

“I don’t actually go out very much,” she said. It wasn’t precisely a lie; she had gone out to several bars before she had reached a rank where she was so overworked that the most she wanted to do on a Friday or Saturday night was sit at home with a glass of wine. “Too busy, you know.” Dominic smiled slightly.

“All work and no play…” he raised his glass to his lips and took a brief sip. “I also took the liberty of ordering a few things to eat while we’re here. The ball starts at seven; I thought we would arrive by seven-thirty.” Jasmine nodded.

“No sense in getting there exactly on time,” she agreed.

“By then, also, most of the press vultures will be gone. It’s easier to let them have their fill of the attention-hogs who actually want to be splashed all over the tabloids, and then come after they’ve gone off to file their reports.” Jasmine nodded. “I hope you weren’t too tired yesterday morning when you got into the office.” Jasmine licked her lips.

“It was worth it,” she said, smiling slightly. “I would have taken you up on your offer to stay the night, but I had a presentation first thing.”

“You take a personal interest in acquisitions at your firm,” Dominic said, something flickering in his eyes like suspicion. “Normally someone of your rank would relegate a presentation to a manager, no?” Jasmine’s heart pounded in her chest.

“Well, if you want something done right, you do it yourself,” she countered. Her drink arrived and Jasmine took a sip, needing the alcohol to steady her nerves. She decided it was better to change the subject. “How was your Friday?”

“Very good, overall,” Dominic said with the faint ghost of a smile curving his lips once more. Jasmine took another sip of her drink, marveling at the taste of it, savoring the bitter-fiery-sweet tang of it rolling against her tongue. “But I hate talking about myself; I’d rather hear more about you.” His raised eyebrow told Jasmine clearly that her attempt to change the subject hadn’t gone unnoticed.

She racked her brain, trying to remember exactly what she had told him about herself. As she sipped her drink—and later, as she picked at the small plates that Dominic had ordered—she tried to expand on the history she had given him, telling him a heavily edited account of her college years.

“And now here you are, just a handful of years later, a major executive at a marketing firm,” Dominic said, something flickering through his bright eyes that Jasmine thought might have been suspicion. “It’s no wonder you haven’t had much time to go out—you must have been working all the hours of the day and most of the night to get ahead so quickly.” Jasmine smiled nervously.

“Do you think we have time for another round?” she asked him. Dominic glanced at his watch and nodded.

“One more, and then we’ll head over to the party.” He raised his hand and ordered second drinks for them both. “You must have impressed someone at the firm very much indeed. What was your starting position?” Jasmine floundered, trying to remember what she could of the company she had told him she worked for. She had done the briefing on getting them as a potential client for Dominic’s company—but they had fallen through, and it had been months since she had thought about them.

“I was working under Grant Hughes,” she said, thanking whatever deities existed that she remembered the name of the chief marketing officer. “I actually met him at an event my school sponsored, and I guess he liked me enough to give me a chance.” Dominic smiled slightly, and Jasmine felt herself relaxing.

Their drinks arrived and she turned the subject away from her work life, saying that since it was the weekend, she didn’t want to think business. “I’m interested in hearing about what you do in your free time,” she said, sipping her drink slowly. “I know you don’t like talking about yourself, but it only seems fair after the grilling you just gave me.”

Dominic sat back against the booth’s bench, shrugging slightly as he looked at her. “I don’t really enjoy hobbies so much—of course, you are already aware of the one hobby I do keep moderately involved in. I like to read, and I can spend hours on Wikipedia. It’s almost embarrassing.”

“I can too, actually,” Jasmine said, the alcohol beginning to have an effect on her. “When I first started working—with Grant—there were, of course, a few things that I had no real clue about.” Dominic chuckled. “Well, he hired me for my
potential
, after all.” Dominic nodded, and Jasmine licked her lips, tasting the lingering flavor of the Old Fashioned. “So I found myself looking things up, and falling into Wikipedia holes… and the habit kind of stuck, even once I’d mastered everything I needed to know to get ahead in the company.”

“Information is always power,” Dominic said, raising his glass. “I try to be as well-informed as possible, no matter the situation. And learning for its own sake has rewards. Of course, even when I’m on a site like that looking for information…” he shrugged again. “It’s not always fully trustworthy.”

They discussed the merits of crowd-sourced information, their academic interests, the books they had read, and as Jasmine finished her second drink she felt warmth spreading through her. She wasn’t drunk—not more than slightly buzzed—but she was certain that whatever suspicions Dominic might have had about her meteoric rise up the ladder, she had somehow managed to dispel them. At least, she hoped so.
If I haven’t, then this situation is probably not going to last very long. I should take advantage of every moment.

Dominic finished his drink and set the glass aside, taking a deep breath and exhaling a satisfied sigh. “I think I’m finally in the right state of mind to go to this event,” he said. He raised an eyebrow. “How are you feeling?” Jasmine picked up her purse and nodded slightly.

“If you’ll give me just a moment to visit the ladies’ room, I’ll touch up my lipstick and then I’ll be perfectly ready.” Dominic inclined his head towards her slightly, gesturing in the direction of the restrooms, and Jasmine stood, steadying herself on the new heels she had bought the day before, and walked in the direction he had indicated, telling herself that any show of even remote tipsiness would be a travesty in a bar like this. She made it into the hallway that housed the restrooms and stepped inside, taking a deep breath. Her heart was beating faster in her chest; but she wasn’t afraid that she would be found out—rather she was anxious to get through the next part of the night, fairly certain that the tail-end of the event they were going to would include an invitation from Dominic to spend some time alone. Her skin tingled as she anticipated it; it would be even better than the first two times, somehow, she knew.

As soon as she rejoined him at the table, Dominic stood. “I assume you’re fine with taking my car to the ball?” he asked her. “I’ve settled the bill.” Jasmine nodded and Dominic reached out, taking her hand and folding it against the crook of his arm with a courtly gesture.

“I’m getting the feeling that you’re not exactly thrilled about this ball,” Jasmine said as they stepped out of the bar. Dominic guided her towards a waiting car: black, sleek, it looked exactly the way she had imagined. A driver came out and opened the back door.

As Jasmine settled against the plush, buttery leather seat, Dominic slid in next to her, pulling the door shut. “It’s not my favorite way to spend an evening,” he admitted. “But it’s one of those things you just have to do. I’m sure you’ve spent many boring evenings with similar groups of people.” Jasmine laughed.

“Considering you met me on such a boring evening…” she let the suggestion hang in the air. Dominic laughed.

“You’re right. Which is why I invited you. You were able to salvage what had been becoming a disaster of an evening for me, and I had hoped you would be able to repeat that magic in a new venue. Unfortunately, unlike your previous date, I plan to be very attentive.” Jasmine chuckled.

“In that case, unlike my previous date, I doubt you’ll leave the venue utterly humiliated by someone blabbing to a prospective hookup and business partner that you have—what was it, gonorrhea?” Dominic grinned, his teeth glinting in the faint light of the car’s interior.

“I would certainly hope not” he said. “But if I do abandon you, I give you complete permission to embarrass me. I’d have to lose my mind for something like that to happen, and I’d have it coming.”

“Duly noted,” Jasmine said, her skin tingling as Dominic’s hand came down lightly along her knee. “It’s important that you high-ranking people—higher ranking than us regular executives anyway—be kept honest. I don’t want you getting a big head.” Dominic licked his lips.