Flirting with Fire (Hot in Chicago #1) (31 page)
Read Flirting with Fire (Hot in Chicago #1) Online
Authors: Kate Meader
Goes both ways, Mr. Mayor. Alex did not like a man who had no respect for what she devoted her life to, day in, day out.
“My opinion of you hasn’t changed,” she gritted out. “Putting aside your caveman pronouncements about what women can and cannot do, during your reign of terror, you’ve managed to cut funding to libraries, bring city pensions to the brink of bankruptcy, and reduce social services to a fraction of
what they were before. All so we can beautify the tourist traps of our fair city and fete George Lucas for the Star Wars museum.”
Because he was undoubtedly used to the blows from the opposition, her words had no discernible effect on his ice-compacted heart. “Hard decisions are made by people in charge every day. Someone in your profession should know that.”
She imagined she heard a compliment in there, but her passion rolled right over it. “And don’t think I’ve forgotten how you fired your press secretary for taking my side and almost ruined everything between her and my brother.” Thank God Kinsey had come to her senses and returned to Chicago, though Luke had been ready to up sticks and move to California to be with her. Eli Cooper’s megalomania had almost lost Alex a friend
and
her brother.
“The course of true love never did run smooth,” the mayor said quietly. “Firing Kinsey was the best thing I could have done. Made them face what’s important. And I
still
haven’t received that thank you card.”
“Is there anything you won’t claim credit for?”
Eyeing her speculatively, he took a sip of his scotch, undoubtedly something expensive and triple-distilled from the tears of Scottish virgins. Everything about him screamed privilege, from his monogrammed cuff links to his Wall Street suspenders.
“I even paired off Gage with Brady. Perhaps I should add that to my campaign ads.” He swiped a hand across an imaginary billboard. “Vote for Cooper, the Matchmaking Mayor.”
She snorted. “Well, you can forget about the Dempsey vote.”
His steely stare penetrated to the blood boiling beneath her skin. “Oh, I know,” he murmured. “In fact, you and your family seem to take great pleasure in doing what you can to make me look bad.”
“Believe me, when I was cutting up Cochrane’s car, you were the last thing on my mind.”
“Exactly. You don’t think.”
She tamped down on the growl fighting to escape her throat.
Do not engage.
He flicked a glance over his shoulder. “I must say your date is taking an awfully long time. Perhaps he’s a little intimidated by all this passion of yours, and he’d rather risk a twisted ankle by escaping through the restroom window. Getting on your wrong side could be costly for any man.”
Unavoidably, her gaze traveled toward the restrooms just as Detective Martinez appeared, ankles none the worse for wear. Praise Jesus.
“Looks like this one is brave enough to stick around and take me on, Eli.”
Shit. She said his name. The dimple did a jig.
“Beware of men who claim to be able to handle you, Alexandra. While I’ve always found our exchanges extremely provocative, I doubt others will be as entertained by you as I am.”
“I’m not here for your entertainment.” Covering a yawn with one hand, she picked up her phone with the other. “I’m going to delete you from my contacts list. If you text me again because you’re bored, I won’t know who you are. As I was raised to never speak to strangers, it’s unlikely we’ll be chatting again.”
The dimple quickstepped into a samba. “I’m in your contacts list?”
“Yep.” Discombobulated by that dumb dimple, she turned the phone to him, grasping for the upper hand in this unnerving conversation. “BFT.”
As he leaned in, the smokiness of the whiskey and something indefinably male struck her nostrils. Her stomach gave a treacherous flutter.
“Best Friend
Totes
?”
“Big. Fucking. Tool.” She plastered on a saccharine grin. “But I don’t need a contacts list entry to remember that.” She went ahead and deleted it, each tap more indignant than the last.
“Want to know what I’ve called you in mine?”
Her heart rate spiked. “
Dying
over here.”
He tipped the screen toward her to reveal “Splinter” in the contact name field.
Splinter?
“Short for Splinter in My Side. I was going to call you Thorn, but you’re not worthy of a thorn, Alexandra. You’re a minor annoyance.”
“Glad to hear I don’t rate too much on your radar. Would hate to think you’re wasting valuable mental real estate thinking about me and my family and all we do to make you look bad.”
The detective arrived at the table, his expression curious. Eli—
no, Mr. Mayor
—uncoiled to a stand. Just running her eyes over all that slickness drew her shiver, but neither could she help comparing his physique to that of her date. Eli Cooper had a couple more inches in height on Michael and maybe, just maybe, slightly more girth on those biceps. She would think with all his fancy tailoring he could find a shirt that fit him properly instead of one that outlined his bull-like shoulder muscles so obscenely.
“Enjoy your meal, Alexandra. As I said, the quail is excellent.” He nodded curtly at her date. “Detective Martinez.”
As he walked away from the table, three things stuck with her:
One, the jerk’s personality did
not
improve on acquaintance.
Two, in less than five minutes, he’d managed to sour the most promising date she’d had in months.
Three—and how she hated herself for even going there—those gray pin-striped pants shaped his ass really, really well.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Originally from Ireland,
KATE MEADER
cut her romance reader teeth on Maeve Binchy and Jilly Cooper novels, with some Mills & Boon thrown in for variety. Give her tales about brooding mill owners, oversexed equestrians, and men who can rock an apron or a fire hose, and she’s there. Now based in Chicago, she writes sexy contemporary romance with alpha heroes and strong heroines who can match their men quip for quip. Visit her at
KateMeader.com
.
FOR MORE ON THIS AUTHOR:
authors.simonandschuster.com/Kate-Meader
MEET THE AUTHORS, WATCH VIDEOS AND MORE AT
ALSO BY KATE MEADER
“Rekindle the Flame” in
Baby, It’s Cold Outside
(anthology)
Pocket Books
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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2015 by Kate Meader
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Interior design by Kyle Kabel
Cover art by Craig White
ISBN 978-1-4767-8590-5
ISBN 978-1-4767-8594-3 (ebook)
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