Free Dare Me: A Dark Billionaire Romance by Evelyn Troy Page A

Phillips?” Jasmine’s heart beat faster in her chest as she recognized the voice on the other end. It was Dominic Harper. She took a quick breath. This could either be very good or very bad.
     
    “Speaking. Who is this?” She caught her bottom lip between her teeth, trying to suppress the rush of adrenaline in her system. On the other end of the line, she heard Harper chuckle.
     
    “I think you know exactly who it is— it’s Dominic.” Jasmine’s lips twitched into a sardonic smile.
     
    “Dominic who? I haven’t spoken to anyone named Dominic for a long time.”
     
    “Dominic Harper,” he said, his voice still full of amusement. “I’ll refrain from asking how easy it was to forget me with all the other Dominics you know.” Jasmine clenched her teeth for a moment in annoyance.
     
    “Well, you see, I can remember you quite clearly; but since I haven’t heard from you in so long, I assumed you’d chickened out of the dare and weren’t man enough to admit it and take a forfeit.” Dominic chuckled again, the sound sending a shiver down Jasmine’s spine—it was almost exactly the way he had laughed when he had been punishing her, telling her not to be so eager.
     
    “You didn’t specify in your dare when I should contact you,” he countered. “That’s really more your fault than mine, don’t you think?” Jasmine’s lips twisted as she racked her mind for something to say to argue that point. He was right; she hadn’t actually given him a timeframe.
     
    “Hard to believe that you could be such a successful CEO if you usually take this long to follow up,” she countered, bringing the phone with her to the couch and muting the TV.
     
    “Ah, but this isn’t business—it’s personal. I’m sure you can understand that my personal life is entirely at the whim of my career.” Jasmine pressed her lips together.
     
    “So are you calling me to tell me you’re taking the forfeit?” Jasmine snorted.
     
    “I was actually calling to arrange the meeting you dared me to make with you—unless you’re no longer interested?” It wasn’t quite a question. Jasmine’s skin tingled. Part of her mind insisted that after the insulting delay, she should reject the offer; she should just say that he had waited too long, and give him a forfeit that he could either take or leave. Something humiliating. The other part of her mind raged with curiosity—curiosity awakened by her first encounter with Dominic, that wouldn’t be satisfied until she had tried the kind of games that he played once more.
     
    “What are you proposing?” Jasmine asked, needing more time to think but knowing that too long a silence would be taken for rejection. She heard the sound of movement on the other end and wondered where Dominic was, what he was doing.
     
    “Come by my place,” he said. “We’ll have drinks, talk a little, see where the night takes us.” Jasmine worried at her bottom lip, tapping her toes on the floor. She took a deep breath.
     
    “Okay,” Jasmine said finally. “I’ll come by.” She could feel Dominic smiling, sense it even without seeing it.
     
    “I’ll send a driver for you, if you’ll give me your address.” Jasmine hesitated. Her apartment was not in the tony part of town, and as she considered the proposition in front of her, she thought of one or two other things that she needed to do to prepare—things that she needed to get done before she left for Dominic’s suite.
     
    “I can get myself over there,” she said quickly. “I remember the address well enough. A girl’s got to keep some secrets after all.”
     
    “Keep all the secrets you want,” Dominic said. “But I would like to see you here in the next two hours.” Jasmine glanced at the time. It was doable; she could get ready and take a cab to Dominic’s hotel room.
     
    “Two hours,” Jasmine agreed. “I will be there.” Jasmine ended the phone call quickly and slipped out of her pajamas, pulling on the