Free Seducing the Billionaire: A Billion Dollar Contract Story (The Billion Dollar Contract) by Cynthia Dane Page B

intrigue swirling in his eyes. Thinking about me, eh? Jasmine slipped forward, allowing her chest to prominently display on the counter. Oh ho ho. Somebody’s eyes went right to her breasts. At the end of the day, they were both animals.
    Ethan flagged down the bartender and ordered another drink. “Get her another one of those. My tab.” About damn time. A girl shouldn’t have to work so hard to get a free drink.
    At this point Jasmine had no idea what she was doing. In truth, she rarely approached men like this. She was safe, disinterested. Her dating life usually amounted to men approaching and asking her out. Sometimes she went on blind dates set up by friends and family. But she rarely, rarely approached a guy on her own. She was much more likely to ignore them, admire them from far away but do nothing, or become startled when they approached her. Taking the initiative was something beyond her comfort zone.
    Yet she woke up that day with the determination to make it happen. She would do it. She would go out that evening and find a man worth seducing. Sometimes a woman needed to prove to herself that she had the power. Men always had the power. Just for one night Jasmine wanted to make the decisions and take hold of her sexual fate.
    Her fantasies, however, usually included not knowing the man’s name. Now she knew Ethan’s name, so there was that.
    The bartender returned with their drinks and made himself scarce again. How many hookups did he see happen in this hotel lounge? Did he ever get jealous? Why did Jasmine care? Because he’s probably judging me. “Thanks for the drink,” she said, swirling her fingertip in her glass before tasting it. “It’s been a long week.”
    “Oh? You said you weren’t a boring woman, so I expect this to be good.”
    Jasmine squared her shoulders. “I did a lot of tiring things this week. I had a lot of work.”
    “And what does a non-boring woman such as yourself do?”
    “Administration. For a big office. Sometimes I feel like the boss’s personal assistant.”
    “Is your boss an asshole?”
    Jasmine had to be careful. For all she knew this guy knew her boss. “He can be. He likes to order me around a lot. Beyond what is kosher for someone in his position.”
    “Business can stress a guy out. Don’t be too hard on him for being hard on you.”
    “Whatever.” Jasmine took a drink. “Besides work, I also did so much cleaning this week. And gardening. It’s a tough life.”
    “I see…”
    “You ever give a cat a bath before?”
    Ethan closed his mouth, his eyes full of bemusement instead of curiosity. “A cat bath…”
    “It’s nearly impossible. My little guy likes to roll around in the garden, so he was in desperate need of a bath… I did everything the vet told me to do, and he still did this.” Jasmine turned her arm over to show a scratch she sustained from her cat Blackbeard’s trauma earlier that week. Ethan looked at it, almost impressed. “Heartbreaking.”
    “I’m sorry your fuzzy child hurt you so.”
    “He’s not the only one. There’s a gaggle of kittens at my place too. Not his!” No, she would not besmirch her cat’s good name. He’s neutered anyway. Maybe that was the real reason for scratching her up. “I found some kittens a few weeks back. Adorable guys, but it’s so much work taking care of them.”
    “Maybe you should give them away. Or sell them.”
    Money-minded man, huh? Of course he was. “That’s what the people I live with want. None of them were keen on a bunch of kittens taking over the place. Luckily, it’s a big place.”
    “Oh? I didn’t know there were big places around here.”
    “You’ve got it wrong. You have to live out of the city for a big place.”
    “You live outside of the city?”
    Calm down, Mr. Stalker. “I share a place up in the Hills with some other folks.” The commute was rough when she wanted to get downtown, but she couldn’t say no to the cheaper living. Plus all that space for