Jennifer Probst - Searching for Perfect

Odd, the way he communicated made perfect sense. There would never be any guessing with this man, and no games. Direct, honest, unflinching. She just needed to find him a female who owned the same type of qualities, or one who was the complete opposite. Either he’d get along best with similar types, or he’d need the balance of contradiction.

Definitely a mixer. Targeted, maybe four to five women of all types, a melting pot he’d be able to delve into. But it wouldn’t work until she made some major changes on the outside.

Ken smiled. “I think that was a great answer.”

“Then why does that expression on your face make me nervous?”

She laughed. “I told you I’m not looking to change who you are, but I need to tweak the surface. For the next two weeks, I’ll be attached to your side. Other than work, we’ll be spending evenings together, and weekends. When I feel you’re ready, I’ll schedule the first mixer. Is that agreeable?”

The unibrow lowered. “What are you going to do to me?”

Her palms literally itched, a sure sign of success. She lowered her voice.

“Everything.”

NED ALMOST JERKED IN his seat from that husky, sexy spill of voice. Like velvet and gravel mixed together. The word drilled in his brain over and over, bringing up an array of delicious images.

Yep. She was a definite distraction.

He pegged her for a major flirt, but he didn’t think she realized what she’d just done to him. Probably looked at him more like an amoeba in her scientific experiment. Her black pencil skirt emphasized the toned muscles in her legs, which were a deep golden brown. The snug jacket cut over the natural fullness of her breasts and lifted them up like a present. Today, she wore a glittery silver ankle bracelet with tiny charm things. As she shook her leg, they tinkled and brought attention to the strappy platform sandals no woman should be wearing in the cool March weather. A natural sultriness radiated around her figure, and though she obviously knew how to use it, Ned figured that most of the time she had no clue how insanely attractive she was. Something seemed to hold her back, as if she hid a big secret at her core. Would be interesting to explore those limits and see inside. But that wouldn’t happen in his lifetime.

She was already looking back down at her papers. Dismissed, without a thought what that husky voice could do to a man. “Let’s talk about your hobbies outside of work. I see you golf.”

She uttered that word with pure disdain. He itched to show her the excitement of the subtlety and mental challenge of the sport, but obviously, she was more of a baseball or football fan. “Yes. I golf.”

Her gaze probed under the cotton fabric of his lab coat to get an idea of his biceps. He may not have a killer body, but he wasn’t soft. He ate healthy, golfed, and did regular crunches to keep his abdomen tight. Irritation bristled. What would it feel like to be a man she lusted after? Those gorgeous eyes reminded him of a sleek, strong lioness, pure gold shot with a touch of amber. Fogged with desire, he bet they’d get soft and sleepy. Maybe she bit and sucked her lower lip, which had a natural pout. She was probably trained to know exactly how to elicit a man’s response, down to the last detail. She was so out of his league, it was like Butch Harmon versus Happy Gilmore. Ned shifted in his chair and tried to refocus. Golf.

“Golf is good. Anything else?”

He pulled back his shoulders. “Books.”

She scribbled something. “Reading is a definite plus. What were the last three books you read?”

“The Kama Sutra. The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty. Fifty Shades of Grey.”

The pen stilled. Her mouth opened, and her tongue slid over her lower lip. Ah yes, he’d finally elicited a feminine reaction. He tamped the flood of satisfaction. She was his matchmaker, intent on finding him his soul-mate. No reason to muddy the waters by crushing on her like a schoolboy. Still, he enjoyed the dilation of her pupils as she processed his statement. “Interesting. More research?”

“Yes. Research.” Once he got a woman into bed, he intended to keep her there. Part of his study to understand women included a range of erotic novels and how-to manuals to guarantee perfect sexual stamina and performance.

She regained her composure and clasped her hands together, index fingers touching. Her nails were dark purple today. An intricate silver ring flashed in the light. He wondered if she had a lover. He wondered if she had many.

“I’d like to change your name to Nate.”

He waited a beat. “My name is Nathaniel. My nickname is Ned.”

She seemed to choose her words carefully. “Ned evokes a certain image. Think of this as a reinvention. Since your birth name is so beautiful, I think we should go back to Nate as a nickname.”

Ned analyzed her statement. He’d always preferred his real name, but the kids in school hadn’t let him use it. They loved to torture him, calling him “Ned the Nerd.” He never thought of taking back his birth name after high school and claiming it for his own. He nodded. “A good idea. Nate it is.”

She smiled. Her front tooth was slightly crooked, which only made her even more appealing and emphasized her hot pink lips. She was so very . . . colorful. “Wonderful. I think that wraps up most of my questions, so I can begin working on some initial matches. I’d like to start tomorrow evening at six. Meet me at the following address.” She handed over a business card. It held an address, phone number, and the word MING.

“Who’s Ming?”

“A miracle worker. I know you have a demanding work schedule, but I’ll need you to have open availability after work for the next two weeks.”

Could he do this? Put himself in the hands of a stranger and trust her to find him happiness?

Yes. He hadn’t come this far to quit now. If he kept his focus, it would all be worth it.

“Okay.”

Her smile grew, and he admitted he’d do just about anything to see it again. She was a definite witch, with her apparent power to spellbind him with a single gesture or facial expression. “Great. Trust me, and I’ll take you all the way.”

The innuendo almost made him groan. But he refused to go down on the first round. He dropped his voice and pretended to be in control.

“I’m looking forward to it, Kennedy.”

He caught a flare of unease in her eyes, before smoothing back to her polished social director demeanor. But Nate suspected there was a lot more to her beneath her surface. And he wanted to find out just what those layers held. Maybe he’d even show this beautiful woman a lot more than she ever suspected.

Maybe.

He stood. “I’ll see you tomorrow at six.” He left without looking back, wondering how it would all turn out.

NATE EYED THE bright red door with suspicion, but his eager guide for the evening gave him no time to think. Just pushed him through until he popped into an empty waiting room. The lights were dim, and there was only one large counter set up. No magazines, no water, no snacks. When he’d first heard he was going to a spa, he figured a little pampering couldn’t be so bad. Images of hot towels, long fragrant massages, and a beautiful woman rubbing his feet flickered in his head. But this was a dump.

Located on the edge of Verily, hidden up a steep hill, there seemed to be neither foot traffic nor pedestrians. Just a broken-down building with a bright red door. Elizabeth Arden it was not. How did this place get clients?

Kennedy motioned for him to take a seat as she walked up to the desk. The woman frowned at her instead of giving her a welcoming smile and launched into a tirade in heavily accented Chinese. Kennedy listened, nodded a lot, and basically seemed to try to suck up to her. What type of establishment was this? If this was the type of business Kinnections patronized, he may have made a terrible mistake.

Kennedy did a slight bow and returned. Sweat beaded her brow. “Thank God. Ming will see us.”

“Who is this person? There’s no customer service. No nice amenities. And they seem rude. We should leave.”

She dropped her voice to a fierce hiss. “You do not make any negative comments. One complaint and we’ll get thrown out. Ming is the best, and she’ll return you back to normal. Above normal, actually. You’ll never be the same.”

His unease grew. He pulled at his lab coat and noticed the new stain of mustard on his lapel from eating lunch at his desk. Again. It had been hell getting out on time, but he was looking forward to beginning his journey toward his future wife. Who would’ve thought it would begin in a crappy underground dungeon with a woman named Ming?

“What is she going to do to me?”

Kennedy pointed a finger at him. “Whatever she wants. You need to follow all her instructions exactly. This is very important.”

“I’m not stupid.”

“No, but you like to argue, and that will get us thrown out.”

He had no time to respond. The door behind the desk swung open without a sound. He caught an impression of an elfin figure dressed in a Japanese robe, shrouded in shadow. One long, bony finger drifted out and beckoned him forward.

“Go,” Kennedy whispered.

Crap, why was he scared? A little old lady couldn’t hurt him, and if he didn’t like anything, he’d just walk out, no matter what Kennedy said. He straightened his shoulders and stepped through the door.

She led him down a dim hallway. The small woman moved lightning fast, practically floating over the ground as they turned right and made their way deeper into a maze of unending hallways. He itched to throw bread crumbs or mark a wall to find his way back, but there was no time. He stumbled twice just keeping up. Finally, she stopped and entered an unmarked door.