Chapter 3

Rick's gaze swept from his tousled hair to his high-heeled boots and back to his eyes, Lily felt a sudden tingling heat on her skin as she cursed for not having combed this morning.

-And why not?

Before she could help it, she let out an incredulous laugh.

-I usually wear denim clothes and a lot of dirt. Her distinguished friends wear designer clothes and diamonds.

He raised a dark brow

-And how do you know..?

Because she read the Chapell Hill society columns daily to find out all the news about a man who pretended to ignore his existence.

-I know her kind. she said superiorly.

-I detect a kind of classism, don't you, Mrs. West?

-None of that is just the harsh reality.

-One builds his own reality. What are you telling me Lily? Do you want to be my partner at my father's party?

"No way, Mr. Faulkner otherwise, I don't even have the right look."

-My name is Rick and I'll buy you one.

Her surprise drove her back. << Not in any way >>.

-No

A defiant flash lit Rick's eyes.

-Are you afraid to show your legs?

She lifted her chin

-I have formidable legs. My cat always tells me by purring when he rubs against them.

The man's giggle shook her to the point where she was tempted to throw her seriousness overboard.

-Come with me to dinner tonight and so you will give me the opportunity to make you change your mind.

Her allure washed over her like a wave, but she and Trent were living proof of the kind of trouble rich, overly attractive guys could cause. A sudden thought of her raised the hairs on the back of her neck, then she put the chair between them and clung to the back of her until her knuckles ached.

-Does the contract depend on my acceptance?

-Of course not. she replied instantly

-Follow me. she said in a seductive tone.

Rick led her into a room where he pulled out a couple of copies of the contract and handed her one of her own.

-You have your contract signed, sealed and delivered in hand and now, do you want to accompany me to dinner, Lily?

-I'm not dressed for the top of the town. He replied with his heart beating faster, she had mentioned the most prestigious restaurant in town, a place frequented by people like him. Why would a man from the richest family in Chapell Hill want to date her? And what woman in her right mind would reject Rick Faulkner? One that doesn't want headaches.

-There is a steakhouse next to the train track at high way 86 and she doesn't care about her customers' clothing.

Her mouth watered when she heard him mention her favorite restaurant, but she hesitated for a couple of reasons. The first, that restaurant had also been the favorite of Walt, her stepfather, and she had not been there since he passed away. The second, as the bastard daughter of a millionaire, she had learned the hard way that wealthy people and others never mixed in that small town.

-I never have personal relationships with my associates.

-But this is a business, I'll explain it to you over dinner. Is there someone other than the cat waiting for you at home?

Disappointed, she bit her lower lip, so the man's interest was purely commercial.

-No, but I warn you that you are not going to make me change my mind about your father's party.

A defiant flash lit Rick's eyes

-You wouldn't be able to condemn me to eat alone right?

She let out an incredulous exclamation.

-Don't say that, I'd bet that with just one phone call in five minutes you'd have a herd of women at your door.

-The only female I regularly eat with is my dog, but Maggie will spend the night at the vet clinic because her ovaries have been removed today. My house is empty. Rick replied enthusiastically.

Damn no one could resist a guy who loved animals.

-Just dinner?

-If just one dinner.

Won't you have dessert?

-Only the restaurant

His boyish smile deepened the laugh lines at the corners of his eyes and mouth. Lily's legs shook.

-Okay let me file these documents. Rick put the contract in a folder, then locked it in a desk drawer.

-My van is outside.

"My truck too," she replied.

-Are you planning to take me to the restaurant?

-I know him, we meet there.

Her mother hadn't raised stupid children, if you don't know a guy you don't get in her car even if the guy comes from a good family.

-Are you going to insist on sharing the account too?

She shrugged her shoulders.

-It could be, it depends on if your economic position is legitimate.

Without further ado, she started down the stairs and at the main entrance I wait for him to lock the door.

Lily pov's

She had to be crazy to make her agree to go out with him but then again, what harm could a dinner do? The empty house and a peanut butter sandwich didn't appeal to her at all, plus when her mother called, she could tell her she dated a man like that would keep her quiet for at least a month before her friends introduce her nephews. .

She would be safe while she remembered that dinner was the only thing she would share with Rick Faulkner and as for her invitation to her father's party that would not happen.

Rick Pov's

Lily West couldn't be more different from the sophisticated women he frequented. What was it that attracted you to her?

Rick leaned back in the seat took a sip of iced tea and studied the woman in front of him, she was pretty as an ordinary girl could be. The mahogany color of her short shiny hair, her thick red lips, and her peach skin were natural.