She pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes at him. “Are you hitting on me, Mr. Jones?”
“Thomas,” he corrected. “And what if I am?”
“Then I’d have to tell you to stop,” she said, her eyes flashing. “We’re here for business, not pleasure.”
He wagged a finger. “Ah, but you said it yourself. We met before this, so it’s different.”
“You’re right. You are insufferable.” She gave him a dirty look, but it was all for show. He could tell she was enjoying every second of their sparring as much as he was. “Can I look over your proposal while we wait for lunch?”
“Of course,” he said, his voice rich and deep.
She shifted in her seat, uncrossing her legs and then re-crossing them. “Thank you.”
He sat up straight and took out his proposal, handing her a copy and keeping one for himself to take notes on. She pulled a pair of reading glasses out of her purse and studied the document for a few minutes. He sat back in silence and allowed her the time she needed to read over the form. Truth be told, he took advantage of the opportunity to watch her.
And he liked what he saw. Perhaps too much. When was the last time he was so inescapably attracted to a woman? It had to have been before Nicole. Before he decided matters of the heart were better off being left out of his life.
He had married Nicole at a young age. When he’d been stupid enough to believe that happily ever after could exist outside of fairy tales. She had taken his heart and stomped it into the mud. Man after man had traipsed into her bedroom and he’d been powerless to stop it. Too weak to walk away…too eager to give her another chance.
It hadn’t been until she accused his best friend of accosting her that he’d snapped. Unfortunately, his transformation had come too late. He’d already lost the only person who had stuck by his side. Thomas would never forget the look in Jeremy’s eyes when he accused him of something so vile he couldn’t even comprehend it. And even worse? He’d broken his sister’s heart in the process. She had loved Jeremy—up until Thomas sent him running with his accusations.
“How long have you worked for MotoTek, Thomas?” Brianna looked up at him, her eyes focused and clear. Her voice ripped him from the past and he focused on her with no small amount of gratitude. Once he started reminiscing on his f**ked-up past, it could be hard to shove the memories to the back of his mind under lock and key where they belonged.
But today he had a job to do. He leaned forward and folded his arms on the table, holding eye contact. That was one reason why people never told him no: eye contact. It made them uncomfortable, left them on the spot. They didn’t think straight, and then he had them. Backed into a corner like prey. It was why he was so good at what he did. Underneath the slick smile and the polished shoes, it was the hunt that lured him.
And Brianna Faulk was offering more than one kind of chase, whether she knew it or not.
“Six years.”
She nodded and nibbled on the tip of her pen. His eyes ate in every detail of her pretty little mouth—from the red lips to the little peeks of white teeth he got. If he looked hard enough, he might see the tip of her tongue…
“And your position is…?”
Wherever you want me. He cleared his throat and pulled his mind from the gutter. What the hell was wrong with him today? “Head Marketing Executive.”
She crossed her legs and pursed her lips. “Tell me what you envision for my company, Thomas.”
“Of course.” He smiled and opened his copy of the proposal. “I know the Vegas market fairly well. I travel here regularly for MotoTek, and as I mentioned, my sister used to live here, as well. I know your customer base. I am your customer base. And I know you aren’t targeting me properly.”
“Really?” she said dryly. “What should I be targeting, then?”
“Exhaustion.”
She blinked. “What?”
“Exhaustion, Brianna. Every time I come in on that red-eye flight, I’m exhausted, and all I want is the closest place to put my feet up and have a drink. Every time I’m waiting to catch a flight, I’m bored out of my mind and looking for somewhere to kill time. You have a casino and hotel with a valid liquor license less than a block from the airport’s east parking lot. And I can’t for the life of me figure out why it’s the casino you’re advertising.”
Her brows knit. “Because it’s the casino that makes money. The lounge and hotel have ridiculous overhead.”
“Doesn’t matter. They’re what you sell.”
She leaned back in her seat and studied him flatly. “Do you have even the slightest idea how profit margins work?”
He forced a smile. She didn’t believe his reasoning yet, but she would by the time he finished his burger. “I understand profit margins. What you don’t understand is bait and switch.”
She parted her lips to snap a retort at him but the waitress arrived with their drinks. Thomas lingered over a sip of his drink and gave Brianna a moment to compose herself. She was still flushed. He was fairly sure it was anger, but he hoped, perhaps, that glimmer in her eyes was enjoyment.
Maybe she liked the challenge, too.
He set his drink down and licked away the burn of scotch. “I’ll be frank with you. Las Vegas casinos are a dime a dozen, and unless you’re the Bellagio, you’ll fail if you try to market yourself as a casino. You need to market what tired airline travelers want: a room to sleep in, a place within walking distance with food that doesn’t taste like airport fare, and a bar with the best cocktails this side of the runway. Position the restaurant with a terrace view of the casino floor, put slots in the bar, and you’ll have them hook, line, and sinker. I wouldn’t be surprised if people start missing their flights.”
She stared at him, looking rather taken aback—and that was when he knew he had her. Most people were never objective enough about their own businesses to really see the marketable factors or how to position themselves based on their location. That was Thomas’s job. Come in, work the numbers, come up with the ideas, and help them start making some money.
Brianna frowned. “You’re forgetting one thing. The layout of the Golden Hand Casino isn’t conducive to what you’re suggesting.”
His respect for her inched up a notch. Though she’d been skeptical at first, she was open-minded enough to consider his suggestions. If only all clients were so forthcoming. “That’s where MotoTek and our investment capital come in. Not to mention a complete remodeling to upgrade your brand image to something a little more recent than 1972. I’ve already got a full floor plan worked out. It will be a complete revamp.”