Read Online Love and Liability (Dating Mr Darcy - Book 2) by Katie Oliver - Free Book Online
Authors: Katie Oliver
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expectantly.
“My crap day?” He paused to give their orders to the waiter — grilled sea bass for Holly, salmon for him — and turned back to her. “So far, my day’s actually been quite good.”
“No, I meant the other day, when I interviewed you. You called me that night, and said you’d had a crap day.”
“Oh. Yes.” He winced. “Well, I ended up with two new clients that afternoon. Both of them have proven to be very—” he paused “—difficult. And very high profile…”
“High profile?” Holly echoed, intrigued. “Ooh, do tell!”
He looked uncomfortable. “I really can’t discuss my clients with you. I shouldn’t have brought it up—”
“Oh, come on! You can’t say something like that and then leave me hanging,” she protested.
“No, I suppose not.” He sighed. “Let’s just say, one of my new clients is a temperamental — with an emphasis on
mental
— rock star; the other is a hot-tempered television chef.”
Holly leaned across the table and whispered excitedly, “Wow, so are you saying that Dominic Heath and Marcus Russo are your clients? That’s
so
cool.”
“No, trust me, it isn’t cool. It’s dreadful. Despite his difficult reputation, Marcus Russo is…even worse. And Dominic…” He paused. “He’s a nightmare in leather trousers.”
“He
can
be,” Holly conceded. “But under the laddish exterior, he’s actually not that bad.”
“Oh? You sound as if you know him personally.”
“I do,” she admitted, “but not very well. He and Natalie — she’ll be my sister-in-law soon — were together for two years. She blagged me an interview with Dom. That’s how I got my job at
BritTEEN
.”
“Small world. They broke up, I take it.”
Holly nodded. “He dumped Natalie to marry his ex-wife…who dumped
him
just before their wedding ceremony, when she caught him shagging the bridesmaid. It was all over the tabs.”
Alex frowned. “Oh, yes. I remember. Quite a stir it caused.”
“And Marcus Russo…he’s a Michelin-starred chef!”
Alex nudged dispiritedly at his tumbler of water. “Yes. Nevertheless, it’ll be a headache to deal with either of them, much less the pair.” He leaned forward. “Enough about me, I want to know about
you
. Tell me all about Holly James.” He raised his eyebrow. “Sex on a first date? Yes…or no?”
“There you go again, throwing my own questions back at me.”
“It’s only fair.”
She toyed with her fork. “Well, it depends, of course.”
“On what?”
“On…things,” she hedged. “Like whether they — he, and she — are attracted to one another, or not.”
He reached out and picked up her hand. “And if they are?” he asked quietly. “Attracted to one another, I mean.”
Holly met his eyes. God, he was gorgeous, with those dark, penetrating eyes, and those lips, so firm and inviting, and so close to hers…
Just then, the waiter arrived with their lunches. “Who had the sea bass?” he enquired brightly.
“I did,” Holly said, and leaned back with mingled relief and disappointment. She waited as he set their plates down.
“You didn’t answer my question,” Alex observed after the waiter departed.
She picked up her fork and pretended to consider. “I think I’ll need a second date before I’m ready to give you a definitive answer.”
“Spoken,” he said with approval, “like a true politician.” He lifted his glass of water and waited until Holly did the same, then touched his glass to hers. “Here’s to a second date, Ms James,” he added huskily, “and quite possibly, a third.”
Chapter 11
“Have you ’eard, Jamie?” the delivery man called out as he backed his truck behind the restaurant and jumped down. “Your restaurant’s about to ’ave a bit of competition.”
Jamie Gordon wiped his hands on his apron. “Yep. I’ve heard.”
Opening a restaurant had been Jamie’s dream from the time he was a student at culinary school in Edinburgh. Seven years on,
“My crap day?” He paused to give their orders to the waiter — grilled sea bass for Holly, salmon for him — and turned back to her. “So far, my day’s actually been quite good.”
“No, I meant the other day, when I interviewed you. You called me that night, and said you’d had a crap day.”
“Oh. Yes.” He winced. “Well, I ended up with two new clients that afternoon. Both of them have proven to be very—” he paused “—difficult. And very high profile…”
“High profile?” Holly echoed, intrigued. “Ooh, do tell!”
He looked uncomfortable. “I really can’t discuss my clients with you. I shouldn’t have brought it up—”
“Oh, come on! You can’t say something like that and then leave me hanging,” she protested.
“No, I suppose not.” He sighed. “Let’s just say, one of my new clients is a temperamental — with an emphasis on
mental
— rock star; the other is a hot-tempered television chef.”
Holly leaned across the table and whispered excitedly, “Wow, so are you saying that Dominic Heath and Marcus Russo are your clients? That’s
so
cool.”
“No, trust me, it isn’t cool. It’s dreadful. Despite his difficult reputation, Marcus Russo is…even worse. And Dominic…” He paused. “He’s a nightmare in leather trousers.”
“He
can
be,” Holly conceded. “But under the laddish exterior, he’s actually not that bad.”
“Oh? You sound as if you know him personally.”
“I do,” she admitted, “but not very well. He and Natalie — she’ll be my sister-in-law soon — were together for two years. She blagged me an interview with Dom. That’s how I got my job at
BritTEEN
.”
“Small world. They broke up, I take it.”
Holly nodded. “He dumped Natalie to marry his ex-wife…who dumped
him
just before their wedding ceremony, when she caught him shagging the bridesmaid. It was all over the tabs.”
Alex frowned. “Oh, yes. I remember. Quite a stir it caused.”
“And Marcus Russo…he’s a Michelin-starred chef!”
Alex nudged dispiritedly at his tumbler of water. “Yes. Nevertheless, it’ll be a headache to deal with either of them, much less the pair.” He leaned forward. “Enough about me, I want to know about
you
. Tell me all about Holly James.” He raised his eyebrow. “Sex on a first date? Yes…or no?”
“There you go again, throwing my own questions back at me.”
“It’s only fair.”
She toyed with her fork. “Well, it depends, of course.”
“On what?”
“On…things,” she hedged. “Like whether they — he, and she — are attracted to one another, or not.”
He reached out and picked up her hand. “And if they are?” he asked quietly. “Attracted to one another, I mean.”
Holly met his eyes. God, he was gorgeous, with those dark, penetrating eyes, and those lips, so firm and inviting, and so close to hers…
Just then, the waiter arrived with their lunches. “Who had the sea bass?” he enquired brightly.
“I did,” Holly said, and leaned back with mingled relief and disappointment. She waited as he set their plates down.
“You didn’t answer my question,” Alex observed after the waiter departed.
She picked up her fork and pretended to consider. “I think I’ll need a second date before I’m ready to give you a definitive answer.”
“Spoken,” he said with approval, “like a true politician.” He lifted his glass of water and waited until Holly did the same, then touched his glass to hers. “Here’s to a second date, Ms James,” he added huskily, “and quite possibly, a third.”
Chapter 11
“Have you ’eard, Jamie?” the delivery man called out as he backed his truck behind the restaurant and jumped down. “Your restaurant’s about to ’ave a bit of competition.”
Jamie Gordon wiped his hands on his apron. “Yep. I’ve heard.”
Opening a restaurant had been Jamie’s dream from the time he was a student at culinary school in Edinburgh. Seven years on,
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