Read Online Parker (Rich & Single #2) by Lexy Timms - Free Book Online

clients who were constantly unhappy that he couldn't magically give them what they wanted overnight with some secret elixir or workout plan.
    “Fair enough. We'll have to further discuss the metrics of the contest. I want to make sure that no one gets hurt.”
    Jennifer waved one hand in the air like she was waving the words away. “Of course. I wouldn't want to hurt anyone either. I actually do have a heart, you know.”
    “Just making sure the boundaries are clear.”
    She leaned back against the back of her chair, and looked at him through half-lidded eyes. “You're quite the character, Parker. I read your Rich & Single interview, you know.”
    “A lot of people have read that interview.”
    “A lot of people know a lot about you.”
    “People like to believe that, but they really only know what you tell them. Every word of that interview could be a lie.”
    “I'm sitting across from you, arguing about a challenge that will give both of us enough publicity that we'll be turning people away at the door, and you're making sure that I'm sticking to ethics. I think that a lot of what you said in that interview is true.” Her smile softened a little. “You're just a big teddy bear under all that muscle.”
    His eyebrows drew together. “I’m not fucking a teddy bear, thank you very much. I'm just... Not as much of a hard-ass as I make myself out to be. You know how it is. You've got to have a persona for this kind of work.”
    There was that grin again, all teeth. Jennifer stood, and started for the door, pausing at the last minute to look over her shoulder. “Trust me. There's nothing personal about how much of a hard-ass I am, Parker. You'll find that out really fast.” She opened the door and stepped through. “I'll be in touch.”
    The door shut again behind her.             

Chapter 6
     
    Well that had been eye-opening, to say the least.
    Parker sat in the chair behind his desk and watched Jennifer cross the room through the wide glass windows that framed the door. She moved like someone with a purpose, long strides eating up distance, and didn't stop to look at any of the people working out. No nonsense, then, but that had been kind of obvious.
    He tipped his head back against the top of the chair and stared up at the ceiling, considering.
    What the hell was he supposed to do with a challenge like that?
    The question of whether or not to take her up on her ultimatum had been a big one before. Now, the stakes were higher. If he didn't answer her challenge, there was every chance she would go around telling people that he was scared to prove his slogan, that maybe he couldn't really get anyone fit. The idea made Parker growl, his fingers curling a little tighter around the arm rests.
    No. He wasn't going to let her do that to him and his business. He'd worked too hard to get where he was, and he was not going to let anyone, least of all Jennifer Leandra and her silly little challenge, stand in his way.
    He dialed Jackson's number.
    “Jackson,” came the answer after a single ring. “What is it, Parker?” There was a click, and the sound of fingers against keys, like he was looking for something on his computer, or maybe like he was just multitasking. Jackson wasn’t really the single-focus kind of guy. “Our meeting is tomorrow, isn't it?”
    “Yeah,” Parker said. “Our meeting’s tomorrow. But Jennifer Leandra showed up here today.”
    The sound of fingers on keys abruptly fell silent. “At the gym? What was she doing there in person?”
    “Extending her challenge again. She wants to run a long-term fitness contest, to make me prove that I really can make anyone fit. And maybe to prove that she can, too. Who knows”?”
    “What did you tell her?”
    “I didn't give her a concrete answer, if that's what you're asking. I know better than that. We're going to talk about it and make the decision tomorrow.”
    “Except that you've already made the decision. I've known you for years,