All Bets Are On. Charlotte Phillips

her eyes narrowed a spark of sudden heat zipped up his spine. Obviously because Alice Ford didn’t do vulnerable, he decided, that was all. She did polished and professional. He was bound to react to such a change in her.

      ‘What do you mean, you’re exactly what I need?’

      Her arms were crossed defensively, her face totally suffused with suspicion and he knew that convincing her he was genuine was going to be tough. Then again, tough had never caused him a problem before.

      ‘What if I were to offer you my services?’ he said.

      She was looking at him as if she thought he might be crazy.

      ‘Your services? As what exactly?’

      He shrugged, leaned back against the wall and looked her in the eye.

      ‘As someone who dates a lot. Someone who’s out there.’

      He ignored the cynical expression on her face and forged ahead.

      ‘Instead of going to bars or restaurants on your own, come out with me. You said yourself just now, you’re rusty. And starting from scratch at anything is pretty daunting—right? Just think of the alternatives.’ He shrugged. ‘There’s internet dating, where you never know if the person showing up is a serial killer.’

      ‘As opposed to a serial dater,’ she said, eyebrows raised.

      ‘Hey, that’s an advantage! I’ve probably been on more first dates than anyone else you know. I’m used to the social scene. I know all the best places to go to meet new people. I’m perfect for the job. Whatever your reason is for staying out of the field these last three years, whatever moron has stitched you up or treated you badly in the past—’

      ‘How do you know that’s the reason?’ she snapped, his interest sharpening at her sudden defensiveness. ‘I’ve been putting work first, that’s all. Focusing on my career. It’s as simple as that. I don’t need your help.’

      ‘OK, OK.’ He held his hands up. ‘You’ve still been out of the field for a while. Out of the social scene, out of the habit of getting to know people.’

      ‘I get to know people!’ she protested.

      He deliberately fixed his gaze on hers.

      ‘Professionally maybe. But what about getting to know someone for pleasure?’

      He saw a soft blush touch the porcelain skin of her cheekbones. He had her on edge. He liked having that effect on her.

      ‘Just think about it for a minute. A few no-strings dates with me and you’ll have checked out a few nice bars, maybe a restaurant or two, you will have broken the ice, started talking to people about something other than work for a change.’ He winked at her. ‘You’ll be back out there. Problem solved.’ He paused, then added an extra touch of encouragement. ‘And no one needs to know we ever had this conversation.’

      Momentary relief in her eyes as she picked up on that last sentence. And then a sceptical smile touched the corner of her mouth, drawing his attention there.

      ‘And assuming I were to go along with this, what happens once I am “back out there”?’

      He shrugged.

      ‘Then, when it runs its course, we part company and you make your own way forward, back in full control.’ He held his hands up in what he hoped was a you-can-trust-me gesture. ‘Totally risk-free.’

      She gave him an amused look from beneath her dark eyelashes and his pulse rate began to climb unexpectedly. When you bothered to look beyond the starchy business persona she really was a knockout. She just needed to loosen up a bit.

      ‘Come on,’ he persuaded. ‘What have you got to lose?’

      Her gaze narrowed suddenly.

      ‘And what exactly is in it for you? Why the hell would you want to take me out when you have the pick of the office, not to mention the city? I’m sure HR are recruiting at the moment—there should be a whole new intake of candidates for you to hit on if you wait a week or two. You’ve never seemed to have a problem finding someone before. And judging by the trail of devastation you leave around the office they all seem to be a bit more into you than I am.’

      He grinned.

      ‘Maybe I like a challenge.’

      She only looked at him levelly. How come he hadn’t realised before how softly pretty she was? Her wide brown eyes were fringed with thick dark lashes contrasting richly with her creamy skin. The way she pulled her dark hair severely back from her face combined with the sharply tailored business suits she favoured made the overall impression coldly keep-your-distance professional, not pretty or sexy. Which, he realised, was probably the point.

      ‘What about Angela? Or is it Emily?’ She flung an exasperated hand up. ‘That temp from Accounts.’

      ‘I think you must mean Ellie,’ he said. ‘It’s been over for a while. I’ve actually been out of the field myself this past month.’

      He didn’t count yesterday’s one-night stand. Extra-short-term flings were the new thing.

      She gave an amused sniff.

      ‘Am I supposed to feel an affinity with that? A month is hardly an abstention, is it? It’s more of a...breather.’

      ‘OK, so it doesn’t come close to your three-year cold spell,’ he said, ‘but it’s still been a deliberate step back.’

      He took a breath, the hassle of the last few weeks zipping spectacularly through his mind in a haze of all-night repetitive phone calls and shredded clothes. Thankfully it seemed to be over now and he’d learned from his mistakes. From now on, clear caveats up front and no letting it run on too long. More than a month seemed to be code for women that moving in together was a realistic next step.

      He shrugged. ‘Is it so unbelievable to you that I might want to take you out?’

      * * *

      Alice stared at him.

      Actually, yes. Forgive me for being cautious but I have just discovered I’m the office joke.

      ‘How come you haven’t asked me out before, then?’ she asked. ‘Why now?’

      ‘You do have a bit of a...well, a reputation.’ He ran a hand through his dark hair, ruffling it, obviously struggling to put it tactfully.

      She tensed. If he dared use the term ‘Ice-Queen’, murder might be on the cards.

      ‘Oh, really?’ she said.

      ‘As being a bit aloof. But you must have been asked out before, surely?’

      ‘A couple of times,’ she said. ‘A firm “no” has always been enough before.’

      He grinned.

      ‘I don’t give up that easily. When I see something I want, I make sure I get it.’

      She jumped a little at the muffled ping of the lift outside followed by a flurry of voices and footsteps. Her colleagues, pouring back into the office. She needed to regain her composure if she was going to go back out there. And if she wanted him to keep quiet about her little meltdown just now, it might pay to keep him onside.

      Risk-free, he’d said. There was a small part of her that zoomed in on those two words.

      Three years and she hadn’t so much as been out for a coffee with a man. She had anticipated the day she agreed to a date again would be some kind of milestone. Broken heart fully healed. Pain resigned to the distant past along with sewer-rat Simon and his photographs. But now it seemed the last three years of swearing off the opposite sex had been totally pointless. She was in exactly the same place now as she had been then—the butt of amused gossip. This time because she didn’t date instead of because she did.

      Deep down her stomach twisted into agonising knots at