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was about to answer him when Mr. Brentford joined us.
    “Oliver, we’re almost ready for you now,” he smiled, looking over at me. “You’re not monopolizing Jade, are you?”
    “We were just catching up, Mr. Brentford.” I smiled weakly, looking up at Oliver who appeared to be angry at his friend’s interruption.
    “Well, I still think you’ve taken enough of Jade’s time. Let’s get you set up on stage,” Mr. Brentford teased, patting him on the back.
    “We will finish this later,” Oliver muttered in my ear, running his hand down my bare back before making his way to the front of the room.
    He was quite the motivational speaker. Oliver must have been on stage for at least an hour, answering questions after his speech.
    Alicia returned not long after he had gotten onstage, but luckily, she didn’t approach me again.
    “Are we still okay for lunch tomorrow?” Mr. Brentford asked while I was at the bar waiting for a drink. Oh, crap! How was I going to get out of that?
    The evening was winding down now, and Oliver was deep in conversation with a large group of people in the far corner of the room.
    “Oh, I…I…”
    “I’ll pick you up at your hotel at noon. I thought we could try a new Italian restaurant in Brooklyn.” He wasn’t taking no for an answer, so I simply nodded. As I gazed into the crowd, I noticed Oliver watching me. “Jade…” Mr. Brentford stroked my arm, pulling my eyes away from Oliver. “I’d really love an opportunity to get to know you.” He traced his hand down my arm, making his way toward my back. “Mm…you have very soft skin,” he mused, stroking my bare back. Already pinned up against the bar, I couldn’t move. This creep needed to learn to keep his hands to himself. I pushed his chest back, counting to five inside my head as I worked at calming my rage. He was lucky I had to stay in character. I was ready to floor him if his hands got any lower.
    “If you’ll excuse me,” I replied awkwardly, breaking free from his hold.
    I decided to go outside for some fresh air when I saw Alicia laughing with Oliver. Her hand was pressed to his chest while the group they were in chuckled along with them.  
    Why did it feel as if this mission was slipping from my hands already?
    I took three deep breaths, gripping the wall in front of me.
    “Here you are,” a soft voice called. I turned to see Oliver making his way over to me.
    “Sorry, I needed some fresh air.” I smiled shyly, wrapping my arms around myself. That was the typical Jade Gibbs body language. It would help me look vulnerable. I needed him to want to take care of me like before. I needed to be back inside his world, and not just for this mission.
    “Are you cold?” he asked in concern, slipping out of his jacket.
    “Not really,” I muttered as he moved to drape his jacket over my shoulders. We stood there staring into each other’s eyes for a few short moments, his hands still on my shoulders. He seemed to be searching for something and was hesitant to let me go.  
    “I thought you were going to make another run for it,” he finally admitted in a whisper. “I came outside to stop you.”
    “I’m not running anywhere,” I sighed, pulling his jacket tighter around my body as he finally let me go.
    “How do I know that? I didn’t think you’d run the first time.”
    “You seem to have done fine without me. The woman in the red dress seems nice .”
    “ Alicia? ” he frowned. “She’s my PA.”
    “So you’ve changed your rule about dating employees?”
    “Jade, I have no idea what you’re trying to imply.” His tone was becoming annoyed again, but I needed to know if Alicia had seduced him. Deep down, I was sure he wouldn’t fall for her charms, but I needed to hear it from him. “Well, fine. If we’re going to have this kind of conversation right now, I don’t like the fact that you’re working for Brian. He’s a sexual predator, Jade. His hands have been all over you tonight!”