Daxâs gaze drifted lower and focused on Eliseâs mouth.
Because he was thinking about kissing her. She could read it all over his expression.
Emergency. This wasnât a date. Sheâd led him on somehow. They didnât like each other, and worse, he shied away from everything she desiredâlove, marriage, soul mates. She was supposed to be matching him with one of her clients.
First and foremost, sheâd given him permission to ruin her business if he didnât find the love of his life. And she was compromising the entire thing.
Had she lost her mind?
Despite knowing he thought happily ever after was a myth, despite knowing he faked interest in her as a method of distraction, despite knowing he stood to lose five hundred thousand dollars and pretended to misunderstand her questions or refused to answer them strictly to prevent itâdespite all that, she wanted him to kiss her.
Dax Wakefield was better at seducing a woman than sheâd credited.
* * *
Matched to Her Rival is part of the Happily Ever After, Inc. trilogy: Their business is makeovers and matchmaking, but love doesnât always go according to plan!
KAT CANTRELL read her first Mills & Boon® novel in third grade and has been scribbling in notebooks since she learned to spell. What else would she write but romance? She majored in literature, officially with the intent to teach, but somehow ended up buried in middle management in corporate America, until she became a stay-at-home mom and full-time writer.
Kat, her husband and their two boys live in north Texas. When sheâs not writing about characters on the journey to happily-ever-after, she can be found at a soccer game, watching the TV show Friends or listening to â80s music.
Kat was the 2011 Harlequin So You Think You Can Write winner and a 2012 RWA Golden Heart finalist for best unpublished series contemporary manuscript.
One
In the media businessâand in lifeâpresentation trumped everything else, and Dax Wakefield never underestimated the value of putting on a good show.
Careful attention to every detail was the reason his far-flung media empire had succeeded beyond his wildest dreams. So why was KDLS, the former jewel of his crown, turning in such dismal ratings?
Dax stopped at the receptionistâs desk in the lobby of the news station heâd come to fix. âHey, Rebecca. Howâs Brianâs math grade this semester?â
The receptionistâs smile widened as she fluffed her hair and threw her shoulders back to make sure he noticed her impressive figure.
He noticed. A man who enjoyed the female form as much as Dax always noticed.
âGood morning, Mr. Wakefield,â Rebecca chirped. âHe made a C on his last report card. Such an improvement. Itâs been like six months since I mentioned his grades. How on earth did you remember?â
Because Dax made it a point to keep at least one personal detail about all his employees front and center when speaking to them. The mark of success wasnât simply who had the most money, but who had the best-run business, and no one could do it all by themselves. If people liked working for you, they stuck around, and turned themselves inside out to perform.
Usually. Dax had a few questions for Robert Smith, the station manager, about the latest ratings. Someone was tripping up somewhere.
Dax tapped his temple and grinned. âMy mama encourages me to use this bad boy for good instead of evil. Is Robert around?â
The receptionist nodded and buzzed the lock on the security door. âTheyâre taping a segment. Iâm sure heâs hovering near the set.â
âSay hi to Brian for me,â Dax called as he sailed through the frosted glass door and into the greatest show on earthâthe morning news.
Cameramen and gaffers mixed it up, harried producers with electronic tablets stepped over thick cables on their way to the sound booth, and in the middle of it all sat KDLSâs star anchor, Monica McCreary. She was conversing on camera with a petite dark-haired woman who had great legs, despite being on the shorter side. Sheâd done a lot with what she had and he appreciated the effort.
Dax paused at the edge of the organized chaos and crossed his arms, locking gazes with the station manager. With a nod, Robert scurried across the ocean of people and equipment to join him.
âSaw the ratings, huh?â Robert murmured.
That was a quality Dax fully appreciated in his employeesâthe ability to read his mind.
Low ratings irritated him because there was no excuse. Sensationalism was key, and if nothing newsworthy happened, it was their job to create something worth watching, and ensure that something had Wakefield Media stamped on it.