Third Date by Leah Holt Read Free Book Online Page B

opened the door, her nerves had remained unseen. Either she was a woman who was great at hiding her  feelings, or the classroom was where she thrived.
    From the short time I watched her in class, it told me a lot more than I expected. Kinsley owned that room, the way she held herself showed the strength that coursed through her veins.
    She spoke with assertiveness, never wavering in her demeanor. Gliding around the room on an invisible platform that all the children looked up to. She had control, she had passion for her work. And she didn't let my presence get in the way of what she was doing.
    I liked that. And I also like that she wasn't an eyesore to stare at for a couple hours.
    I had to be careful not to get a damn hard-on while sitting there. But there were children around, my control should have earned me a medal.
    Her breasts bounced with each step as she walked, her long hair fluttered across her back and framed her face as she leaned over to help the kids. The woman was breathtaking, stealing my thoughts and eyes instantly.
    No, Layne. She's a client.
    That was a road I couldn't go down. Rule one of many: Never get involved with a client. That one I put on top, right next to; Don't give away your own personal information.
    I wasn't there to shed my past, who I was as a person, where I came from, none of that shit was for the ears of my clients.
    My job was to learn, search, and make a match. Help the person find themselves, help them gain confidence, and then place love right at their feet.
    Except, I had this aching feeling that none of the women I'd worked worth ever  compared to Kinsley. The ladies I was used to being around were lost in every area. They had failed relationship after failed relationship. They spent too much time with outward appearances, from the brand of shoes they wore, to the fucking tag on their underwear.
    Useless shit that doesn't matter.
    They were all demanding Mr. Right, while refuting to change one ounce of themselves. If there's anything I've learned, you can't sweat the small stuff. But I always succeeded, finding those women a guy that would mesh with their personalities.
    And let me say... It wasn't easy.
    I've had my challenges, and conquered them all. Kinsley had just become the next notch on my challenge belt, and I would conquer her too.
    But there was something different about her. She didn't appear to be a woman who would have a hard time finding someone on her own, I just couldn't pinpoint what the underlying issue was.
    There had to be something, and I was determined to figure that out.
    But the real test would come tonight, date number one. I needed to see her outside of her comfort zone, and the guy I lined up would hopefully do that.
    He was a buddy of mine, Taylor, my go to guy for all the first dates. I knew he was someone I could trust, and wouldn't immediately storm off if the date went sour. I guess you could call it cheating in a way, but I always felt safe with him there.
    Safe is one thing that the female clients I worked with needed. Taylor provided that, with well detailed notes on what he thought.
    He was an accountant by day, and my wingman at night. I'd been in this business for over three years now, and he'd been with me from the start.
    It also might have helped that he was single, and lived by the motto:'I'm a no strings attached man.' Taylor didn't want marriage, he didn't want the family life or the weight of having to be in one place.
    That was one thing we had in common, maybe that was why he became my best friend? Love was something I stayed clear of, I never let anyone get that close. I couldn't, not yet.
    But Taylor was all about freedom in every way possible. And his freedom had to be a list that held over a hundred names.
    I knew Kinsley would think that a date was way too much so soon, but I looked at it as breaking the ice. Gina had told me that she hadn't been on an actual date in over seven years, seven years.
    Which I found bizarre because