Dan scowled. "That's nonsense. I could easily handle a lover who is smarter than me. It's not like I'm stupid-I'm the CEO here. I've got quite a lot going for me and I appreciate women who have a lot going for them. Trust me, I am not threatened by your intelligence. I'm impressed, delighted even."
Kay looked at him with her mouth half open. "I haven't had many lovers who appreciated my intelligence. There were a few, but they were losers in other ways. Most men need to be superior to me so they can feel good about themselves."
Dan huffed. "That's because they're grateful. You know the old saying about the two types of lovers in the world: the good and the grateful. A good lover is someone who impresses you and earns your respect. A grateful lover is overly impressed by you and is secretly worried that they're not worthy. I don't want a grateful lover-I want a good one, someone I can respect."
I didn't see that coming. She found him easier to ignore when she thought he was a sexist playboy, threatened by her intelligence. But instead, he just kept growing in appeal. Kay looked up at his dark hair and handsome face, his intense eyes staring straight at her. It confused her and pulled her heart from side to side.
Dan wasn't finished. "This is one of the main reasons why I haven't settled down. I have no respect for most of the women I meet who throw themselves at me. They want my money or my body or my fame, but they don't offer me much in return. You, on the other hand, have more going on than any other woman I've ever met. You are competent, intelligent, powerful, and all-around awesome. It doesn't threaten me at all-I could be very happy with a lover like you." He reached up and wiped the tear from her eye. It sizzled and evaporated from the heat of his hand. "The reason I keep you at bay is that I worry about what will happen to us when we stop being lovers. And that always happens to me." He tightened his mouth. "Always." He bit his lip and looked away.
Kay sat there, unable to move. Dan was destroying all of her stereotypes about men-could he be real? There has got to be a catch here. A twinge of the afternoon's "deal arousal" flared up and told her to throw him down on the floor of the restaurant and seduce him this minute. Dan would certainly enjoy it, she knew that, but he would be angry afterward. And she definitely couldn't deny that things were fine the way they were.