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“Sounds riveting.”
“Great bedtime reading,” I reply sardonically. “And recently someone named Arianna stepped into my life. She’s a badass, even though she doesn’t think she is, and all the women in the office want to be her when they grow up,” I continue, not stopping when her eyebrows lift in surprise as I go through her list because I memorized everything she told me. “I can quote every law and regulation off by heart. I hate liars. My favorite drink is a Macallan single malt.”
“On the rocks.”
I nod. “And I think you might just be the smartest person I have ever met.” I repeat her verbatim.
“That can’t be true.” She disagrees with me, shaking her head.
“It’s true.”
“Thank you.” The skin of her cheeks pinken.
“We have lots in common, Arianna.”
“We do.”
And we are fucking great together in bed and I want to take you home and let you fuck my dick raw.
“We’re a great team.” I back up how good we are together outside of the bedroom because in the office we are the dream team.
We sit in comfortable silence for a while, as if letting the words sink in.
“We don’t make sense,” she whispers.
“Do we have to?”
“I don’t know anything anymore.”
Tell me about it, baby.
She taps the screen of her phone to check the time and gasps. “Wow, it’s getting late and we have an early meeting at eight tomorrow.”
I raise my hand to get the waiter’s attention and ask for the check, annoyed that my time with her tonight is ending.
“I’ll have Jenkins drive you home,” I inform her.
Outside, I hold open the car door for her. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Arianna.”
“You’re not coming?” Sounding shocked, she stops getting into my car.
“I’ll catch a cab back to the office. I have some work to do before tomorrow’s consultation.”
“You work too hard. You should try and get some sleep, Nathan.” Reaching up, she cups my face and part of me wishes she was really mine and she could touch me like that whenever she wanted. “You look tired. Don’t work too late, okay?”
I had the best night’s sleep when she stayed over at my apartment, which I found odd.
I nod and before she slides into the car, she rises up on her tiptoes and kisses my cheek. “Thank you for dinner.” Her lips find the shell of my ear. “Goodnight, Nathan.”
Ask me to come home with you.
“See you in the morning, Arianna.”
19
NATHAN
“And that’s everything you need to know.” Vivienne Cavendish flashes me a toothy grin that makes her look every inch a wolf in sheep’s clothing.