Page 131 of Savage Suit

Nope, sure hadn’t.

My answer hadn’t deterred Megan. She’d told me doors opened to Ingrid because of her exposé on Noah were suddenly and firmly shut. Their application for a co-op, ready to be approved, had been denied.

I didn’t know about the reasons for the Warringtons’ unexpected reversal of fortune. Although I wondered why Megan thought I’d want updates about that woman, my bigger question was how had she discovered these details?

After studying me like a specimen under a microscope, she’d left. Noah had canceled our meeting, so when five o’clock rolled around, I was more than happy to leave.

This morning I’d gotten up, had coffee and toast, then spent hours working. I’d been on the verge of texting Noah most of the day. Knowing the later it got, the weaker my resolve would become, I decided to visit the bar where Ian worked to talk to him. Because I intended to have several drinks and I couldn’t trust Sandy, I took the subway, then walked the six blocks from the station.

“Hey, gorgeous,” Ian greeted as I sat at the bar and smiled at him.

“Hey, Ian.” I was glad the place was practically deserted tonight. “One screwdriver, please.”

“Coming right up, ma’am,” he drawled, pouring orange juice and vodka into a shaker. “What’ve you been up to?”

Fucking my boss. Kissing my boss. Simple shit.

“Stuff,” I answered, noncommittal.

He grinned. “Stuff?” he echoed. “Sounds like fun.”

“Hmmmm,” I replied, my thoughts on Noah and how he might be spending his Saturday night.

Ian slid the drink to me and leaned on the bar. “It’s great seeing you, Ryan. I’ve missed texting and talking to you.”

“Work has been intense.”

His mouth thinning, he straightened. “Considering what you went through at the press conference, I’ll bet it has been.”

I tasted my drink. “It was awful. I can do without such fame.”

“Infamy,” he corrected curtly.

Uninterested in further conversation, I sipped more vodka and orange juice.

Ian got the hint and went quiet, allowing me to brood in silence. For whatever reason, I’d believed I could dispel Noah from my head tonight, when I hadn’t successfully done so since our first meeting. Worse, my attraction had turned into infatuation. The more I learned about him and the more time I spent with him, the more I yearned for him.

Having a career hadn’t come up between us as another reason a romantic relationship was impossible. He admired me because of my work and wanted me to be a part of his company for the time being. However, his years of conditioning himself to believe women shouldn’t be in the workplace wouldn’t change overnight. Especially given the misguided reason behind his logic.

Ian set another screwdriver in front of me and removed my empty glass. “Penny for your thoughts?”

I smiled, remembering similar words from Noah. “My thoughts are worth more than that. Besides, you don’t want to hear them.” I sampled the drink, loving the taste of the orange juice, with just the right amount to conceal the vodka. “Delish.”

He flashed me a cocky grin and began cleaning glasses. “Try me.”

Ian was attracted to me, and men didn’t respond well when a woman friend-zoned them, then gave attention to another man. He wouldn’t harm me, but our relationship would be irrevocably damaged.

Despite visiting to confide in him, I was having second thoughts. Why had I thought talking to him was a good idea?

“Trust me, Ian. You’d prefer if I kept these thoughts to myself.”

“Ryan, sweetheart.” Abandoning his task and drying his hands on a dish towel, he reached across the bar and took one of my hands into his. “You trust me, Ryan. We’re friends. You’re not yourself, and you need a sympathetic ear.” He brought my hand to his lips and kissed the back of it. “Your well-being is the most important thing to me, so try me.”

The care in his words touched me and made me feel as if I could open to him and unburden myself as I had at the auto shop when he’d been all but a stranger. Though he was my friend now, I wouldn’t tell him about making love to Noah. Maybe, though, once I got yesterday off my chest, I could tell him how worried I was about Quinn. She wasn’t her usual carefree self. I could say so much, and he’d listen as he always had. It didn’t matter how much I wanted it to be Noah, who I confided in. “I kissed my boss,” I announced, taking a gulp of my drink.

Ian’s eyes widen. “Come again?”

“I kissed my boss,” I repeated, fully aware he’d heard me the first time.