“Stressed? How so?” I figure I’ll call his bluff about noticing anything about me.
“You’re here, drinking alone. However, you’re not seeking company, and you seem to be deep in thought about something. Perhaps you need a listening ear.” He sets one arm on the bar, and in my peripheral vision, I can see he’s wearing a blue jacket that accentuates his smooth, olive-toned skin. Big hand too. I can tell he’s looking at me, but there’s no expectation in his voice.
If the big blur at the edge of my vision is any indicator, the guy is quite tall.
I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding in.
If he wants to listen to me babble while I drink, then who am I to stop him?
“I don’t know. Happen to know any CEOs around who are free agents but not total assholes?” I reply, my mind wandering back to my less immediate but more critical problem at hand than whether or not the dude next to me is gorgeous or not.
He laughs, the unexpectedly sexy sound sending shivers up my spine.
“I have no clue what a CEO is, but are they always assholes?”
Funny. I naturally assume every guy in a suit comes from the corporate rigamarole.
“Maybe not. Maybe I’m just unlucky.” I take several grains of salt from the edge of my margarita glass and play with it between my fingers.
“How so?”
“The last two executive officers we spent weeks hiring both got fired in less than a year. Now the board wants me to find an interim CEO.”
“Interim CEO?” he asks.
“To run the company temporarily. Give us a breather while we find someone who is actually qualified this time.”
“And who isn’t an asshole.” He sounds amused.
I finally smile for the first time tonight. It’s nice to just talk for a moment. The idea of this sexy, polite stranger next to me is almost more enticing than whatever truth I’ll have to eventually face when I see what he really looks like.
“It’s good to see you smile,” he says, and I can hear the grin on his face too.
I imagine he’s missing a row of teeth or something. I don’t want to be disappointed if I look right now.
“Thanks. Now let me guess. You want my number?”
He pauses, and when he speaks again, it’s almost confused. “No. I wanted to know what you do at your company that all of these troubles seem to be falling on your shoulders.”
I blink because I don’t know if I’m relieved or annoyed that he isn’t like every other guy that’s ever approached me in this bar, just striking up a conversation to get to the chase.
“I’m the CHRO at Qualtechnics. Chief human relations officer. I’m in charge of hiring, corporate policy, management structures. The whole nine yards.”
“So you get to choose who the new CEO is?”
I snort out a laugh. “I wish. If the board of directors went with my last recommendation, this might not have happened.” I pause, but when he doesn’t jump in with his own corporate story, I continue. “I go through the applicants, interview them all, bring the best to the front. But ultimately, the board makes a joint decision. Which means they’ll probably just choose whoever tells the funniest jokes and who fits in the best in the boys’ club.”
“That seems utterly pointless. Having you do all that work to ignore your qualified choice.”
I like this guy already. I’m getting fired up just talking about it.
“I know, right? I’ve been with the company almost ten years. I’ve been honest, hardworking, done everything that was asked of me. And then at the end of the day, they dismiss me like my opinion doesn’t even matter.”
“I certainly would never make that mistake,” he says firmly.
I’m so involved in the discussion that I forget to not turn and look at him, cocking my head in response to what he said.
Big mistake.
2
Eva
The image of the nice, tallish, vaguely shaped man that had been in my head is instantly shattered into a million bits by the Adonis of a male specimen sitting next to me.
If looks could kill, this man has most certainly slain many.
He’s even taller than I thought, probably six-two or six-three. His shiny, midnight-black hair is short and thick, currently standing up as if he’s been running his hands through it.
His eyes are dark and long-lashed, his irises like a midnight sky around his pupils.
He has a perfect, straight jaw and nose and just the right amount of dark stubble on his face to show it off even better.
Kill me now, Mr. Stranger.
“I…” My brain jar just fell off the counter I keep it on and crashed all over the floor.
“My apologies. I never introduced myself. Tanner.” He gives me a polite nod and keeps his gaze forward. Steady.
“Eva.” I forget what arms and hands are as I just stare. As if looking at him is almost painful, but looking away would be even more painful.
Thankfully, Tanner just kicks our conversation off where we were, and I spend the next half hour trying to continue talking while not looking over too often or coming off as an absolute creep.
At some point, I look at my phone clock and realize it’s almost eleven, and I haven’t even reviewed the paperwork I was supposed to before work tomorrow.
“Crap, how did it get so late?” I say, harried. “I have to head home. Where did the time go?”
Tanner, who is even more devastatingly handsome now than he was earlier, just smiles politely and stands with me. “Can I help you get a cab?”
I nod because I’m really not ready to stop looking at him yet. Or talking to him. I’ve never had this reaction to a man before.
He follows me outside into the frigid cold, and he puts his coat over my shoulders while I wait the next few minutes for my ride.
It smells exactly like him. I wish I could keep it.
“I don’t know about you, but I had an amazing evening,” he says, standing right next to me.
“Really? It was just me talking about work.”
“I wouldn’t have had it any other way.”
As I look into his eyes, the lights above us brighten his gaze, making his eyes look like starry night skies.
He wets his lower lip as his eyes dart to my mouth, and I feel my stomach tighten, warmth pooling inside.
I barely know him, but I’ve never wanted anyone more in my life than I want this man right now.
He steps closer to me, and instinctively, I wrap my hands around his waist, feeling tight muscle beneath his shirt.
He hasn’t even touched me yet, but my body is begging for him.
“May I?” he asks, and I nod as he reaches up to push a stray strand of my hair behind my ear. The touch is electric, and his palm rests right beneath my left ear, teasing my skin.
Please, oh please, don’t stop, Tanner.
“You are just… amazing.” He inches closer. Every centimeter of distance makes my heart race faster.
I can’t even explain what this is between us. Just pure animal attraction?
Something more, but I just don’t understand it yet?
Just as his lips brush over mine, I meet him the last little bit, our lips crashing together gently. His hand is still on my neck, his other teasing the side of my hip, pulling us tighter as warmth fills my core. I can feel my heartbeat pulsing in my chest as it races with the intensity of the moment.