“So, Sarah, what are you doing up here?” Bradley caught up with me and I sighed. He was hot, but he was a distraction I didn’t need. I already had problems I had to deal with.
“I came to get some coffee.”
“Oh?” He looked at me curiously. “Isn’t there a break room downstairs?”
“Yes.” I sighed. “But Lewis, my boss, said I should just come up here.”
“Lewis Walker?” Bradley asked with a slight edge in his voice.
“Yes,” I said surprised. “You know him?”
“You could say that.” Bradley looked at me with a frown. “You work with Lewis?”
“Kinda,” I said evasively, not wanting to give him too much information.
“Are you his secretary?”
“Excuse me?” I turned toward him. “How dare you?”
“Huh?”
“Just because I’m a woman I have to be a secretary?” I snapped, conveniently forgetting that I’d actually applied to be a receptionist, which was actually a lower rank than secretary.
“Whoa there, soldier.” He looked at me warily. “You’ve got a bit of a temper on you, huh?”
“No,” I snapped.
“I guess was wrong.” He paused and looked at his watch. “I think I have to go now.”
“Okay, bye.” I turned around and walked back to the elevator, deciding it was better to forget about the coffee at this juncture.
“Wait.” He walked up to me, grabbed my arms and turned me around before bending down and kissing me again. I felt my head going woozy and it was all I could do to stay upright. I kissed him back like my life depended on it and finally he pulled away from me and shook his head. “Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.”
“Um, okay.” I didn’t know what else to say, as I was breathless.
“Do you want to go out tonight?”
“Go out?” I looked at him in shock. “With you?”
He laughed. “Most women don’t react that way when I ask them out.”
I looked at him and I could see why. He was gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous. “Sorry, I don’t make a habit of dating older men.” Though I could be persuaded to date him. Very easily. But I knew it would be a bad idea. I’d had bad luck with the guys I dated before and I didn’t think he was the guy to turn my luck around in the dating department.
“Who said it was a date?”
“Oh.” I didn’t know what to say to that. “Well, what would it be then?”
“Sometimes adults get together just for the hell of it.” He grinned a devilish grin. “But maybe you’re too young to know that.”
I frowned. If there was anything I hated it was being called too young for something. “I get together all the time with men,” I lied. I hadn’t been on a date in months and the last one had gone horribly.
“Good. I was thinking you might be a prude.” His eyes bore into mine as he spoke, and I swallowed hard.
“Are you trying to make this some sort of booty call?” I swallowed hard again, unable to believe that I, Sarah Smith, was being propositioned for a booty call with a handsome older man. This was not happening to me. I knew I should turn him down, but I was very interested in seeing what a booty call with a stud like him would be like.
“Why? What do you kids call it now?” He did his eyebrow-raising thing at me again and I wanted to physically push his brows down with my fingers.
“I’m not a kid and I don’t have…” I paused. I didn’t want him to think I wasn’t worldly. “We can go for a drink, I suppose.”
“Good.” He nodded, his eyes looking pleased as pulled out his phone. “Give me your number.”
“Why?”
“So I can call you later and figure out where we should meet?” He looked at me like I was a dope again.
“Oh.” I gave him my number somewhat reluctantly. There was no way I could get out of it now. “What’s yours?”
“You’ll get it when I call you.” His eyes twinkled at the look of fury on my face. He was really starting to annoy me. Which confused me because I was also more turned on than I’d ever been in my life before.
“Anyway, I have to go back to work now.” I pushed the button for the elevator and waited.
“Yes. It would be good if you did some work today.” His laughter followed me as I walked into the elevator and rode back down to my floor. I studied my flushed cheeks in the reflective walls of the elevator and wondered if I had made a mistake giving Bradley my phone number. I wasn’t used to dating older men, and he seemed like he may be a bit more than I could handle. I broadened my shoulders as I walked out of the elevator; I’d just go for one drink and that would be it. No big deal. And then I’d never see him again. I walked into my office and sighed, I had bigger concerns to worry about right now anyway. I pulled up my pie chart in PowerPoint and pressed delete. There was no way that this was what Lewis wanted me to create. I’d have to ask Katy what she thought when I got home. She was good with this sort of stuff. Maybe she could help me. I knew she would tell me I’d bitten off more than I could chew, but when I showed her the apartments I’d found for us to move to, she’d be more than happy to help. I’d have to go to the bookstore and get some books to help me learn all about Excel and basic finance terms. I was a fast learner, and I was sure I’d be able to bullshit anything I didn’t know. After all, I was one of the best actresses in my year at NYU.
Chapter 3
“Sarah, this is your lucky week,” Katy squealed when I told her I had scored a hot date. I hadn’t been planning to tell her but when she started asking too many questions, I changed the subject. I wasn’t feeling as confident about keeping the job as I had been on the phone earlier and didn’t want her worrying now that she had quit hers. I knew I still needed to ask her for her help with the spreadsheets, but I didn’t want to make her too nervous by bringing it up right away. “Tell me all about him.” She clasped my hands and pulled me over to the couch.
“Well, he’s really handsome.” And arrogant, I thought. “He was dressed very nicely in what I can only imagine was a designer suit.”
“Wow, has he graduated already then?”
“Uh, yeah.” I paused. I didn’t want Katy to know that I was pretty sure that he had graduated many years ago. “I think he graduated a few years ago.”
“Ooh, an older man.” She laughed. “That’s exciting.”
“Yeah, he’s older all right.” I grinned back at her. If only she knew.
“How exciting! You got a new fabulous job and now you are dating a new hot guy.” She grinned. “This is so awesome. If I wasn’t so happy for you, I think I’d be jealous.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t be jealous.” I smiled back at her weakly.
“So, what are you going to wear tonight?” She jumped up. “Let’s go and check your wardrobe.”
“Oh. I wasn’t going to change.” I bit my lip. I didn’t want Bradley thinking I went home and got all dolled up for him. I wanted him to see me in my work clothes, unkempt and scruffy. Then he’d know I wasn’t interested in anything with him. That I’d only agreed to a date as a favor.