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Both Xolani and Justine made faces when they saw the name. Almost in sync, they said, “Don’t pick up.”
“I have to.” Anika cleared her throat and straightened her shoulders before swiping the answer icon. “Hello?”
What followed was a barrage of what sounded like Punjabi. The woman on the other end of the phone was doing most of the speaking while Anika gave short responses. Finally, the call ended.
“I have to go home.” Anika grabbed her purse and stood.
“Already?” Xolani asked.
“You know how it is,” Anika said. Her friends’ winces and nods indicated that they indeed knew how it was. In the next minute, Anika was gone.
Barry, Xolani, and Justine were left at the table together, but not for long. A courageous man stopped by their table to ask Justine if she’d like him to buy her a drink at the bar.
Smiling seductively, Justine stood. “I would love a drink.”
“You’re going with him?” Xolani stared up at her friend in disbelief.
“Yeah, I’ll be back_” Justine winked cheekily. “I think!”
With that, she sashayed after the guy. Xolani shouted after her. “Be careful.”
All she got in response was a wave.
“She’s going to meet a serial killer one of these days,” Xolani muttered beneath her breath.
“He doesn’t look like a serial killer.” Barry studied the man who’d taken Justine. The man was bespectacled, had a slight frame, and was dressed quite neatly.
“Ted Bundy didn’t look like a serial killer either, but that didn’t stop him.” Xolani grabbed her purse, then switched seats so that she was right next to Barry. She explained the seat exchange with, “I need to keep an eye on Justine.”
What Xolani didn’t realize was that her movement had brought her much closer to Barry. There were a few inches between them, but that didn’t matter when her delicious scent kept tickling his senses. She smelt of vanilla and cinnamon, like a bakery that was far away yet still close enough to tempt. He wanted to move closer and bury his face into her neck. Only logic and restraint kept him from letting his carnal impulses ruin him.
To distract himself, he asked, “How did you end up in Paris? Were you assigned to the office there?”
“Yeah.” She explained, “They were having trouble branding for that market, so HQ stepped in. Among the qualified marketers, only two of us could leave the country for six months. I drew the short straw.”
“Oh!” Barry made a face. “That’s unfortunate.”
“It had its perks. I got to go to France and experience their awesome culture.” Grinning, she added, “And I met you.”
If this wasn’t the definition of mixed messages, then he didn’t know what was. Just minutes ago, she’d given a resounding no to dating him, and now she was implying that meeting him was as great an experience as working in France.
Unaware of the havoc she was causing within him, Xolani continued, “I think I left for France right as you were getting into the company.”
He said, “Yeah, I’d only been at Rayburn for two months at that point.”
“Where did you work before?” she asked.
“Lantern.” He added, “I was scouted from there.”
Xolani gasped, “No way!”
Her shock was confusing. Given that Lantern was also an automotive company, it wasn’t strange that he’d moved from there to Rayburn.
Xolani pointed to herself. “I came from Lantern too.”
“No.” He was the one who was shocked now. “That’s a lie.”
Lantern was a small company, certainly not at the level of the big boys like Ford or Cadillac. They had few employees and their turnover was incredibly low. Finding a marketer who’d worked at both Lantern and Rayburn was like finding a needle in a haystack.
