“It’s not mine either, but for you I’d make an exception.”
Oh God. He went there.
“It’d be like scratching an itch. And in our case, there’d be no friendship to ruin, right? It’s a win-win.” He takes a long, slow pull from his beer, keeping his eyes trained on me.
“This is inappropriate.”
“Let me guess,” he says, setting his bottle down. “Most men have no idea how to handle a woman like you.” He leans forward, lowering his voice. “But let me assure you: I amnotmost men.”
My vision tunnels in as the thumping music fades into the background. The only thing I hear is my heartbeat in my ears. The only things I see are those eyes.
Don’t let him do this to you again, Kate.
“Okay, you’ve had your fun.” I try to sound dismissive, but my voice quavers, totally undermining my false bravado.
“Have I?” He arches an eyebrow.
“You’re just trying to get under my skin.”
“Is it working?”
“Will you cut it out, please? You’re making me nervous.”
“Why?”
“Because I can’t tell if you’re joking.”
He stares at me for a long moment, then sighs and picks up his half-eaten chicken wing. “Relax, Katie Cat. I’m just kidding.” He pats my hand.
I exhale slowly, not wanting him to see how thrown I am.
“But let me know if you change your mind, and maybe I won’t be.”
“Ben.”
He waves me away, like the subject is closed. “So what’s the status of your bill these days?”
“Um...” I swallow hard and blink a few times. I can’t downshift that fast. My brain is still flashing the phraseSEX WITH BENlike neon lights at a circus fair. My clothes feel like sandpaper on my skin. I cough and try to untuck my blouse from my skirt without him noticing. “It’s going... okay, I guess. There’ve been some positive developments, so I’m cautiously optimistic. For a while there I thought I’d have to give up.”
He looks genuinely surprised. “No way. Not you.”
I shrug. “It’s a numbers game, and we both know they’re not in my favor.”
He points to the last slider on the plate, raising his eyebrows, and when I shake my head he grabs it.
“Don’t give up. I’m rooting for you,” he says, talking around his mouthful.
“Sincewhen?”
He swallows, washing it down with another swig of beer. “I never said I thought the bill was a bad idea.”
“That’sexactlywhat you said!”
“That isnotwhat I said. I said you were barking up the wrong tree with Hammond. I never said anything about my personal feelings on it. As a matter of fact, I believe I tried to suggest some alternative strategies, but you shut me down.”
“Are you saying you’d vote for it if you could?” The thought strangely warms me.
“Honestly? No. The sentiment behind the bill is good, but there are other ways I’d go about what you’re trying to accomplish.” When he sees my face fall, he quickly adds, “But I love an underdog story.”
