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“Make it a martini,” I said.
Preston-Tobias waved the bartender over and ordered my drink.
I raised an eyebrow. “You’re making me drink alone Pres, I mean, Tobias?” I said. “Well, that surely isn’t gentlemanly.”
He laughed. “I apologize, but I have an important endeavor in the morning. And I’ve already had too many drinks with my buddies. I think I’m only one drink away from my morning turning into a disaster, and I simply can’t afford that. Matter of fact, I was supposed to be leaving so that I could prepare for the morning but…”
“But what?”
He sighed, his eyes raking over me once again, that lustful expression from before briefly flickering across his face. “I guess I’m more gentlemanly than you think. The thought of walking away from a beautiful woman like yourself right now is more than I can bear.”
I grinned, a slight flush coming to my face as the bartender handed over my martini. “Still a charmer, I see.”
He laughed. “Still?” he said. “You’re still mistaking me for Preston, huh?”
I took a sip of my drink, laughing around the straw. “I’m sorry, Tobias. It’s just that the resemblance is so uncanny.”
“I guess the saying is true then. Everyone has a twin somewhere.”
“Do I remind you of anyone then?” I asked slyly.
Preston-Tobias tilted his head to the side, his expression thoughtful. “I’m not sure,” he said. “I don’t think so.”
I pressed my lips together into a tight line, and then reminded myself to just keep playing along rather than get offended. “Well, the guy you remind me of, we had some good times back in our day. I used to think about him from time to time, wondering what he was up to and what he’d made of himself. Whether he was married or had kids now. You know, that kind of thing.”
“Hmm,” he said. “Sounds like you were pretty into this guy.”
“I was.”
“What happened?”
“We grew apart, as people tend to do.”
“That’s understandable.”
“So, what is it that you do, Tobias?”
“I…I’m in business.”
I eyed him, trying to determine whether he was telling the truth, or whether this was another fabrication to go along with his new identity. But he was so into his role, it was impossible to tell. “Nice,” I said. “Kids? Wife? Girlfriend?”
“No, no, and no. I’ve got an adorable niece that I love like my own though.”
I blinked and stared at him again, having no idea whether I could trust anything coming out of his mouth.
“How about you?” he asked. “What do you do?”
I took another sip of my drink and thought for a moment. But then I faced the realization that I simply wasn’t as inventive as him. There was no hope for me thinking up anything glamorous right off the top of my head. Tobias was simply going to have to get the truth about me. “I’m a nonprofit director.”
“Oh, okay. Cool,” he said. “I really admire people who do nonprofit work.”
“Thanks.”
There was a brief pause in our conversation. “Well,” he said, breaking the silence, “you got pretty deep into my business already. Am I allowed to do the same to you? Kids? Husband? Boyfriend?”
“No, tripled. What?” I asked, upon realizing the way he was staring at me.
He shook his head. “Nothing. I’m sorry. I’s just, you’re so pretty. Just thought for sure you had a boyfriend…”
