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“Me too.”
I glanced at the elevator doors and nodded when the doors opened and out he stepped. He stopped as he noticed the pair of us immediately. I didn’t know what to expect but damn, that suit on him looked fine. I trailed my gaze over him, taking in the way it hung on his body like it had been made for him. My body thrummed, desperate to be closer to him as I felt my core throb with every step closer that he came toward us.
Calm yourself down, Isobel.
I daren’t take stock of Luke at the moment and what his mind was concocting. He was an inquisitive piece of work. The last thing I needed was more questions that I wasn’t sure how to answer. I’d die of embarrassment, especially if he got Fred involved. He certainly wouldn’t hold back. The fucker would get a thrill out of it.
All of that time and effort I had spent organizing that meeting was worth every second to see Christopher step out of that elevator carefree and with the biggest grin plastered across his face. I’d have done anything for him to always look like that. I felt my own lips curl upwards and mirror his features. I couldn’t help it. He was contagious—a breath of fresh air that I wanted to devour.
Christopher may have been cross when I first took it upon myself to organize an interview for him with Del but it seemed that had been long forgotten about as he thanked me while hugging Luke. I wasn’t expecting that.
“I’ve got to go man, but we’re celebrating later, yeah?” Luke tilted his head to the side and placed his hands in his pockets as he started to walk backwards, sliding his feet on the sleek flooring as he went. He’s lucky that it hadn’t just been polished or I’d have the dreaded scraping noise echoing through my ears, transporting me straight back to being sat behind my desk at school, cringing when people got up too fast from their seats, scraping the legs of their chairs against the floor. A shudder went through me. “I can gather the troops together if it helps.”
“Yeah, I’ll send you the details soon. It sounds like a plan.” Christopher grinned as we both watched Luke leave with a bounce in his step.
“I had better get back to work, too. Don’t want me getting a slapped wrist for slacking now, do we?” I giggled as I turned on my heel to head back towards the Reception desk.
“Isobel, one second please?” Christopher asked. The deep tone of his voice sent dirty, wicked thoughts straight to my head. “I’ll walk with you.”
“Okay,” I stated quietly, running my palm along my other wrist in an attempt to settle my nerves. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong,” Christopher replied. The grin and stunning eyes that didn’t flinch as I took a glance at him showed me that he was telling me the truth. “I wanted to invite you out later.”
“Me,” I muttered. I tried to hide my shock as I stopped a few steps away from my desk, avoiding Chrissie’s gaze that was currently trained on the pair of us. She was one of my best friends but I didn’t want to add any awkwardness to the situation. I could talk to her later when she gave me the twenty questions on what the hell was going on but for now, I’d revel in his voice and his alone. “I thought…”
“I’d love it if you could,” Christopher replied. He reached for my hand that I’ve not stopped rubbing against my wrist. “Stop,” he whispered. “You’ll make it sore.”
I gulped, trying to hide the reaction Christopher had unleashed in me as he rubbed his fingertips in circles across my hand, sending electric sparks shooting up my arm and throughout my body. I’d never felt anything like it.
Standing with Christopher, I wanted to be honest with him and open up a side of myself that not many knew about. I may show this strong persona and bubbly character to most people but it didn’t mean that I didn’t have issues. I dealt with my worries in my own way and no one had questioned it but I knew Christopher saw more. He saw the bigger picture as he’d been there. He was right by calling me out. My wrist was sore and I’d done it as a coping mechanism to deal with my anxiety and nerves.
“I know,” I admitted. I hoped Christopher wouldn’t push anymore about it as I weighed up his offer about tonight. It was a group of us. He was just being friendly and it would be rude for me to decline. Fuck it. “I’ll be there tonight. Name the place and time,” I state. I took a quick glance at Chrissie who just smirked back at me. She wasn’t at all fazed that I had been so useless today and had pretty much left her to her own devices.
“I thought we could meet at that cocktail bar? The one just down the road from Luke and Freddie’s?” Christopher began. “I heard it’s quite high-end but they make a mean drink.”
“You meanThree Little Words?The one at the corner?” I asked. I dropped my arms to my side and began to count my breaths in an attempt to try and stay calm.
Christopher nodded in response.
I don’t know how he’d managed to work me up so much with just a simple touch. “What time?”
I heard the cough behind me and as I turned around, I saw that it was Dawson who was standing there with a raised eyebrow and his arms crossed. Shit. It didn’t matter that he was my best friend’s fiancé. At the end of the day, he was my boss.
“Sorry, Dawson… I’m just going.” I bit my lip and gave the two men a wave. “I just…”
“Seven pm, Isobel,” Christopher announced as I headed back to my desk. I wanted to grab my wrist so badly at the humiliation. I hated being flustered. “I’ll see you later. Make sure you work hard.” He winked.
I can’t believe Christopher wasn’t bothered by Dawson’s appearance. I was. I just hoped I hadn’t fucked this up for him. I wished I was a fly on the wall to hear what the pair of them were discussing. I watched as Dawson wrapped his arm around his shoulders and they turned toward the lobby exit together.
“Girl, I want all the details now.” Chrissie placed a pile of paperwork in front of me as she raised her brow. “And don’t you say there is nothing to tell.”
“Chrissie…”
“I saw the way you two were eye-fucking each other. You can either tell Everleigh, the boys or me. Your choice.”
“Seriously?” I muttered. I dropped my palms to cover my face in an attempt to hide from her. “I’ll tell you later,” I said. It was easier for me to just give in. At least that way I could get fashion advice from her before meeting Christopher tonight.
* * *
