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Smoke
If I ever saw that man, I would pulverize him. Don’t get me wrong, I have my flaws and had done some dumb shit in the past, but I would never treat a woman the way she said she had been treated. How could anyone cheat on anyone they were married to? How could you not only give your wife a venereal disease, but do it three times? I was floored and more determined than ever to prove to her that she was as incredible as I thought she was.
After that serious conversation, I decided I needed to keep things on a softer note, and I shifted our conversation back to work topics.
When we returned to the office, I was trying to figure out a way to get her alone again. The last thing I felt like doing was focusing on business. I was mesmerized by her whiskey-colored eyes and felt myself falling into them every time we locked gazes. The soft sound of her laugh thrilled me in a way no one else ever had. It was a tender caress to my soul; each time she smiled, my heart would beat faster.
I wanted to ask her half a dozen times if she felt it too, but I was afraid to step that far over the line. She had told me she wasn’t interested, but I was determined to break down that wall and get her to change that response. Perhaps not today or tomorrow, but maybe in a week or a few weeks.
I could see that she was interested, even if she fought hard to control that. I would be patient and bide my time. I would be a good friend, show her what kind of man I was, and I’d show her that we could have more when she was more comfortable with me.
More? That thought gave me pause. Since when did I want more? I’d been dating on and off for the last few years, but nothing serious. Until now, I hadn’t been interested in anything more. What made me even consider something beyond a date or two?
Now wasn’t the time to try and figure that out, and I decided to put those thoughts aside until I saw what happened.
When we arrived at the office, I asked her, “Are you ready to see exactly how our product works?”
“Yes,” she replied with wide, bright eyes.
“Alright, then let’s head back to the test house, and I will show you.” I led her through the office to the warehouse door. After slipping on safety helmets and glasses, we stepped into the warehouse.
“I feel strange wearing these.” She commented as she adjusted the hat on her head.
I chuckled. “Yes, they take some getting used to, but don’t feel strange. If you look around, you will see that everyone is wearing them, so you are no different than anyone else.”
She glanced around. “That is very true.”
“You’re not the type of person who wants to stand out in a crowd, are you?” I asked her.
“No, not really. Wade wasn’t a fan of attention in public, so I generally remained quiet.”
I glanced at her. “You know that no matter what you do, you will always stand out in a crowd.”
“Why do you say that?”
I glanced around and then looked back at her as I answered, “Because you are too beautiful to blend in. You might not want to be noticed, Whiskey, but I have little doubt that you aren’t seen.”
As we walked, she glanced around with a slight frown. I followed her line of sight, and two of the workers glanced our way. Both of them ignored me and focused on Whiskey, smiling or waving in her direction.
I leaned closer to her. “See?”
“Oh, please.” She said with a laugh. “People are being friendly. I’m new here. I am sure they are just curious.”
It was my turn to laugh. “Yeah, curious to know if you are single.”
“I doubt that,” she muttered.
“Why do you doubt that? Don’t you think you are beautiful?”
Her brows popped briefly, “No. Perhaps I am pretty sometimes, but I would never classify myself as beautiful.”
I paused, taking hold of her arm so she would stop also. I let her go after she did. “Whiskey, you are beautiful, but not just on the outside. After talking to you over lunch, I can tell just how incredible you are inside. You have the kind of smile that invites people in.” I paused as I frowned at her. “Did that asshole you never tell you that?”
She shook her head, gazing up at me with something akin to disbelieve on her features. God, how I wanted to pull her into my arms and kiss the hell out of her. But a forklift beeping in the distance reminded me that this was not the proper location for such a thing.
I turned to start walking again, “If that man ever steps foot in this building, I might throttle him.”
I thought I heard her laugh slightly, but she looked confused when I peered her way. My mind began to ponder ways to prove that she was an incredible woman, both inside and out.
