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“You remembered.”
“We’ll take a double Hennessy and a bottle of vodka.”
I smile. “A bottle? You don’t play around.”
“Like I said, it’s been a shit day. Come on. I see an empty table.”
We carry our drinks to a corner, sitting at a table. I take a sip of my drink, and Al chugs straight from the bottle. Good lord. I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed someone drinking like that before. He grins, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand when he’s finished.
“Fuck, that’s what I needed.”
“Sounds like it.”
“It’s days like this that make me wonder if I shouldn’t have listened to my old man and gone to college.”
“If you weren’t doing this, what do you think you’d be doing?”
He leans back in his chair, taking another drink. “I don’t know, to be honest. I was pretty good at art. It would have been cool to become a tattoo artist. I’ve done a few self-tattoos that aren’t too bad.”
He lifts his sleeve, showing me a faded tattoo of a cartoon monkey. I smile. He’s right—it’s not bad at all.
“You’re still young, you know. You can do anything you want.”
He gives me an easy smile. “Anything? Does that include you, Ellie?”
I’m at a loss for words for a moment. Guys rarely flirt with me. Not like this, where they’re upfront in what they want.
“Maybe,” I finally answer.
What else am I supposed to say?Sorry, Al, but it’s your boss that I’d rather do.Yeah, that’s never going to happen. Besides, I’m only here for a week more. There’s no way I’m going to hook up with anyone.
“Good to know.”
He takes another drink, looking me over. Suddenly, another wave of uneasiness creeps over me, and I’m not sure why. All I know is that I shouldn’t have come here with him. Now I’m going to be put in an awkward position when it’s time to leave. He might offer to take me back to the hotel. What if he expects something in return? Or what if he suggests going back to his place? How do I say no without seeming like a tease?
As if sensing my thoughts, he asks, “What time do you have to be at the Met tomorrow?”
“I’ve been getting there around seven.”
“Damn, that’s early. I usually go to bed around then.” He leans forward. “The timing might work out for us if you want to have a bit of fun.”
“Oh, um, I don’t know, Al.”
A look crosses his face. “You don’t know? What’s not to know, El?”
Hearing him call me El reminds me of my stepmother. She used to call me that when she was being cruel. There’s no way he would know this, of course. He probably thinks he’s just being cute, since Al and El go together. But it makes me cringe, and a heavy feeling settles over me.
“Can I be frank?”
“This ought to be good,” he mutters as he takes another drink.
I glance at the bottle. He’s drank nearly two-thirds of it. Maybe he’s drunk. That doesn’t excuse the way he’s acting, but it might explain it. And it’s definitely going to be the reason I use when I call a cab to take me back to the hotel. There’s no way I’m going to get in a car with him right now.
“I like you, but I don’t know you very well. So, if you’re asking if I want to have sex, the answer is no.”
He snorts. “Jasmine told me she thought you were still a virgin. Is that what this is?”
“She said that? When?”
