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Knowing Daniel would be there did nothing to soften the furrowed brows and pinched lips. “You’ve been hanging out with him a lot,” he said with more than a little suspicion.
“Relax. We’re just friends.” I gave Erik my best smile. “He’s actually going to teach me to flirt tonight.”
“He’s what?”
I almost laughed at the way Erik’s voice rose at least three octaves. But my shoulders grew tight in the apparent way he still thought of me as the damaged girl who couldn’t move on. I had moved on. Why couldn’t he see that?
“Don’t act so shocked. I’m a grown woman. I get to flirt.”
“Jesus,” he groaned, running a hand down his face. “Just…just be careful. Do you have the mace I got you?”
“Ugh. I’m leaving.” I brushed past him into the elevator, standing tall.
“Call me when you get home safely,” Erik demanded.
“Yes, Dad.”
I just caught his own eye roll before the doors slid shut.
I ran home and tried not to overthink my outfit. Otherwise, I’d never make it to the bar. I settled on jeans and a cute top.
As soon as I cleared the doors at Voy, I stopped. Standing at the bar were Ian and Carina. I looked around, expecting Erik to pop out despite me telling him I didn’t need him.
With heavy feet, I approached the group with a glare. “Seriously?”
“Well, hello to you too,” Carina said with an arched brow. I gave an apologetic stare, she returned with a wink.
“What a coincidence, Little Brandt,” Ian said with wide eyes.
Carina slapped his chest and rolled her eyes.
“Erik sent you, didn’t he?” I asked.
Ian’s face scrunched up, and he looked around like he was shocked I’d asked. “What? No. I’ve not spoken to Erik since work. Nope. This is all a coincidence.”
“Shut up, Ian,” Carina said without any heat.
He leaned down into her space, and the look he gave her was almost indecent to watch. “Make me.”
I turned away when she shifted to press into his chest. It was their moment.
“Hey, there,” Daniel greeted, sliding up beside me. “Can I get you a drink?”
“Sure.”
“Jackson, get the girl a drink.”
Jackson gave Daniel a deadpanned stare. “I’m spitting in yours.”
“Just the way I like it.”
Jackson slid my tequila in front of me. “Hey, Hanna.”
“Hey. How are you?”
“Good, about to get off work and head home to my man.”
“Tell Jake we all said hi,” Daniel said. Jackson winked in return before helping another customer. “Tell me about your day. What happened?”
Remembering the lunchroom, I cringed all over again and refused to meet his eyes as I repeated the incident.
By the end, Daniel’s cheeks were red and his mouth white from trying to pinch his lips and hold back the laugh I knew he wanted to let free.
“Go ahead,” I said, waving my hand. “Laugh it up.”
“It probably wasn’t that bad,” he soothed, letting a smile finally break free.
“It was horrible.”
“Well, let’s see what we can do.”
“What you need to do,” Carina said, hopping in. “Is give them all your attention. Or at least the illusion of it.”
Carina faced Ian and stroked her nail down the lapel of his jacket. “Make eye contact,” she explained. “Face him directly. None of the hard to get stuff. We’re too old for that shit.”
“Hey, Ian,” Carina breathed in the most sultry voice. My jaw almost hit the floor at the way she made it sound normal and not at all forced.
“Damn, Hell-cat,” Ian muttered.
She gave him an exaggerated wink before curling back into his arms. “The trick is to take a deep breath to try and calm down and always, always think before you speak.”
“Easier said than done,” I grumbled.
“Most things are.”
“Another trick,” she continued. “Is to make the touches casual. Like they’re an old friend. It forms that tiny connection and makes them wonder what it would feel like to be touched anywhere else.”
“Jesus,” Daniel grumbled.
“Listen,” Ian said. “The real trick is to not do those things. You want to hide your assets. Keep them guessing. Bonus is that they look you in the eye and not anywhere else.” He awkwardly gestured to my chest before continuing. “This way, you know they’re really listening to you. And talk about what you love. If it’s math, then go to town with those math puns. Tell him your favorite equations. Guys dig it.”
“Oh, my goodness,” Carina groaned. “You’re an idiot.”
“Says the woman who sleeps with me every night.”
“Fair point. I can’t argue with that.”
Ian and Carina went off on a tangent, and I fell back against the bar, exhausted by the overload of information.
“Ignore them,” Daniel said. “Just be yourself. Carina was right though, take a deep breath to help keep from word vomiting. Also,” he held up a finger. “Always have an out. Feeling trapped in a situation can make it worse.”
“A what?”
“An out. A hand signal with a friend to rescue you. A phone call. Anything.”
