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“It’ll go cold. I won’t be long.”
She only argues with me once more after that before I convince her to eat.
I then spend a little time going through her computer, deciding it does need to be replaced due to its age. It would also help if she didn’t open so many tabs, but I got the distinct impression I’ve no hope of convincing her of this.
When I meet her in the break room, I say, “I’ll have a new computer for you in the morning.”
She’s got two plates and cutlery on the table for us and has started serving her food. Looking up at me, she says, “That was the exact right thing to say. Thank you.”
I sit across from her and reach for one of the dishes. “The lobster noodles are the best I’ve ever tasted.”
“I already tasted them. I agree.” She points at the crispy baby back ribs I’m holding. “But those ribs? They’re heaven. And I’m dying to try the chicken satay and whatever is in that other dish there. I appreciate the fact you order up big. I mean, why only order one dish when you can order the entire menu, right?”
I laugh as I finish with the dish containing the ribs. “I do have this body to feed, after all.”
She stops serving food and looks at me. “You had to go there, didn’t you? That’s just mean, Owen. Reminding a girl of what she’s missing out on. I’m filing that data away for deep analysis later.”
Fuck, this was perhaps not my best decision today. I could do this with Charlize for hours. I could also do many other things with her for hours. I need to steer the conversation in another direction.
I hold my hands up in defense. “I’ll keep the conversation clean from here on out.” I motion at the dish she’s holding, indicating I want it when she’s done. “Did your father share his love of the stock market with you? Is that how you know about investing?”
She hands me the noodles. “How do you know my father loves the stock market?” I detect the surprise in her voice. If she knew me well, she wouldn’t be surprised to learn that I’ve taken the time to discover what I can about her.
“I make it a point to learn everything about the people I want in my life.”
“I knew you had stalker vibes that very first night.” She eats some chicken, her eyes lighting up. “Oh wow, this is good,” she says before answering my question. “Yes, my father does love the stock market, but he’s never shared that love with me. He was always too busy working. ‘A lawyer has to stay on top of his game’ he always told me. It was his father who made me fall in love with numbers, shares, and the thrill of predicting the market. My grandfather spent hours teaching me everything he knew. He never made me feel like I was taking up too much of his time. I never felt as loved by anyone as I did by him. It stunned my mother when he died and left me some of his money with a letter that said he wanted me to invest it. She had no idea I knew so much about investing. Neither of my parents did. They still think I’m useless with money.” She stops talking suddenly and pulls a face. “God, I don’t know why I just told you that. I hate it when people talk about their money.”
I frown. “Why do they think you’re not good with money?”
She sighs as she eats some of the lobster. “I have a stock portfolio that I don’t touch, but when it comes to accessible cash, I tend to give too much of it away or lend it to friends who either don’t pay me back or take forever to do that. And I do like to spend it on travel and fun. I can be a little frivolous at times. And impulsive, which I’m sure you will find hard to believe.”
She says this like people have told her this is a bad thing. And like she expects me to think that.
“I get told often that I’m too deliberate, too cautious, and not spontaneous enough. That might all be true, but it doesn’t mean I should change just because others think I should.” I keep my gaze firmly on hers. “I like your impulsivity. I liked it from the minute I met you.”
She gives me another one of those breathtaking smiles I’ll do almost anything to earn before going back to her food.
We settle into a conversation about investing after that. Charlize is animated, sharing some predictions she has about the market and asking for my thoughts. I’ve never dated a woman with as much knowledge about the stock market as she has. Getting this glimpse into how her mind works is fascinating, and to say she’s smart is a fucking understatement. I could sit here for hours discussing this with her.
At 8:15 p.m., I realize we’ve been talking for over an hour. “You should go home. It’s late.”
Charlize leans back in her seat. “Have you got much work to do?”
My eyes have dropped to that red ribbon again. All I want to do is take her home and find other ways to use that ribbon. “Yeah, I’ve got a couple of hours still to go.”
“I know I’m not your assistant, but is there anything I can do to help?”
I look at her hair, at the strands of it cascading down over her shoulder in a ponytail. I’ve thought about that ponytail more than I care to admit today. I could find many things for Charlize to help me with tonight but having her anywhere in this building will only distract me.
I stand and reach for the food to clear it away. “No, go home. I won’t get any work done if you stay to help.”
She helps me clear the dishes, not arguing that I’m wrong.
We’re entirely too close while cleaning up, our hands and bodies enjoying too much contact as we brush against each other.
“Thank you for dinner,” she says once we’re finished, looking as affected as I’m feeling. “I really enjoyed it, but I don’t think we should do this again in a hurry. I’m almost certain that if we do, I’ll make it so none of those buttons on your shirt ever see another day.”
My eyes are glued to her ass while she leaves the break room.
