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“Okay,” she relented. “But only if you let me make up the excuse.”
I gave her a curious look. What did she mean, make up the excuse? “What are you going to say?”
“Mmm,” she considered, turning up her button nose. “That my dog is desperately sick and we need to pick him up and take him to the vet.”
“That’s good. What about, a pipe burst in my basement?” I tried.
“Why wouldIhave to leave to deal with your pipe?” she shot me down.
“Why wouldIhave to leave to deal with your dog?” I challenged.
“The office,” we said at once.
“There’s an emergency at the office,” I elaborated.
“We’re being raided by the FBI.”
I shook my head. “No. He can look that up. There’s a problem with payroll or something that demands both of our attention.”
“Okay,” she relented. “But mine is more exciting.”
“And also illegal,” I pointed out.
We went straight from the office to the restaurant, and what started out as a good idea rapidly disintegrated into something more frustrating than I had expected. I forgot all about how Jonas treated Ava the first time they met. He was all over her and I had to scrape him off.
It was the same, but only worse in a casual situation. We walked up, arm in arm, not actually together, but close enough to give any normal man pause. Jonas blew right through it, whisking Ava away to show her where you could stand to watch the sushi being made.
I sat at the table, trying not to let it get to me. The man was an idiot. There was no way Ava was into him. She looked like she was having a good time, though. Maybe there was something to the overly enthusiastic, good-natured kid. It was the same thing that was likely to catapult him to fame and fortune once he picked a designer and got all his ducks in a row.
I didn’t want to compete with him on the corporate battlefield, but I sure as hell was going to get in his way if he continued to hit on my secretary. I was about to butt in when Ava extracted herself from the viewing station and found me again.
“Help me,” she whispered.
I smiled. I was right all along; she wasn’t impressed by Jonas’s fake charm. Standing up, I tracked him down, throwing an arm over his shoulder and leading him to the table. We placed our order, including a few drinks. We talked about Jonas’s new venture and I fought to ignore the way he salivated over Ava.
I knew Ava wasn’t my date. She was my employee. She was just here because I asked her to come, not because there was anything romantic between us. She also seemed to be doing a fine job of keeping Jonas’s wandering fingers at bay. He would reach out to caress her knee and she would gently move aside to avoid him. He would pat her hand and she would return the gesture with a little more force, driving home the fact that she was unavailable.
After about half an hour, I had enough. I checked my email, pretending to get a message from HR. “Oh, there’s a problem with payroll. It looks like Ava and I will have to go.”
“I’m sure you can deal with it yourself,” Jonas said, his eyes focused on Ava.
“I have to go too,” she excused herself. “It’s a cumbersome process that takes multiple people.”
“Well, I’m sorry to hear that.” Jonas stood up to say goodbye. “You have to come to our next meeting. I’m sure I can think of a salary to entice you away from my man.” He jabbed me with a fake right hook, pretending to be kidding when he really wasn’t. I could see in his eyes that he would definitely headhunt Ava if I let him.
I wasn’t going to get into a bidding war with him. I made our excuses and she was on my side. We detached ourselves from his many tentacles and walked swiftly to the door. Out on the sidewalk, Ava collapsed into a fit of laughter. It felt good to know that we were on the same page and that she wouldn’t be jumping ship. Still, the way he was breathing all over her made my blood boil. He wasn’t good enough for Ava. Even though I had no claim, I didn’t think anyone else was either.
Chapter 16
Ava
It felt like we were two cat burglars fleeing the scene of the crime. I was drunk off that one glass of wine and the excitement of the evening out. It had been a long time since I had dinner with friends and even though neither man I was with technically qualified as a friend, Nate was pretty close.
I didn’t like Jonas, but I didn’t think he was dangerous. He kept trying to touch me and I kept having to push him off. But at no point did I feel unsafe or like he would try anything truly objectionable. If I was his secretary, I might have cause to be alarmed. I almost laughed in his face when he offered me a job. He probably would pay more than Nate, but I was equally sure I didn’t want to look at the job description.
Outside on the street, I slid my arm around Nate’s, unable to stop myself from laughing. It felt so good to have an accomplice. The lie went off exactly as we planned, with Jonas none the wiser. Our cars were parked side by side in a parking garage across the street. The night was young and the air was sweet.
The fact that I shouldn’t be so familiar with my boss was lost on me at that moment. I allowed him to walk me across traffic and into the parking structure. We separated when we reached our cars. I had my key fob in my hand when he said something. I turned because I didn’t hear him well and found him right beside me.
