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“Can you stop fishing?” I cried, trying not to laugh. “Come on, let’s get a drink.”
As we walked in, I spotted our team towards the back and froze. Grayson sat in the booth, surrounded by our colleagues, deep in conversation.
Amy drew in a breath. “This is new.”
In a panic, I redirected her to the bar.
“Curiouser and Curiouser,” Amy mimicked Alice in Wonderland with a giggle. “He’s taking this team bonding thing to a new level, isn’t he?”
I ignored her and ordered two gin and tonics from the barman.
With drinks in hand, we approached the table and greeted everyone. My eyes slowed over Grayson and his smile grew large. I sucked in my breath and began chatting to Anton from marketing to distract myself from Grayson’s lingering gaze.
After a few drinks, I relaxed a bit more and started to enjoy myself. I moved around Grayson, determined to keep him at a safe distance, because after the incident in the photocopy room, I knew any further contact could send us into dangerous territory.
People left to go home to their families, and a space opened up in the booth. Before I could offer it to anyone else, Amy grabbed my arm and pushed me in.
“Come on, Jos, my feet are killing me,” she said, nudging me along until I was pressed up against Grayson. I shot her a nasty look and she shrugged, pretending to be oblivious to my discomfort.
Grayson turned his body towards me the moment our arms touched. The same tingling sensation arose and I wondered if he felt it too. Offering me a small smile, he returned his focus back to Pete who was rambling on about something on his alternate side.
As I participated in the conversation on my side of the table, Grayson politely listened and nodded in his. I propped my elbow up on the table and rested my chin in my hand, swivelling my straw as I pretended to laugh along with the others. The week had caught up with me.
My breath caught when the edge of Grayson’s hand brushed against the side of my exposed thigh under the table. At first I thought it was an accident, but it happened again. Wide awake, I lifted my head as my temperature rose, sipping my drink in a feeble attempt to cool down. His gentle touch crept towards the hem of my skirt and I sucked on the straw too quickly, causing me to cough and splutter and unintentionally make a scene. Grayson faced me with concern and rubbed my back with a knowing twinkle in his eye. Amy rushed off to get me a glass of water.
When I finally recovered, Grayson leant towards me. “You okay?”
I nodded. “Yep, excuse me.” I slid out of the booth and ran into Amy who was returning with my water.
“I’m just going to go freshen up,” I said, pointing to the restroom.
Amy narrowed her eyes. “Okay, sure. You’ll be back…right?”
I nodded quickly and left, turning back to see Amy whisper something into Grayson’s ear that he seemed to find quite fascinating.
Instead of heading back to the table, I snuck through the crowd and out the front door, calling an end to my night. I paused momentarily to breathe in fresh air to soothe my lungs, when a voice surprised me from behind.
“Amy said you might pull a stunt like this.” Grayson was leaning against the wall, smirking.
I groaned and continued walking up the street, but he caught up with me easily.
“You know it’s rude to leave without saying goodbye,” he said, matching my strides.
“Giving me etiquette tips now, are you?”
He chuckled. “No. I just wanted to talk to you before I fly out.”
I stopped walking and turned to face him. “Where are you going?”
“Back to LA for a couple of weeks.”
“Oh, okay,” I said, trying my hardest not to sound disappointed. “What did you want to talk to me about?”
He shoved his hands into his pockets and lowered his gaze. “I was hoping you could keep an eye on things for me. Adam is back, and well…he operates very differently to me.”
My forehead creased. “Can’t you talk to him? Isn’t this supposed to be your project?”
His jaw twitched. “Under his supervision, yes.”
