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“Are you suggesting Leah’s a gold-digger?”
It amazed me at just how we shared the same opinion when it came to the small, petite, boldly flirtatious blonde. Leah openly hit on me during my first day. I'd ignored her advances because I wasn’t in the least bit interested. I’d just come from a meeting where I'd sat next to Dee. Being that close, knowing she was just an arm's length away drove me crazy. From the moment she stepped into that boardroom, she was all I could think about. Leah never stood a chance because Dee was perfect. She was everything I wanted in a woman. Not too tall. Confident. Vivacious. Intelligent. Had a headful of Lustrous hair I wanted to see wrapped around my fist as I took her from behind. Bright blue eyes the color of faded denim. Her best quality was her snarky attitude. That wonderful woman was so witty and so talented it blew me away.
“I am not going to say it outright,” Dee said in a hushed tone. She glanced over my shoulder just as the woman in question walked by us. Leah gave me a flirty wave while completely ignoring Dee.
“You don’t have to. I think I know what you’re thinking and you’re right. I think all she wants to be is future RHW.”
“RHW?” Dee asked, her cute little nose wrinkled with confusion.
Of course, this woman wouldn’t know what that meant. There wasn’t a covetous bone in her body. Everything she had, she’d earned. Russell, Jason, and especially Casey, had been all-too happy to tell me just who Dee Cavanaugh was. A woman of integrity. Of merit. A go-getter who achieved whatever goal she set for herself. Everything that was the complete opposite of the person who’d just passed us.
“Rich House Wife. The kind that attaches herself to a powerful businessman, musician, or sports star. Any man with wealth.” I knew exactly the type. One had once gotten her hooks into me before taking me to the cleaners.
“Freakin’ greedy bitches,” Dee barely whispered, but I managed to catch it. I couldn’t help but grin at how her elegantly-shaped eyebrows met in the middle. Instead of answering with a snarky comeback, Dee puffed out a heavy breath. “I need to get back to work.”
“Yeah, I should get back too. I need to familiarize myself with Mad Media’s original contract.”
Same here,” she added. I sighed reluctantly, knowing the moment we’d shared was over. But did it have to be over? Could we somehow put a pin in it and pick up where we left off later? I didn’t know, but I had to ask.
“Would you like to have dinner with me later?” I blurted out, not wanting to say goodbye just yet. Seeing her brows come together again, I wondered if she assumed I was asking her on a date. Thinking maybe that was the case, I decided to switch tactics. “I’m not asking you out on a date. This is strictly for work. We can read over the contract separately and then discuss how we want to approach this.”
“What about Glen and Leah? Should we invite them too?”
Fuck no!There was no way I was going to let anyone intrude on the little bit of time I might get alone with her.
“I think it’s best if we go over it first and once we’ve got an idea of how we’re going to approach this, we can catch them up. After all, doesn’t the adage say ‘Two sets of eyes are better than one?’” I felt pretty proud of myself how quickly I came up with that excuse on the fly. However, it wasn’t completely honest. I was lying through my teeth. Yes, I’d discuss the issue with Mad Media for a bit, but my main motive was to get to know her better and do it in a neutral space where she’d feel comfortable. A sort of non-date-date to see whose court the ball landed in.
“I guess we could do that,” she said, as if she had to give it some thought. “But I get to choose where we go.”
“Fine with me. I was going to ask for a suggestion anyway. I don’t get out to dinner much unless it’s at one of Jase’s places or the pizzeria close to my house.”
“No time for a life?” The somber cloud that had been hovering over her cleared for a moment to let her sunshine break through.
“Not as a single father,” I replied honestly.
“That’s right. You have a little girl.”
“I do. Her name’s Amie and she’ll be five in a few months.”
Dee perked up as I began to describe my daughter to her. Her adorable little button nose, her light brown ringlets and her vivid brown eyes, ones that were exact replicas of my own. Oh, and her bossy, spitfire nature.
“She sounds adorable.”
“She is, but I know I’m keeping you from your work,” I said. “I’ll tell you more about her over dinner.Afterwe’ve discussed the Mad Media issue.”
“Okay.” I wouldn't have believed it possible, but Dee actually smiled. At me.
Shit, she was beautiful. The slight curve of her mouth nearly brought me to my knees.
“Great. I’ll see you after work.”
“I’ll make a reservation and message you with the details.”
“Sounds good. You’ve got my number, right?” I certainly had hers. I’d gotten it from the employee files we all had access to. I may have also looked at it a time or two. Or twenty.
“I do.”
“I guess then I’ll see you later.”
