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“Are you sure? Because this bracelet happens to be half off tonight.”
This guy must be a district manager or something to have authority to authorize this.
“What?” Brent shouted too close to Spencer’s ear. “Half off! Now?”
Spencer held in his exasperated breath. Even with that kind of discount, he still couldn’t afford it.Fuck, fuck, fuck.The first of the month was right around the corner. His new semester at the community college started soon after the winter break, which meant expensive textbooks.
“You have a good night, Cole. Come on, Brent, we’re late.”
“Oh, wait, I was wrong. It’sninety-fivepercent off for the holiday season. I forgot about our discount for writers, but—”
“What the fuck?” The other salesman scowled, staring at his manager as if he’d never seen him before. “Have you lost your mind?”
“Yes, goddamnit,Isaid we do.” Cole gave the salesman a look that sent him walking in the other direction.
Cole’s kind eyes were back on him. Spencer’s pulse quickened when Cole leaned in closer, giving him a better smell of his clean cologne.
“How’s ninety-five percent off sound? Is that a deal you can work with?”
Spencer ignored the bullshit deal and instead enjoyed the game this handsome manager was running on him. He was used to this kind of attention—he got it most evenings at his job, and he never fell for the puffing. The fantasy of a fine, distinguished man like this wanting him for anything more than a one-nighter or arm candy at his company’s New Year’s party was not his reality.
“Holy shit! That would make it…” Brent mumbled a few numbers before he yelled, “That’ll only be nine hundred! Buy it, Spencer!”
Spencer ignored his friend and tilted his head, scrutinizing Cole’s intriguingly serious expression.
“This bracelet isn’t on sale, is it?”
“It is because I say it is,” Cole answered. He rested one hand on the glass and used the other to pull the bracelet out of the case, and slid it in Spencer’s direction. “I think it’ll look stunning on you.”
“Are you the manager?” Brent asked.
“You could say that.” Cole’s eyes never wavered from his.
He appeared to be in his late thirties, maybe a bit older, but whenever that smirk appeared, it added a boyish quality to his mature face.
Spencer scoffed. He was about to tell this fancy suit wearer just like he told all the others at his job.
I’m not for sale.
“I’ll come back and get it when I can afford it…Cole. Thanks for the offer, but I’d hate for you to lose your job over giving that bracelet away. You probably have a wife and kids who depend on you. Come on, Brent. Let’s go.”
“If he says it’s on sale, then buy it! He can’t offer that discount, then take it back,” Brent argued. “Buy it now, Spencer. This’ll be your chance.”
“Your friend is right. I can’t take it back, sooo…”
Cole tucked one hand into the pocket of his nice slacks, exuding so much swagger Spencer almost choked on it.
“It’s a onetime offer, Spencer, that so happens to come with an invitation to dinner.”
Spencer felt sick. Why did every man he meet or every date he was asked on begin with a quid pro quo?
Cole blinked and backpedaled what he’d just said, his debonair demeanor taking a nosedive.
“Not like that. I mean, it’s not a condition or anything. Dinner isn’trequired,” Cole chuckled nervously.
His cheeks flushed brighter the longer Spencer scowled at him.
“But it would be nice. Dinner. Anywhere you want to go. The Cavalier Bay or Luigi’s on the Boardwalk?”
