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He pushes the second bottle in front of him toward me. “From Shirley,” he says. “She insisted on buying our first round.”
“Oh,” I say, “that was awfully kind of her.”
“Yes, she’s very kind,” he says. “She slipped me a room key, too. I’m meeting up with her later.”
Oh.
“Well, that’s…” My chest twists even tighter. Suddenly, I feel no urge to touch the drink in front of me at all. “That’s certainly kind...”
That’s one way to put it, I guess.
Oliver smirks. “I’m kidding,” he says. “I wouldn’t sleep with a subordinate. That would be naughty.” He raises the bottle to his mouth. “You... weren’t feeling a little jealous, now were you?” he asks before taking a sly sip.
I scoff. “Of course not.”
“Oh, good.”
“But if you’d like me to beat you with the employee handbook, I’ll be happy to do so.”
“No need.” He sets the bottle down on the bar. “I only break the rules for you.”
I look away, targeting the drink in front of me. I slide a finger along the dripping condensation as I decide whether to acknowledge that comment.
“You look nice,” Oliver says before I can reply.
My lips twitch. “I just put on a sweater and came downstairs,” I say.
“Well, it’s a nice sweater and you look nice in it.” He tilts his head. “Nice enough to catch the attention of that guy over there.”
I stiffen. “What guy?”
“Blond hair. Blue blazer. Glasses. Five o’clock.”
“My five or your five?”
“Yours.”
I perform a casual glance over my right shoulder. Just like Oliver said, I lock onto the blond man sitting at the other end of the bar. We make eye contact and he flashes me a quick, subtle smile.
I spin back around. “You weren’t kidding,” I say.
“I was not,” Oliver says, expertly ignoring the man so he doesn’t suspect we’re talking about him.
“He’s pretty,” I say. “Like, really pretty.”
Oliver nods. “He’s a pretty guy, yes.”
“What does he want?”
“Well...” he smiles, “I imagine he’s waiting for me to leave so he can buy you a drink.”
I shake my head. “No way.”
“Trust me. I’ve smiled at many a woman across a hotel bar. He knows what he’s doing.”
“And what look from me will tell him thanks, but no thanks?”
“A hard glare from me should be more than effective, I think. Though, I’m curious why you would want me to.”
