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“I won’t beg. Either you want to go on a date with me or not.”
He reached into his pocket and withdrew a thick, cream-colored business card, sliding it toward me. It had Fox Asset Corporation’s logo in black and all Oliver’s contact information, including his personal cell.
“I expect you’ll keep these numbers confidential. If you change your mind, call me. I’d like very much to take you on a date.”
“You’re throwing me out of your office?”
“No, but if you check the time, your lunch hour is almost up.”
I glanced at the clock on Oliver’s wall and saw that it was nearing the top of the hour. I had four minutes to get back to my desk. I rose and so did Oliver.
“Thank you for lunch. It was delicious.”
“I hope we can share another meal together soon. Don’t break my heart by waiting too long.”
“I’ll let you know soon. Thank you.”
He walked me to the elevators, not touching me and he made no moves to shake my hand or kiss my cheek. Oliver stood in front of the elevators as the doors closed and then he was gone as the car descended.
I was flustered when I got back to my desk. I sat down and held my hands together to stop them from shaking. I put Oliver’s business card to my nose, smelling his citrusy cologne on the paper. Candice came into my cubicle to ask me to get Beatrice some coffee and I nearly jumped out of my skin.
“What’s up with you? You’re very pale. Are you okay?” she asked.
“I’m fine. Just tired.”
“You know how Beatrice likes her coffee. Meet us in her office.”
Candice walked out and I silently cursed. Two weeks and I was just an errand girl. What a waste of an Ivy League education.
I was still nervous when I left the office for the day. Sadie was waiting for me in front of my building so we could walk to the subway together. I dropped my purse when I got to her, spilling half the contents on the ground. She helped me recover everything and when she handed it to me, I dropped it again but this time it was zipped.
Sadie narrowed her eyes at me. “What happened at work?”
“I’ll tell you when we get home,” I said quietly.
“Now. Tell me now,” she demanded.
“Home.”
We started walking to cross the street and the black car that I’d seen Oliver slide into the week before pulled up to the curb. The back window opened, and Oliver’s handsome face came into view.
“Ladies, can I give you a ride home?”
“Absolutely,” Sadie said. She didn’t hesitate and I had no choice but to join her. The driver got out, the same hulk of a man I saw before with slicked back black hair, a graphite gray suit and a thin mustache. He opened the back door and Oliver stepped out to let us into the car. Sadie glanced at me, and I gave her a weak smile. When we were on our way, Oliver turned to me.
“How was the rest of your day?”
“It was okay,” I said in almost a whisper.
“Miss Fulbright, Ryleigh tells me she’s too busy this weekend to have lunch or dinner with me. Is that true?”
I almost died right there on the back seat. I glanced at Sadie and pleaded with her to say I was busy.
“I know she has a couple of things going on.”
“I was hoping she would join me for dinner tomorrow night.”
“I told you, I have to check my schedule.”
