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It wasn’t like I could tear my eyes away. I had my answer. I was done waffling, waiting for her to lose her charm so I could get back to normal. That wasn’t going to happen. If there was one thing I could take away from my father’s supremely annoying lecture, it was to stop messing around.
I intended to stop messing around. I kept my eyes on her, never letting them drift down the front of her simple blouse. I’d been checking out her curves enough already to know that my hands itched to slowly undo every button. Surprisingly, she matched my steady gaze; the only hint she was at all shaken was the rising color in her cheeks.
“Sounds like you had a productive week. I’ll let Vera know you completed it satisfactorily.”
Her smile gave me another jolt. Yes, this was the right decision.
“Is there anything else, sir?”
Hearing her call me that made the front of my suit pants tight, my cock twitching as I imagined her sighing it as she lay beneath me.
“Yes, there is something else,” I said. “Something very important. In fact, it’s imperative.”
“Of course,” she said eagerly. “Just let me know.”
I returned her smile as I leaned across my desk. “Have dinner with me.”
Chapter 7 - Jenna
Was I in the middle of a daydream? No, my boss just asked me to go to dinner with him. I was actually stunned into silence and could only stare at him, as if I was hypnotized by his slightly mischievous smile and those blue eyes that were staring right back at me.
“Have dinner with me,” he repeated.
No, I didn’t imagine it. I still couldn’t understand what was going on, because for an entire week, he didn’t seem to remember that we’d ever met, and had been ignoring me that whole time, and now he was asking me out. It just plain didn’t make sense, unless I was daydreaming. Which I wasn’t.
“Why?” I finally blurted, lost for any other words.
He laughed. “I have it on good authority from my HR department that today is your birthday.” When I nodded, still not getting it, he continued. “I treat all my employees to a meal on their birthday.”
There was a tiny, brief moment of disappointment, followed by a rush of embarrassment that I ever thought he was actually asking me out. Even if he did remember me from the coffee shop, I was an intern in his highly successful and prestigious lobbying firm. He’d never be interested in me. Still, I couldn’t believe my good luck. A chance to pick his brain, maybe get to learn something about the inner workings of the business.
“Okay, that sounds great,” I said, thinking we would grab something now.
After all, it was the end of my work day, and since I didn’t have an evening class, this was an extra treat. No lonely ramen in the apartment, but a real meal with an intriguing man.
Whoa, there, it’s just something he does for everyone in the office. Don’t get too worked up.
“Good,” he said, making no move to get up. “I’ll pick you up at eight.”
“Tonight?” I squeaked. “Um, I mean, sure. That works.”
At that point, I would have canceled everything, even life-saving surgery. I was definitely getting too worked up. He assured me he had my address from my employee file when I clumsily tried to give it to him, and I left with flaming cheeks.
Bursting with excitement that there was no use trying to rein in, I headed straight to Brooke’s boutique. I didn’t know where Mr. Volkov would be taking me, but my nice suit didn’t seem appropriate for dinner anywhere at that hour, and all my other clothes were years old. I was cursing myself for being so stubborn to have left all those beautiful outfits from Katie behind, but I never would have felt right wearing them. Not even to impress my boss.
Brooke was almost done with her shift and was happy to stay and help me pick something, insisting on not only using her discount but paying for half of whatever I chose as her birthday present to me. We had planned to celebrate my twentieth on Sunday afternoon when we both had open schedules, so I told her I’d accept only if she didn’t also insist on paying for our lunch that day.
She worked her fingers to the bone to make a life for herself, with no help from any family since she aged out of the foster system. Despite that, she was one of the most generous people I knew, and I was so grateful we met as roommates on our first day at Berkeley, both of us were scared out of our wits but looking forward to the future. She was the only reason I hadn’t ditched the apartment. Even though my half was paid forwith Bratva money, I didn’t want her to be left high and dry. If I got hired at the boutique and found one more part-time job, we might just be able to renew the lease.
We found the perfect outfit, a simple but elegant green dress that made my hazel eyes pop. It was more than I could afford, but with the discount and Brooke’s birthday offer, I took it home with me. The manager told me she was trying to work out a new schedule for the upcoming month and would try to find me a shift or two.
I was buzzing as Brooke and I left the shop. A new dress, a dinner non-date with my boss, job prospects, and the best friend in the world. What more could I ask for on my birthday? Brooke had a study session, so we parted ways at the bus stop.
“Good luck on your date,” she called, before heading to the parking garage to retrieve her car.
“It’s not a date,” I laughed. She gave me a knowing grin since I’d gushed about how handsome Mr. Volkov was a time or two since starting the internship.
It didn’t seem like he remembered me though, and hadn’t said more than six words to me, but it didn’t stop me from developing a tiny crush on him. Just something to pass the time during the endless grunt work Theo piled on me.
