Page 24 of Office Intrigue (Office Intrigue Duet 1)
I waited patiently until he put an end to his fake phone call.
“Oh, shucks,” I said diligently. “You have to go? That’s such a shame.”
“Yeah, well…when work calls…”
“Oh, I know. Well, I don’t know. I’m just a secretary, but I get it.”
He offered a polite smile, then reached for his wallet.
“Oh, no,” I snapped, holding up my hand. “I’ve got it. After all, I’m sticking around for some pie.” Might as well make the best of it, right?
“Okay, then,” he said warily.
Right. Like I bought the fact that he was saddened not to have to pay for dinner.
“I’ll see you around,” I told him, returning my attention to my salad.
Considering it was far more interesting than he was.
•
The following morning, Jordan and I penciled in lunch so we could dish about my shitty date. I was looking forward to having someone to talk to about it. It was a funny story, at least to me.
I spent the morning doing my usual, continuing to learn my way around the office, getting to know a few of the team members by interacting with them via email, and spending a lot of time by myself.
It was shortly before one when Landon’s door opened and he stepped out.
Smiling up at him, I offered a pleasant, “Good afternoon.”
The heat of his gaze warmed me as he approached my desk, propping himself on the edge. It was such a flirty thing to do, but I thought nothing of it.
“So…how was the date last night?”
I felt my cheeks heat, remembering the conversation I’d had with Jordan in the elevator.
“It was wonderful,” I said, making sure he heard my sarcasm. “We talked and talked and…” I shook my head. “Wait. No. We didn’t talk.” I grinned wide. “But he did fake a phone call to get out of it. And since he thought I was beneath him because I’m just a lowly secretary while he’s going to potentially make junior partner at his law firm, I offered to pay for dinner. He let me. So, I enjoyed a piece of chocolate pie by myself. All in all, it was great.”
Landon laughed. “You paid for dinner?”
“I did. I insisted. And by insist, I mean, I said I’d get it and he said okay. Luckily for me, we went to a cute little diner, so I tipped more than the meal cost.”
“You spend a lot of time paying for dinner?” he asked and I understood the fishing expedition for what it was.
“No. I don’t date usually. But Will was pretty persistent. Apparently, my wardrobe made him believe I had more money than I do. He’s very superficial,” I said sweetly. “Which, now that I think about it, is probably why he’s still single.”
“That or he’s letting his dates pay for their own meals.”
“True.”
Langston’s door opened, then Justin’s. Landon got to his feet, obviously prepared to head out to lunch. Ben’s door then opened, too. They all started toward the front, but Landon turned around to face me.
“One of these days a real man will take you out to dinner.” He flashed a sexy grin. “And I assure you, I won’t let you pay.”
With that, he spun around and left.
My eyes were wide as I stared at the empty hallway, replaying his comment over and over and over in my head.
Had he said what I thought he’d said?
I won’t let you pay.
Yes, yes he had.
Swoon!
Ten
ANOTHER WEEK HAD PASSED AND I felt as though I was making significant progress in learning my new role within the company. I was able to answer questions now without always having to seek input from one of my bosses. It made me feel good. More so when one of them acknowledged me, which they did often. Usually with a flirty smile.
And now that it was closing in on one o’clock, I was getting ready to head out for the weekend. I liked the leaving-early-on-Friday thing. It made for a longer weekend, which I was no longer dreading since I’d been introduced to the world of fictional romantic BDSM, thanks to Langston’s authors. It was a world unlike anything I’d ever known existed. I’d fallen head over heels for the Dominants and submissives who fell in love in a rather unique, albeit complicated, way. In fact, I looked forward to reading every day, something I hadn’t done in quite some time.
However, I didn’t have the opportunity to read at work, so I did my best not to think about it. But when it was only a few minutes from time to leave, I got myself prepared to be immersed into that sexy new world.
Langston’s door opened and I glanced up to see him walking toward me. He was a few minutes early for their daily one o’clock lunch.
“We’d very much like you to join us for lunch today,” he said, his tone dark and rich and oh-so-sexy.
