Page 34 of Business Casual

He kind of chuckled under his breath for a moment and then he stopped. He held my gaze and didn’t say anything for a few seconds. “It really did,” he answered finally.

“I’m glad I had that effect on you.”

“That definitely wasn’t the only one, but it was the first.” He opened his mouth to say more, but instead of continuing, he ate more fries.

“What were you going to say?” I asked.

He shook his head. “Just that you’re special.”

I smiled. “You keep saying that.”

“It’s true. I knew it the moment I laid eyes on you.”

Trying to resist the pull I felt toward him, I sucked down a mouthful of milkshake.

“And I remember thinking that if you’re single, I’m asking you out,” he continued.

A thought hit me suddenly. “I know it’s a little late to be asking you this, but areyousingle?”

He looked shocked, borderline offended. “Yes.”

“Okay. Who’s Syd?” I asked.

“Syd?” His brows furrowed. “How do you know Syd?”

“Bryce mentioned her. He said you haven’t asked anyone out since Syd.”

He shook his head. “Bryce never knows when to shut the fuck up.” He gulped some of his milkshake. “Sydney is my ex. We broke up last year. We’re still cool, but she was the last woman I asked out. Until you.”

I cocked my head to the side and squinted at him. “So, you’re saying you’re single?”

“Yes! What would make you think I would pursue you if I wasn’t?”

“Men.”

He chuckled. “Wowwwwwwwww.”

I lifted my hands. “Hey, you don’t know if you don’t ask. And it just occurred to me that I never asked you. You’re sexy as hell. You’re successful. You’re intelligent. You’re say all the right things. Your sex game is”—I kissed the tips of my fingers— “top notch. So, I don’t think it’s a far-fetched question.”

“That’s not how I get down,” he explained. “I don’t cheat. And even if I were seeing someone casually, I’d put it all on the table. I don’t like a lot of confusion in my life. Pursuing something with a colleague is the epitome of confusion.”

“Yeah.” I nodded. “That could be messy.”

“Yeah. And messy is not my style.”

Analyzing him, his expression, his words, his body language, he seemed sincere. “If you don’t like confusion and messiness, why did you want to get lunch with me?”

“Because I want to get to know you better.”

“Isn’t that what a date is?”

“It is.”

I couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across my face. “We said we were going to keep it casual and then keep it professional.” I leaned forward. “But this feels like a date.”

He smirked. “It does feel like a date.”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “I know I said we should be friendly and become work friends, but I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to get to know each other like this.”

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