Page 27 of Tobias

You won’t.

You’re right. I won’t. But I have to ask… why?

Pete puts down the glass in front of me, and I look up. He’s talking over his shoulder to Mario and Luca who are pointing to something on their phone. I take a sip of my drink, looking at my screen and wondering how I’m supposed to answer this.

Why am I taking a risk just to text him?

Sure, we have access to their information to reach out to them, but it’s for dating purposes only. Texting him because I’m trying to test something out is definitely breaking the rules, and if he complained to Foxy, I could get fired. Misuse of personal information is illegal.

Unable to come up with a suitable answer, I deflect.

I should ask you that first.

Why another date?

Meet up with me and I’ll tell you.

I smirk at him being so ballsy. To think he was so nervous when I first saw him. He could barely get words out. I shouldn’t meet up with him tonight. It’s wrong for so many reasons. Why is he going to pay for dates when he can get them for free? Why would anyone? This is why I had to keep my personal life separate. I can’t fall back into old habits just because one guy has me questioning my life. That’s something I need to figure out on my own.

I can’t tonight. But I expect an answer on Thursday.

It’s a cheap answer, and I don’t get a response back. I think maybe I upset him.

Chapter Eleven

Theodore

I’m running late thanks to a meeting that went over our time and the traffic I got stuck in. When I burst through the doors of the restaurant, I find Tobias sitting on the bench to the side. He glances up from his phone and my heart skips a damn beat. How did he get hotter? Is that possible? It must be, because he is.

He’s in a navy-blue sweater with a white polka dot button up beneath. His sleeves are rolled up, and if that isn’t the hottest thing I’ve ever seen, the way his khakis hug his thighs and bulge, very well could be.

“You okay?” he asks, suddenly standing right in front of me.

How did he get so close?

Why is he so close?

“Fine,” I choke out.

“You’re late.”

“Yeah, I, uh…" I clear my throat. "Meeting.”

“Shall we?” He gestures to the host, and I nod, heading that way.

The young man behind the podium smiles. “Good evening, do you have a reservation?”

“Yes. It’s under Beaumont," I answer.

“Right this way, please,” he says after checking his iPad. He grabs two menus, and we follow him to a table in the back, by a large window that overlooks the bay. It’s a beautiful view during the day. Now that it’s dark, you can hardly make out a thing other than the blurry lights across the way.

“So, what kind of meeting did you have?” Tobias asks once the host takes off back to his post, promising the waiter will be over in a moment.

“Just some changes my father is making in the company.”

“He owns this company?” he asks.

“He does.”

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