Page 36 of Stuck with my Boss Daddies

And then she disappeared.

I caught sight of her slipping toward the bar, weaving through the crowd like she was looking for an escape from all the noise.

Maybe she just needed a drink. Maybe she just needed a minute. Either way, I wasn’t about to waste an opportunity.

So I followed.

By the time I reached the bar, she was leaning against it, waiting on the bartender.

I stepped in close, just enough for her to feel me behind her before I leaned down, my mouth near her ear.

“You always this much of a distraction, Collins? Or is it just for me?”

She startled slightly, but she didn’t pull away.

Instead, she turned her head just enough to meet my gaze, her lips curving at the corner.

“Oh, is that what happened? You got distracted? I thought maybe you were just bad at bowling.”

I chuckled, low and deep, letting my fingers brush against the bar beside her, caging her in just a little.

"That so? You planning on testing that theory?”

She raised a brow, her fingers curling around her freshly delivered drink as she took a slow sip.

“Maybe. You seem awfully invested in proving yourself, Samuel.”

“Only when it matters.”

I let the words linger between us, let them settle.

I’d been professional.

Wehad been professional.

But we weren’t at work now…

The bar was crowded, voices overlapping in a steady hum of conversation, but in this moment, it felt like it was just us.

She shifted slightly, her shoulder brushing mine. “Well, you did make a pretty solid comeback. But I don’t know… something tells me you had extra motivation.”

My gaze dropped to her lips, then lifted back up. “You saying you were cheering for me?”

She tilted her head, eyes gleaming. “I’m saying you put on a show.”

I smirked. “And did you like what you saw?”

She didn’t answer right away.

Instead, she took another slow sip of her drink before setting the glass down and turning fully to face me.

The space between us was almost nonexistent now, her perfume threading through the air, all warm, delicious vanilla. Then she leaned in, close enough that her breath ghosted over my skin.

“I guess you’ll just have to wonder, won’t you?”

Then, just like that, she slipped past me, her fingers trailing along my forearm as she walked away.

And I just stood there, pulse hammering, watching her go.

---