Page 39 of Something Tattered
"Because I’m pretty sure you're the only sober person in here."
With a secret smile, he leaned closer. "You think that's a bad thing?"
"Um, well…" Whatever I'd been planning to say evaporated somewhere between my throat and tongue.
Just maybe, he'd kiss me after all.
I waited.
No kiss.
Damn it.
Maybe he had a girlfriend, or simply wasn't interested. Or maybe, he'd already had enough female attention for one day.
Suddenly, I was dying to know something. Trying to sound casual, I said, "Hey, just curious, did the interns ever catch you?"
"What interns?"
I didn't even know their names, because they'd arrived late and had missed the introductions. And then, they'd left early to chase after Joel.
But had they caught him?
I tried to sound like it was no big deal. "At my house, earlier today, there were a couple of girls who seemed really eager to meet you." I gave a nervous laugh. "I was pretty sure they chased you down in the driveway or something."
"Oh, them?" Joel shrugged. "Yeah, I met them."
"And?"
"And nothing."
"What do you mean, nothing?" From what I recalled, they'd both been quite attractive in that classic college-student sort of way. "Didn't you like them?"
"Eh, they were alright."
Normally, I wouldn't be so persistent, but whether it was because of the alcohol, or because of him, I couldn't bring myself to let it go. "But…?"
"But nothing. They weren't my type."
So, he had a type? Maybe I wasn't his type either. And yet, something in his gaze suggested otherwise.
I was swimming in unfamiliar waters. Usually,Iwas the one backing away. But with Joel, it was different. Everything was different.
I liked having him here. And I loved being close to him. I'd been sitting crammed up against him for at least two hours now. And the longer we sat here, the more my imagination ran wild.
Probably, he was a terrific kisser.
I was still considering this when, from the far side of the booth, April called out, "Hey, Melody!"
When I looked toward her, she said, "You'vegotto tell us. For your birthday, did your crazy aunt get you another stripper?"
Chapter 19
I froze. Suddenly, everyone in the booth was staring. I gave Joel a nervous glance, praying that he wouldn’t feel insulted all over again.
In his eyes, I saw a flash of humor that caught me off guard. Back in the boardroom, hehadn'tbeen amused. But of course, that probably had something to do with Derek, who'd been awful from the get-go.
Before I could even begin to sort things out, April's voice rang out again. "So? Did she?"
