Page 30 of The Hookup
He could drive away now, and let her down, and hope that she would eventually get the message, or, he could give her what she wanted, and to hell with his rules. “Come in for what, Kay?”
~ ~
“I’m not asking for a date,” she said, turning her body towards him and leaning back against the car door. He had turned the engine off, and it didn’t seem to her as if that was the sign of a guy wanting to get home and go to bed. “I’m asking if you would like to come in. You’ve taken me home, and rescued me.”
“Rescued you? Oh, right. The asshole.”
“Like I said, he's an idiot.”
“Perils of the job?”
“Huh?”
“You secretaries must get hit on all the time.”
She laughed, more to hide the niggling feeling that he was onto her. She wanted to come clean, for there was no point in keeping up pretenses. He wasn’t just a bartender, he was the goddamn king of the club. He wasn’t going to be intimidated by her or what she did.
Not wanting to lie anymore, especially now that she had discovered his secret, she confessed. “I’m not a secretary.”
“I had a feeling you weren’t. Your turn to confess. What are you then?”
“An investment banker.”
He nodded. “Why am I not surprised?”
“You’re not?”
“You let a few things slip.”
“Oh, really?” This surprised her because she thought she’d covered them up well. Obviously she hadn’t.
“Why the lie?” he asked.
That was easy. She fanned her face and took her jacket off because it was suddenly getting hot in the car. And it didn’t seem as if he was willing to go to her apartment. She was happy to sit here and talk to him. “You told me you were a bartender. I was afraid that if I told you what I did, it might scare you off.”
He chortled in surprise. “Scare me off? Seriously?”
“Some men can’t handle it when a woman earns more than he does. Ask me how I know.” As soon as she’d told him, she wished she could take the words back, for she had unwittingly let him know that she had been interested in him from the start.
“So you lied and dumbed yourself down?”
“It’s not the first time,” she told him.
“That’s shocking.”
“But true.”
“Still shocking.”
“And still true.”
“You always have to have the last word?” he asked.
“I try to make it a point, because most times, men like to, and I can’t have that.”
“I bet you can’t.” He smiled, a proper smile, as if he’d suddenly given himself permission to relax. “Are you feeling hot?”
“It’s getting hot in here.”
