Page 39 of Levi
“Are you going to keep me in suspense much longer,J.S.?” he presses.
“My name is Jules Salinger.”
“Pleased to meet you, Jules Salinger,” he flashes me a smile that makes me forget all my woes. “My name is Levi Aldridge.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Levi.”
“So, you’re having a challenging day?”
“To say the least.”
“I recognize you don’t know much about me, but I’m a great listener.”
“It’s okay,” I shake my head. “I don’t want to trouble you. I’ll figure it out,” I lie. As it stands, only a crystal ball—or a million dollars—can help me figure out my next step.
“It’s no trouble, Jules,” he tells me.
I love hearing my name on his lips.
I consider him for a long beat.
“Listen, whatever you’re dealing with is weighing on you. Sometimes you just need to get it off your chest.”
I let out a heavy sigh. “Okay.”
“Good,” he smiles. “I just ended a meeting with my lawyers, and I was heading to the convenient store for a chocolate bar because I’m starved,” he tells me. “If we’re going to talk, we might as well do it in front of a hearty meal and great wine. I know it’s only half past five, but why don’t we have an early dinner? I know a phenomenal Italian restaurant not too far.”
“I—uh... Are you sure? I don’t want you to change your evening plans on my account.”
“I know exactly what I want and that’s spending the evening withyou,” his voice drops a notch or two, sounding wholly seductive, although I’m unsure if that’s on purpose or not. Regardless, my pussy approves.
“Oh,” I say, nervously brushing a strand of hair behind my ear.
“Do you work in this building?” he asks.
“No.” I give him a quick rundown, but don’t mention Hillary. “I took a taxi here. I didn’t want to deal with parking, or worse, a ticket.”And my shitty car is unreliable.
“My Range Rover is parked in the garage. Let’s take my wheels and I’ll drive you back to your office after dinner.”
“Okay.” Truth be told, I don’t have it in me to argue. Not to mention, in this shit storm that is my life, Levi Aldridge is a beacon of light. I’d have to be stupid not to take him up on his offer.
