Page 59 of Nefarious
Her eyes narrowed, but she let it drop. “So maybe sometime we could go get a real coffee. Or a drink?”
Did she know she was sending mixed signals? “Selena.”
“I know. My father would freak out. Well, he can tell me I can’t work with you, but he can’t keep me from talking to you, can he? I wasn’t finished learning about securities. But I know you’re busy, so it’s okay. I’ll just make sure to find classes in the topic at school next year.”
Dane knew he should steer clear of Selena now that she was in Val’s custody, but his vanity sought validation that he could seduce her yet. Maybe Val was right, and he could pursue her now. A little. He couldn’t stop the corner of his mouth from rising. He’d come to like Selena. She was beautiful and smart, and now that she wasn’t starry eyed with hero worship for him, she’d relaxed and talked to him like a friend. “Maybe we could talk outside of work. About securities, of course.”
Her smile lit up her eyes. “That would be so cool.”
He laughed. “Or maybe you could teach me about thisMinecraftthing.”
“It’s a deal.”
Dane looked at his watch. “You better hurry along and get back to work. We can talk later.”
She bit her lower lip and batted her eyelashes before abandoning him in the breakroom.
Anthony,
Would you like to go out with me tonight on a quasi-date date? It doesn’t have to be anything—it can be whatever you want it to be. I just thought it might be fun to hang out and see what comes of it.
I was considering going to see a movie, but if you wanted, you could come over to my place, and we could watch something here.
Selena
Selena,
I had fun last night. I hope we can hang out again. Are you free tonight?
Anthony
Dane had tried to get out of these corporate trust-building events for the past three years to no avail. The traders weren’t required to attend because the markets were open. Dane argued someone needed to be around in case there was a production issue. The response had always been, “Bring a phone and your laptop. You can work remote if you need to.”
So he stood around in the mid-June noonday sun with sweat running down his cheek, trying to figure out how not to get grouped with anyone who hated him. There wasn’t much point in picking people out to pair up with because more often than not, the directors would make a point of placing people with whoever they wanted with no regard to preference.
Still, he looked around and found Noelle walking between groups and socializing. Val stood toward the back, smoking one last cigarette. There was a nervous but festive feel to the air. Everyone was glad to be away from the office, but nobody liked doing these exercises with people they rarely spoke to about things that didn’t revolve around work.
Noelle worked her way over to him, and as casually as if they were barely acquainted, she greeted him. “Good afternoon, Dane. Are you ready for this?”
He indicated his T-shirt, running shorts, and lightweight hiking shoes. “Not in the least.”
“I might have overdone it myself.” She wore a perfectly white tank top, a pair of khaki cargo shorts, and brand-new purple hiking sandals. He wanted to see her get dirty in all that.
“You look beautiful. As always.” He pretended to be flustered and looked away. In reality, he was already itching, and he could feel a river down his spine. More than anything else, he wanted to be standing under his shower in his air-conditioned bathroom.With herpreferably, but at the moment, he was too uncomfortable to care either way.
Noelle twisted her mouth in school-marmish disapproval. “Dane.”
“I’m not trying to make you feel awkward. Just stating a fact.”
She touched his forearm. “We’ll talk again soon.”
“Tonight maybe?”
She hesitated. It was only for a micro-second, but he saw her consider the question. It was as quickly discarded. “That wouldn’t be the best idea.”
“Well, maybe I’ll get lucky, and you’ll land on my team.” He had a particular smile he’d developed, not accidentally. He’d practiced it in the mirror, and then he’d practiced it on girls. He’d honed it into a lethal weapon. It was wicked, but at the same time, it was charming, inviting. He leveled it at Noelle, and watched her pupils dilate and her breathing hitch.
“That would be—” She swallowed. “I need to move on. Thank you.” She took a step away and looked back with an awkward laugh. “I mean, goodbye. Have fun today.”
