Page 54 of Reckless Kisses
I took another sip.“I need to eat before the speech.This will go right to my head otherwise.”
Knox winked.“Your wish is my command.The food is on tables by the bar.”
From the huge hallway, there were four rooms: two in which presentations were taking place, and two where people could mingle.
“The food looks great,” Knox said as he brought me to the buffet.
There were mini toasts with toothpicks in meatballs, and salads.I grabbed something from each, along with a disposable fork.
“All right, I’m ready to listen to the speech now.”
“There’s no food allowed in the rooms.Although,” he whispered, leaning toward my ear, “we can rebel and sneak some in.”
I didn’t know if it was the tone of his voice or the way his breath felt on my ear, but his words felt sinful.I pulled back, shaking my head imperceptibly so I could clear my mind.
“Nah, I wouldn’t want to break the rules just for this.”
He tilted his head, clearly repressing a smile as I practically devoured the food.Once I was done, I put my plate on the stack labeled “Used Dishes.”
“Ready.”
The corners of his mouth ticked up.
“Why are you laughing?”
“I like the way you phrased it.You wouldn’t break the rules for this, which begs the question: Whatwouldyou break the rules for, Amy?”
I bit the inside of my cheek, then took another sip of margarita.
“I’m not sure yet, but I can contemplate that while we’re inside.I am allowed to bring my drink, right?”
“Yes, obviously.They wouldn’t want anyone to dehydrate.”
“Oh yeah, that’s exactly what I’m doing,” I said with a laugh.“Come on, let’s go.”
The speech was boring, if I was honest.Twenty minutes into it, Knox said, “Let’s just leave.This dude’s rambling and clearly isn’t up-to-date with the newest developments in artificial intelligence.”
“Oh, I thought it just seemed boring to me.”
A few other listeners walked out with us.The hallway was full.
“Is it me, or is it even more crowded than before?”I asked.
“Yep.Clearly, the other speaker isn’t very good either.”
The other guy was still talking, because I could hear him from the corridor, but people were just walking out in droves.
“Knox Sterling, I thought I might see you here tonight.”
A stunning redhead came up to us.She wore high heels and a suit that was to die for.It was white with a zipped jacket instead of the traditional buttons.She looked at me briefly and then focused on Knox again.
“Cynthia, good to see you.I also figured we might run into each other.This is my friend, Amy.”
She turned to me with a smile.“Hi, Amy.You work with Knox?Are you a brainiac too?”
“I’m a teacher,” I replied, and her face instantly changed.
That had happened to me more times than I could count over the years, especially when I was dating.One guy actually told me that he wasn’t looking for a woman who had no money, and he’d have to sustain financially.
