I shot a horrified look at him. “Well, then, I definitely can’t go!”
“Right. But then again—” he started to laugh.
“What?” I demanded, finding it impossible to see the humor in the current situation.
“Oh, I was just imagining the look on Mr. Brighton’s face if you pulled up to the restaurant on your bike, all leathered up with tattoos.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah. Not exactly his type, I’m sure.”
“I don’t know firsthand, but word around here is that he likes his women blonde, thin, and easy.”
“Charming.”
I hit reply and answered:
Mr. Brighton,
Thank you for the invitation, but I am afraid I won’t be able to make dinner. I will be in touch as soon as I meet with the designers to pass along your concerns about the ads.
Allison Rand
“There,” I said, before pushing send. “That’s done. Now we can get to work.”
Bryce cast me a skeptical glance, but he didn’t say anything else.
We worked for the next hour and a half, arranging meetings with the design team and writing a script for me to refer to when speaking with the designers to convey Mr. Brighton’s concerns without being bitchy. Bryce gave me the rundown on the team and their personalities so I would feel more prepared, and by lunch time my anxiety-induced nausea had passed and I was ready to eat.
Bryce had other lunch plans, so I was stuck by myself. My plan was to raid the vending machine for some trail mix and then spend the hour walking outside along the pathway between our office building and the one next door. There was a narrow asphalt path that looked like it might lead to a park or picnic area and I wanted to explore. Plus, the exercise would be good for me. I knew that taking an office job brought risks of my ass getting even bigger and my curves turning into full on rolls if I wasn’t careful.
I had just slipped into my sneakers when my phone rang. I sighed and then reached over and answered.
“This is Allison.”
“It’s Cooper.”
“Hello, Mr. Brighton,” I replied.
“You can call me Cooper.”
“I would prefer to keep things professional, if you don’t mind.”
He made a weird grunt of acknowledgment. “Is that why you’re turning down my offer for dinner tonight?”
“Exactly.”
“Do you have a boyfriend, Miss Rand?”
“I’m not sure how that’s any of your concern.”
He laughed softly and I relished in the sound for a moment, melting into the smoothness of it, before snapping myself back to attention.
“Call it idle curiosity, then.”
“It doesn’t feel like idle curiosity,” I replied, doing my best to not lose my edge as I started picturing the perfect smile that I could hear in his voice. “It feels like fishing…or maybe hunting.”
He laughed loudly. “My apologies. I can assure you, I am doing no such thing.”
“Good. I’m stepping out now, but I will get in touch as soon as I complete the meeting with the design team at three o’clock this afternoon.”