"Thank you, Mr. Andrews. But he says he needs to see you now."
I sigh. It’s always like this with him.
But the thing is, when he needs to see me, he really usually needs to see me.
I look over at Vivian and Liam who are sitting at the table.
"Can we pick this up later?" I ask.
Liam looks at me and pulls out a bottle of bourbon. That used to be my bottle, but he got a hold of it. He takes a long swig.
Given the events of the last few days, I feel like I need it too.
I reach out my hand and Liam hands me the bottle. I take a drink. The warm liquid slides down my throat in a fiery trail, and puts me at ease. If I'm going to take this meeting with Jason, I might as well be relaxed.
"Governor Andrews?" my secretary asks again.
I look at the time again. Shit. It’s been almost five minutes since she called.
Vivian gets the hint.
"Why don’t we pick up later?" she asks.
She looks amazing per usual. Her blonde hair frames her face and reflects the light of the office. She's wearing a low-cut dress, and her cleavage absorbs my attention. Or at least in my mind it does. Did I really just say that I wanted all of this to end between us? Because now I'm already having second thoughts. Seeing her again makes my pulse leap for the millionth damn time today.
"Look, we got a lot fucking done today, didn’t we?" Liam asks. "Can we unwind a bit…maybe say we schedule a dinner for this evening?" Liam asks, looking at me and Vivian.
He’s inviting me to dinner.
This is the strangest and most twisted affair I’ve ever had.
Vivian looks at Liam for a second. Then she looks at me. As if deciding internally if she wants to do this. Because with dinner is going to be booze. In the city. There’s only one thing we’re going to do after that.
"It’s a bit unconventional of a relationship, isn’t it?" I ask her.
She looks at me and smiles.
"If unconventional is what we’re after, let's meet at a circus-themed restaurant," Vivian suggests.
"And where do you suppose we find something like that?" I ask intrigued.
"Le Cirque," she responds, as if it's the obvious answer.
"I wouldn't say that's exactly unconventional," Liam chimes in.
"How many restaurants do you know are circus themed?" Vivian asks. "I'd say that's a little out of the box."
Is it wrong that all I'm thinking about is Vivian's 'box' right now? I can't stop staring at her perfect breasts in front of me. I think I'd agree to just about anything if she suggested it.
"Le Cirque is iconic," Liam quips. "That's a signature midtown restaurant."
"I'm free tonight. What time?" I ask.
"Let's make it 8 pm," Vivian suggests. "You two bring your gorgeous selves, and I'll bring the acrobatics."
My heart leaps again as I wonder what exactly she's implying. Acrobatics? Is she referring back to what happened between us in the limo?
"Done," Liam replies.