Almost everyone stayed huddled around the bar. The chatter was so loud it sounded like background music. While we walked around, I was extremely aware of my body, as if it suddenly operated at another level. Everything was heightened. He held his hand at my lower back, touched my shoulder or my arm at every turn. The result was that I was on edge the entire time.
I approached my favorite Instagrammer, LorelaiInLingerie, and we spoke a bit about how we could collaborate.
“You’re very natural at this,” Liam remarked once Lorelai moved to someone el
se.
“I like socializing. And I like Lorelai’s account a lot.”
“I could tell. Everyone likes honest praise. And liking to socialize is an important quality in a business owner.”
“Am I still on probation?” I asked, batting my eyelashes.
He leaned in, whispering, “Am I?”
I shrugged a shoulder playfully. “Maybe.”
“Then let me show you how good a partner I’d make as an investor.”
We headed straight toward the owner of the advertising company he mentioned earlier. After introducing us, Liam talked about Soho Lingerie.
“They’ve got passion in spades, and you can see it everywhere from their products to their customer relationship,” he finished.
“Well, that sounds like someone who can take the industry by storm. Drop me an email, Tess. I’ll be happy to help you any way I can,” Jerry, the head of Eastside Advertising, said.
“Thank you.”
We actually emailed Eastside Advertising last year, asking for a proposal, and they replied that they don’t work with small shops. I shook my head, smiling to myself. It’s all in who you know. Now, because an investor was interested in us, they didn’t view us as the new kid on the block.
As Liam introduced me to several people he knew, I realized he wasn’t trying to sell me on his abilities as an investor—he genuinely believed in our business. We needed him on our team. I swear, I swooned a little every time he spoke about us, and therein lay my problem: Could we collaborate and act on this crazy attraction?
“You’re tense,” Liam whispered.
How could he read my body so well?
I nodded.
“Let’s see if my plan will help with that.”
A flirty smile played on his lips. His eyes were trained on me, hot and demanding, and my thoughts spun out of control with all the things that plan could involve. He brought a hand to the small of my back before skimming it all the way up to my neck. My whole body was on edge, as if he just trailed his mouth at the back of my neck, first giving me his lips and then his tongue.
“I’ll buy you a drink and convince you to give up all your secrets,” he teased.
There was that confidence again. I loved it.
I licked my lower lip, trying to steel myself against the charm that was just oozing out of him. Spending more time with Liam heightened the odds of slipping into risky territory. As it stood, I was already having risky thoughts (How long would it take me to yank the shirt off him and lick all those delicious muscles?) and risky body reactions (My pulse was definitely quickening every time he touched me).
“Sure, why not? I’d like a glass of white wine.”
“Sit here. I’ll take care of it.” He pointed to two empty bar chairs.
“I like the sound of that.”
I climbed on one of the chairs, taking out my phone. I reviewed my notes quickly, correcting the words I mistyped while I still remembered what I wrote.
“White wine for the lady,” Liam said.
“Thanks. That was fast.”