Leaning forward, I whisper, “We’re going out tonight.”
She probably thinks I’m being crazy. “Simon’s Wine Bar. Up East Street, four blocks.” I nod, probably in the wrong direction. I still get a little turned around being so new to New York.
“Everyone else is going to Marie’s Yacht Club like always,” she says.
I shake my head.
“I don’t want to go where everyone is going,” I admit, knowing Oz would find us in point two seconds. We’ll at least give him a good chase by not following the crowd.
“Ah. Dodging the boss, I see.” She leans in a little farther and whispers, “I’m in.”
I smile back at her. I don’t know why this is so fun. Maybe because I feel like I’m sneaking out, which I never did because I never had anyone who would have cared if I did. The thought that I do now makes my stomach flutter, but I ignore it.
I text Paige back.
Dorothy: I really think your name should be Peggy Carter. Just sayin’.
I laugh when I see she actually programmed my name as Dorothy and I even have a little picture. If I’m going to be Dorothy, she should have to be Peggy. This math adds up to me. After all, we are trying to skip out on Captain.
Red Bull Whore: Not happening.
Dorothy: Too late. I already changed your name in the phone.
I send a pic I find on Google real quick of Captain America kissing Peggy Carter.
Peggy Carter: Grrr… Whatever. Peggy doesn’t even end up with Captain America! She, like, all dies and shit. Don’t put that dead voodoo on me!
Dorothy: Well, there is a chance we’ll die and shit if we get caught tonight.
Peggy Carter: I think you mean WHEN. They might not find us until we come back home, but they will know we went MIA for a while.
Dorothy: Does it make me terrible that I kind of can’t wait for Oz to flip his shit?
Part of me is doing this because I want to show him I can do whatever I want, whether he likes it or not. He can’t always have eyes on me. Call it an act of rebellion, but I want to assert myself.
Peggy Carter: No. Leave your normal cell in your desk.
I pull my cell phone out and put it in my desk before taking my seat.
“I’ll meet you there if my girl feels up to going out,” Skyler says before going back to her chair. I lose myself in work for a few hours until my secret phone dings again.
I pick it up and see a pic of Captain, studying a computer screen. He doesn’t look like he normally does in a suit. This time it looks like he just got done working out. Jesus, no wonder Paige has a crush on him. He has this whole I’ll-snap-a-man-in-half look mixed with I-always-call-women-ma’am-and-open-doors-for-them. It’s oddly appealing.
Peggy Carter: Look at him. He doesn’t even know in a few short hours he’s going to want to murder me. *evil laughs*
I giggle, and then the laughter takes over.
Dorothy: WHY IS THIS SO FUNNY?!
I can’t stop laughing. I have no idea why this secret operation thing keeps making me laugh. We’ve been planning on doing something Friday night for the past few days and it’s slowly morphed into this whole big thing.
Peggy Carter: Because they’re always two steps ahead of us and it makes me want to throat punch them.
Dorothy: Time check, PC.
Peggy Carter: 5:05 sharp. I have a mission planned for Captain. Operation GOOSE CHASE.
Dorothy: I don’t even want to know what Operation GOOSE CHASE is.
Peggy Carter: …
Dorothy: Okay, I totally want to know.
Peggy Carter: I may have asked the door guy in our building to feed our cat at 4:55 sharp.
Dorothy: We don’t have a cat.
Peggy Carter: I may have also given him the wrong security code.
“Oh, God,” I whisper, and then laugh to myself. Putting the phone back down, I think about the alarm going off and Captain—and possibly Oz—panicking, thinking someone broke in while we are at work. At least they’ll know we aren’t there, that someone should check it out.
I work for the last few hours until it’s time to head out. Skyler asks if I want to walk out with her, but I shake my head and tell her I’ll hopefully see her at the wine bar after she’s finished having dinner with her girlfriend.
Grabbing my stuff, I make sure I leave my cell phone and grab the one Paige got for me. I’m a little disappointed that I didn’t hear from Oz after meeting in his office and agreeing to a date. But I could tell he was holding himself back. I could see it with every strain in his body that he hadn’t wanted to let me out of his office. That he wanted to finish what we started, and I know I would have let him. I can still feel the slight soreness on my lips from his demanding kiss.