“I don’t know. You tell me.” She looked directly in his eyes.
“Skye, come on. You know me.”
She shrugged. “Ok, if you won’t agree to that, I’m leaving.” She slung the bag over her shoulder.
“No. Wait, wait.” He stood between her and the door. “This is strictly professional. No wine.”
Skye wasn’t completely convinced, but she decided it was already late. A few more hours at the office wouldn’t hurt anything. If Greg tried to weasel out of their deal, she’d figure out a way to handle him.
The bag dropped to the floor. “Ok, I’ll be back in ten minutes.”
“Want me to walk with you?” he offered.
She glanced at him from the corner of her eye.
“I take it back. You go get dinner. And I’ll see you in ten minutes.”
Skye stepped around him and walked to the elevator. She realized as she hit the lobby, she didn’t even ask if he wanted her to order something for him. She giggled.
The street outside the office was bustling. Sure it wasn’t New York, but there were parts of San Diego that never slept. Even on a Tuesday night. Skye waited at the corner for her turn to cross the street. Sandy’s was only two blocks from the office.
She paid at the counter for her sandwich and chips. As she passed through the door, she felt her phone vibrate in her purse.
“Hello?”
“Hey.”
She smiled at the sound of Ben’s voice. She hadn’t seen him in a few days and had to remind herself that taking it slow meant not spending every night together. She was learning early that pilots were gone a lot, including weekends. He had flown to Texas over the weekend.
“Are you going to program me into your phone or just keep getting surprised every time I call?” he asked.
“I don’t know yet.” She stopped to sit at one of the table’s in front of Sandy’s.
He chuckled. “I guess that’s fair. You still don’t think I’m going to make it to your thirty-day mark.”
Skye blushed. Did he have a way of spying on her conversations with Kari? “I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t have to.”
“How did your day go?” She watched a couple stroll past her, holding hands.
“Actually, I just landed. Eagle and I had a late flight. Was thinking about going out. Want to go?”
“Go out now? It’s late.”
“Don’t tell me you’re working at the office and can’t tear yourself away to go to a concert.” She thought she heard a smile in his voice.
“I’m working on an account. I just picked up dinner and was headed back to my office.”
“Cancel that. I’ll pick you up in…forty-five minutes.”
Skye looked at the phone in her hand. Who was this guy? He automatically assumed she would comply with all his requests. She had serious work to do. And then she remembered Greg in the office.
“Ok. But I can’t stay out all night.” She chewed on her lip. She hadn’t seen him in days. Why would she say something so stupid?
He laughed. “Let’s not worry about curfews before I even pick you up. See you soon.”
Before she could banter back, he hung up. He was frustrating at times, but deep down she knew a little part of her liked how he took control. He was sexy confidence personified. In only a few short weeks Ben had become a part of her waking thoughts, popping up when she was in the middle of a meeting, or interfering with her charts and tables. Yesterday during a conference call she completely blanked ten minutes in when she was supposed to report on model contract candidates. Instead, she couldn’t shake the funny things Ben said to her at the Padre’s game. He had a way of making her laugh that brought out a side of her she was starting to love.