He shrugged and said, “I drove,” as though that was obvious.
“But how did you know where I was?”
Again, looking unconcerned, he replied, “I made a few phone calls.”
I was about to reply when he glanced down the hallway and backed me against the door in the alcove. He leaned into me, making my heart pound. “What are you doing, Jack?” I asked, my voice coming out as a breathy whisper. “What’s with all this touching? Do you think I’m going to go all weak in the knees (yes!!) and throw my Scooby Doo panties at you like a groupie at a concert?”
“Eve, I think we both know you’re not a 100% cotton, high-rise, 6 to a pack, Scooby Doo undies type of girl,” he replied.
“That’s oddly specific, Jack. I think you’ve been spending too much time in the Target underwear aisle.”
“It’s what my niece wanted for her birthday. She’s 3 and wanted big girl undies.”
“So, you bought her Scooby Doo undies?”
“What? No! I’m not a monster! I bought her Bluey panties.”
“I’ll bet she loved them.”
“She did and proclaimed that I’m her favorite uncle. Although, granted, the pool of competitors for that title is fairly small.”
He leaned closer still, his hand stroking the side of my face, leaving a path of tingles all the way up to my scalp and making my knees go weak. He whispered into my ear in a low voice, “Remember last night you told me about the guy that was hitting on you? Always wears a pink button-down shirt?”
“PBD? Yes. What about him?”
“He’s walking this way,” he stated, as though it was obvious what the connection was to his current attempts to short-circuit my nervous system.
“And?” I asked, trying pathetically to sound in control. I wasn’t. I squeaked like Minnie Mouse huffing helium.
“I’m marking my territory.”
“What? Like you’re a dog? And I’m a fire hydrant? Drenched in urine??”
“Well, when you say it like that, of course it sounds bad.”
“In what possible way does it sound good?” I hissed.
“I’m letting pink button-down know that you’re not available. Then, hopefully, he’ll back off. If he’s smart.”
Jack started nuzzling my neck, his warm breath tickling my skin and making my legs tremble. I struggled to keep my breathing even as his arms wrapped around my waist. A small corner of my mind voiced the opinion that I should be upset by this, but it was quickly voted down by the rest of my mind which was all in for the nuzzling.
There was an awkward throat clearing behind Jack. Over Jack’s shoulder I could see PBD just standing there. “Hello Robert,” I managed to say. He nodded and said, “I just wanted to make sure you knew the schedule. There’s a meeting at 2:00.”
“Thank you, Robert, I know the schedule. And that meeting is for Luxe employees only, so I am not involved in it.” The silence extended and became even more awkward.
Jack turned around, “Hey, pal, this isn’t a kissing booth. You’re not at the head of a queue.” PBD had the good grace to blush a shade that matched his shirt, bobbed his head, and walked away.
Even though my hormones were screaming, “More! More!” I managed to find the strength to push Jack away.
“Great. What was that supposed to accomplish? Now you’re adding character assassination to your list of feats. I’m sure he’ll go back and tell everyone at the Luxe meeting that I’m…a…a whore.”
“Wow, Eve, are you saying that I can only get dates by paying them?” His smirk let me know he wasn’t offended in the least.
“No, Jack. Obviously, you have groupies flinging themselves at you for free. I just don’t happen to be one of them.” I adjusted my blouse, smoothed my skirt, and picked up my laptop which had somehow ended up on the floor. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go.”
“Why? You already established with PBD that you have nowhere to be,” he countered.
“Because this is my free time to do what I need to do, which does not include beating off some handsy, egomaniac pop star!”
