“Anyway,” Eric says, “you were saying, about theMorgans.”
Now he’s really thrownme.
“You wouldn’t prefer to talk about theBraves?”
I’m expecting a laugh or a chuckle for my subject change, but he just winces. “I don’t think we need a subject change for that. I was thinking when you were telling me about how they took you in…it must have been nice to have found people who supported and encouraged you, and it’s a shame you didn’t have that earlieron.”
“Are you trying to get me back for catching you off guard?” Iask.
Again, no laugh from Eric. “I’m being serious rightnow.”
I can tell he’s not going to let me sidestep this with humor. I shrug. “People are dealt the hand they’re dealt, and then we make the best of it,right?”
“You got a lot of wisdom in that young head ofyours.”
“Trying to make yourself feel better about fucking a guy in his early twenties?” Iwink.
“You think you’re the biggest age gap I’vehad?”
My eyes widen almost instinctively. “You mean I’mnot?”
He seems surprised by myreaction.
“Oh shit. Sorry. That came out allwrong.”
“Because of how fucking old I am?” he asks, narrowing his eyes in a way that is so fucking sexy. “I’m forty-two. Not adinosaur.”
“I didn’t mean it that way at all. You’re reallyhot.”
He smiles before giving me the once-over. “Okay, maybe you can be forgiven,then.”
He takes a sip of his margarita. Some of the salt collects on his lips, and he licks itoff.
I grab my glass, but I’m so distracted by the way he licks the rim that I lose track of what I’mdoing.
“I’ll accept another compliment if you really want to make up for calling meold.”
I roll my eyes. “Oh God. No. You are not going to manipulate me withthat.”
“No, no. If I want to manipulate you, I’ll keep these fingers away from your tighthole.”
He takes another sip of hisdrink.
“That sounds like a much better way of botheringme.”
As Eric sets his glass down, he gazes at me with a subtle smirk, like I’ve amused him, and I’m pleased. I’m enjoying this conversation a hell of a lot more than when we were chatting about my fucked-upchildhood.
We start chatting about more typical subjects before our food arrives. He tells me more about his job on a day-to-day basis, and I tell him about what I did at my last job. It’s nice getting to hear about someone else’s work stresses, to find those parts that overlap in what we do, and not to feel like I’m boring the shit out of someone about my work history. Every once in a while, I notice that if I talk too long, he doesn’t look me in the eyes but studies my face as if he’s taking in more than what I’m saying, something I don’t mind because he seems to like what hesees.
The fajitas are as amazing as he said they’d be, and I don’t hesitate to compliment him on the selection. After we finish eating, we walk back to his condo, which isn’tfar.
While we continue our chat about our jobs, I ask a question that’s been developing in my brain since we initiated this conversation. “So how do you know what you want to invest in? I mean, there are a lot of bullshit companies out there, I imagine. How do you know what’s going to work and whatisn’t?”
“Fair question. I have a pretty fundamental belief that things that contribute something beneficial to the world will succeed. A lot of guys will throw money at a company that is all hype and marketing…or really trendy. They’re trying to cash in right now. And yeah, that can be great, but even a company that say, doesn’t have the financial backing or the trendiest product on its side can win out in the long-run if it really has a product that adds value to people’s lives. And I like to think I’m good at seeing when something really hasvalue.”
“Oh, obviously. That’s surely why you were so drawn to me,” Itease.
“Yes…it is.” Unlike me, he isn’t kidding. He looks right into my eyes, unflinching, and I pull my gaze from him because it’s a weird thing for him to say. He doesn’t even know me, notreally.
