“Thank you,” she said quietly. He looked at Celine, who was staring at the two, still connected at their hands.
“I don’t suppose you’ll be at Celine’s tonight?” he asked.
“Me?” she frowned. “N-no. I mean, she invited you.”
“I know,” he said nodding at her. “I just always see the two of you together so I didn’t know if maybe you lived together or hung out after work. Maybe we could have coffee before I leave town.”
“Are you serious?” frowned Celine. River looked at the woman and realized what a colossal mistake he’d made.
“Celine, I’m sorry. I thought it was just a farewell dinner. I didn’t mean anything by it,” he said awkwardly squirming. She wanted to explode. She wanted to scream at him but instead just nodded.
“No. No, you’re right. It’s just a farewell dinner and of course Priscilla is invited. She’s my best friend.” Priscilla stared at her, then back at River.
“What do you say, Priscilla?”
“I-I guess so.”
“I’m going to head on home,” said Celine. “I’ll get dinner going and you guys get there around six-thirty.”
River may not have noticed it but Priscilla did. Celine stormed off, angry at them both. He looked at his watch and smiled at her.
“Well, it’s almost five. How about we have that coffee now and we can ride together to Celine’s?”
“Oh. Oh, yeah,” she said. “Sure.” River flashed that sexy, steamy smile at her and she nearly crumbled into a ball of mush.
“Great. Let’s go.”
CHAPTER THREE
“How’s the coffee?” he asked smiling at her.
“Uh, good. Could you not do that?” she asked.
“Do what?” he frowned.
“Smile at me. It makes me feel like you know something I don’t know and that I’m about to be the dinner in the lions’ den.” River laughed, shaking his head.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel that way. I smile at you because I like you, Priscilla. You’re beautiful, smart, like incredibly smart, and you’re a great agent.”
“I don’t understand,” she said frowning at him. “You accepted dinner with Celine.”
“I did because I thought it was truly a farewell dinner. Celine’s nice and I can see how some men might like what she, uh, offers,” he smirked.
“Oh, you’ve seen that,” said Priscilla.
“It’s hard not to see it,” he said taking a sip of his coffee. “We’re trained to see all of it, remember?”
“I remember,” she said nodding. “It’s just that most men never get past her body to see that she’s just using them. I mean, don’t get me wrong. Celine is a good friend and I enjoy spending time with her, for the most part, but she’s not used to not getting her way with men.”
“Which is why I invited you along,” he said with a sly grin. Priscilla tilted her head staring at him. “I knew what she was doing and I knew that she wouldn’t have any alternative but to allow you to come if I mentioned it. You see, women like Celine like the conquest. They like to believe they pulled one over on the man so that when the relationship ends, it was all their idea, not the man’s.”
“Wow, you really are good at reading people,” she whispered. “I’m not like that.”
“I know,” said River. “It’s why I invited you. I wanted to ask you to dinner weeks ago but knew that you were all business. I respect that.”
“I don’t mean to sit here in disbelief,” she said staring at the blonde god, “but men rarely take a second look at me when Celine is around.”
“Then those men are stupid. I come in every day and see that mass of black hair piled on your head and it makes me smile.”
