“He sounds like a pussy.”
This time I smirked. “Asshole is more like it.”
He caught my chin with his hand. “Pretty little thing,” he said, “but what a dirty mouth.”
I stared up at him, and his eyes held mine, just like his hand held my face. There was a tense moment, as though he wanted to say something, but he let me go instead. “You should probably go clean up.”
I nodded and got to my feet.
“Almost made it the whole week,” he muttered, “but you’re damned impossible to resist.”
I blushed and fixed my clothing, running a hand through my hair before I left for the bathroom. Even though I hadn’t brought anything with me into his office, I couldn’t help feeling like I’d left something behind.
* * * * *
I stayed at my desk late, crossing off each item from my to-do list as I went. It was around eight o’clock when Dean’s door opened behind me. He didn’t speak, so I turned and looked up at him.
“I’m glad you’re still here,” he said.
“Do you have another assignment for me?” I asked, trying not to sound hopeful.
He walked over and perched on the edge of my desk, looking down at me. “No. I just didn’t want you to leave yet.”
“I’ll finish everything,” I said. “I only have two things left.”
He slid my to-do list across the desk and looked down at it. He balled it up and tossed it in the trash next to his feet.
“But—”
“I don’t give a fuck about that right now.”
I blinked at him, wondering if I’d done something wrong.
“Have dinner with me.”
“Tonight?” I asked.
“Yes.”
My eyes narrowed. “Did your other date back out?”
“Who?”
“The one you had last night?”
“Ah. That was an event, and I only took her because I couldn’t show up alone. Truthfully, you were on my mind all night.”
I swallowed. I couldn’t have heard him right. How could someone like me be onhismind? My heart swelled. “I was?”
“Yes.”
“What about all the stuff you said before about me being off limits?”
“It still applies. This is just dinner. No obligations. Consider it a thank you for this week.”
I looked at the desk, picking at a black mark near the edge. I didn’t want just dinner. I liked Dean. More than liked him. He was miles different from the boys my age, and suddenly, they didn’t interest me. This man did.
“You seem disappointed,” he said. “You know, even being Gary’s daughter, I might—but you’re so young…”
