He rolls his eyes. “That doesn’t tell me anything about it. I live in a tiny flat, over a cute little bakery. Every morning, I wake up to the scent of freshly baked bread. It’s amazing. There’s a takeaway next door, which is perfect for nights I can’t be bothered to cook. I’m not allowed to put nails in the walls, so all my photos and art prints are propped up against them. You can probably guess, but I have a lot of photos of cars.”
“Photos you’ve taken?”
He shakes his head. “Pro shots, mostly.”
His enthusiasm is infectious, even though I’ve never been interested in cars beyond a means to get from A to Z. Even then, I’m not that fussed.
“What got you into cars?”
“My dad was a proper chauffeur?—”
I raise my eyebrows.
“What? He had a hat and everything.”
“So you’renota proper chauffeur, because you don’t wear a hat?”
He laughs. “Well, my job title is ‘driver’andI don’t have a hat.”
And now I’m imagining him in nothing except a chauffeur hat. I clear my throat. “I interrupted you. Sorry.”
“It’s fine. Dad was a chauffeur, and sometimes he was able to sneak me into the car he was driving. The first one I remember was a limousine. How could Inotfall in love? It wasn’t as nice as this beauty, though.” He stares at the ceiling. The twinkling lights are reflected in his eyes, creating a starscape in his pupils. “What are your interests and hobbies? Other than sex toys.”
I almost choke. I grab my bottle of water, unscrew the cap, and take a cautious sip. Enough to clear the sudden lump in my throat, not enough to make the choking situation worse.
“You made a business out of them, so you must enjoy them,” Rowan said.
“The business was Nigel’s idea.”
“Uh-huh.”
Is it appropriate for us to be talking about sex toys? Is it possible to avoid it, considering I’m a partner in a sex toy company, and he works for it? If I want to change the subject, I need to answer his original question. Do I want to change the subject? I could learn a lot about him if we stuck to this topic. I’d learn things a boss shouldn’t know about his employee.
“I enjoy reading.”
“Let me guess. You’re a Dickens fan.”
“I’ve read several of his books, yes.”
“IsA Christmas Carolyour favourite?”
I shake my head. “Great Expectations.”
“Ah, Pip and Magwitch. Did you find Miss Haversham creepy?”
I blink. “You’ve read it?”
He laughs. “Don’t look so surprised. I read books while I’m waiting to drive your brother back to the office.”
“And while you’re in the office?”
“Nah. I mostly bother Rubin.”
I frown. “One of the designers in Jim’s team?”
“Yes.” He grins. “But don’t worry, I don’t distract him from his work.”
“I should hope not,” I say sternly, but kindly.
