“I’ve been to a few business conferences, but this has been the most eventful.” He was doubled up in laughter after the hotel security had to escort out one of the speakers who had drunk a whole bottle of wine at lunch to calm his nerves and who, after a short, slurred speech, fell asleep leaning against the lectern.
I looked at my watch. There was a mixer in the hotel bar now, but dinner was up to us.
“Would you like to grab dinner somewhere?” I asked Noah.
“I thought you already had plans,” Pierce said, appearing out of thin air.
“I had hope,” I said, keeping my eyes on Noah.
“Aren’t you going to introduce me to yourfriend?” Pierce asked, highlighting the word friend.
Noah held out his hand. “Noah Spencer. Nice to meet you. But you already know who I am since I saw you at my session this morning.”
I bit my lip, suddenly feeling aroused while watching Noah stand up for himself.
“Pierce Dellcourt, of Dellcourt Industries.”
“Oh yeah, I’ve heard about your company. Weren’t you in trouble recently for some kind of tax dodge? Or am I thinking of a different company? You know, us millennials can’t hold our attention for longer than a minute.”
I laughed. I shouldn’t have, but Noah was spot on.
Pierce looked dumbfounded for a second before he turned to me, likely looking for someone to blame. He wouldn’t find it in me, and he knew that.
When he recovered, he put his hand on my elbow. I looked at it pointedly, and he put his hand down. “I had an interesting conversation with one of your father’s business partners the other day. I’ll leave you to your boy-toy because you and I both know the right thing to do. I’ll see you around.” And he walked off.
“What is he talking about?” Noah asked.
“Nothing important. I’ve got to know how you know what he said.”
Noah smiled. “I’m a little rusty, but I can read lips.”
“Really?”
He laughed. “No. I was talking to someone earlier who told me about a guy making rude comments at the start of my talk. The description fit. Doesn’t he look like he’s picked the biggest fork in the hotel and stuffed it up his ass?”
“He sure does. More than you know.”
“It would have been embarrassing if he’d said something else. I also have no idea who he or his company is.”
God, I wanted to put my arms around this man and hold him tight. His snark, when aimed at someone else, was hot as fuck.
“May I take you out to dinner?” I asked again.
“Two days in a row? Well, Mr. Van Stern, I’m going to start thinking you’re coming on to me.”
There was no one else in the hallway since most people had moved to the bar, so I pulled him close and whispered in his ear. “You’ll know when I’m coming on to you.”
“Fuck, Lior. Don’t threaten me with a good time if you’re not going to follow through.”
I laughed, and he narrowed his eyes.
“This is the worst weekend ever.”
Noah
“The guy is clearly a douche who needs his attitude adjusted, but who is he? I mean, to you.”
Lior kept his gaze on the sidewalk in front of us.
