“I don’t know.I’ve been out of school for so long, maybe I forgot how to do it.”
A server came to take our drink orders.Then we fell into comfortable conversation about city planning, which segued into re-entering college life as an adult, and eventually, comparing notes on our own college experiences.She’d gone to NYU, I’d gone to Ohio State University.
“I always forget you’re an Ohio boy,” she said, swirling her straw around her ice water.“You play the New Yorker part so well now.”
“I had to adapt quickly here.”I reached across the table, inviting her to put her hand in mine.When she did, I swiped my thumb back and forth over her knuckles.“They’ll eat you alive at the top.”
“I can’t imagine,” she said with a small laugh.“Or maybe I can.I feel like they’ll eat you alive anywhere.”
“That’s true,” I conceded with a laugh.“The world is hungry to consume.”
“How did you and Archer make it big?”Clara asked shyly.“You didn’t bring an inheritance from Ohio, you had no connections in New York…”
“Honestly?Big goals, a little bit of delusion, and a whole lotta luck brought us to this level.”I rearranged the silverware at my place setting as I thought about my next words.“Archer studied engineering in college, and I studied business.We both dabbled in real estate as well.Then we built out our industry contacts through strategic internships and…the rest is history.And a lot of hard work.”
I glanced over Clara’s shoulder because something shiny had caught my eye.That’s when I spotted Haley Reeves sitting at a table in the middle of the grand salon, her phone discretely angled toward us.
"Uh oh,” I said in a low voice.“Don't look now, but Haley Reeves is here.Ten o'clock, brunette in the white blazer."
Clara's fingers tensed in mine, but she didn't turn around."Is she watching us?"
"Oh, she's definitely watching us."I pressed a soft kiss to her knuckles while maintaining eye contact."Which means we need to give her something to see."
Clara dipped her chin, a brow lifting imperceptibly.“Like what?Should we fuck on the table right here?”
A laugh burst out of me.I hadn’t expected that response.She giggled, biting her bottom lip.
“We don’t want to makethoseheadlines,” I chided playfully before kissing her hand again.I slid my chair closer to Clara's side of the table, close enough that our legs touched under the white tablecloth.My hand found her thigh, resting possessively just above her knee.
"Just two canoodling love birds over here," Clara said softly, but I could hear the breathiness in her voice.
"That’s right," I murmured, my thumb tracing small circles on her leg."We're madly in love, aren’t we?"
Her cheeks flushed pink, and she let out a small laugh."That’s what they’ll say."
The server reappeared then, ready to take our lunch orders.Clara cleared her throat, pressing a hand to her chest as she quickly reviewed the menu.“I’m sorry.I’m not even ready.I was so distracted by this handsome man.”
I chuckled, giving her thigh a healthy squeeze as she inspected the menu.
“Would you like to order, sir?”the server asked me.
The question jostled me out of my Clara-gazing.I blinked, trying to remember what I’d decided on.“I’ll take the hanger steak,” I said.“Medium.”
“And for you, Miss?”The server looked over at Clara.
“Honestly, I have no idea,” Clara admitted with a laugh.I could tell she was flustered by the options.Or maybe it was our nearness, the same way I was distracted by the feel of my palm sizzling over the thin fabric of her pants.
“You like fish, right?”I asked in a low voice.Clara nodded.
“She’ll have the tilefish,” I supplied for the server, winking at Clara.I gathered up our menus and handed them off, then returned my focus to where I most wanted to have it.
On Clara.
“So where were we?”
“Bordering on too much PDA for this fine establishment,” Clara cracked, reaching for her water glass.
“That’s the Nash Nightingale way,” I replied smoothly, searching out her gaze.
