Olivia's jaw tightens almost imperceptibly. "We're just being thorough." She hands the folder back to the agent and tells him to return it where he found it.
When he leaves, we’re alone again. “You’re full of it.” I step closer. "What changed?"
“I seem to have hit a sensitive spot, Mr. Vitale.”
“Not yet, you haven’t, but again, if you’d like to come back later?—”
“No.”
I shrug and lean against my deck. “It would make this thing between us a whole lot easier.”
She tilts her head to the side like she’s intrigued. “Why would I want to make things easier?”
“Well, you can see I’m interested, and I know you’re interested–”
“Your arrogance is showing.”
“Come on now, Olivia. If you want to spend time with me, we can skip all this,” I gesture to the mess in my office, “and I’ll take you to dinner instead.”
Her eyebrow arches. "Are you asking me on a date, Vitale?"
"I'm proposing a more productive use of our time." I hold her gaze, enjoying the flush creeping up her neck. "Or why keep it to dinner? My place in the Hamptons. Private chef. Ocean view. No badges, no business. Just two people who could use a night off from pretending they don't find each other interesting."
"Interesting?" She laughs, but it's not entirely dismissive. "That's what we're calling it?"
"What would you call it?"
"A conflict of interest." Her eyes drift to my mouth before snapping back up. "Besides, I have better offers waiting for me."
"Do you?" I step closer, lowering my voice. "Better than watching the sunset from my terrace with a glass of hundred-year-old scotch? Better than conversation without an ulterior motive?"
She doesn't back away. "Your entire life is ulterior motives."
"Not all of it." I reach out, fingering a compass pendant she wears, letting my fingers brush along her skin. "Some things are exactly what they appear to be."
The air between us thickens. Her breath hitches. Her gaze moves to my mouth.
For a second, I think she might close that final distance. God, I hope she does.
"Sir?" An agent appears in the doorway, breaking the spell. "We're finished."
Olivia steps back, composure returning. But her eyes tell a different story. One where this conversation isn't over. It’s merely paused.
"Duty calls," she says, but there's regret in her voice that matches the disappointment coursing through me.
"I suppose that's my cue to let you get back to disappointing your superiors." I straighten my tie, enjoying the way her eyes trackthe movement of my hands. "Though I must say, these visits are becoming the highlight of my calendar."
"Don't get too comfortable, Vitale. Next time, we might find something."
"Next time." I savor the promise in those words. "I'll have a bottle of scotch waiting. Just in case you decide to stay longer."
Olivia pauses at the doorway, the late afternoon light catching her profile. "You're awfully confident for a man who just had his business turned inside out."
"What can I say? I enjoy watching you work." I flash her a smile that's earned me both enemies and allies.
She shakes her head. "Perhaps you could make this easier on all of us by directing us to the right place."
"What would be the fun of that?" It's the closest to a confession she'll get.
