Nodding, he sighs. “I’m sorry, Holly. It’s been a while since I’ve tried this dating thing. And… it’s me. I’m awkward.”
“What if we pretend, just for now, that you’re not my boss? That I don’t report to you, and we’re just two people who kind of know each other having a drink and a talk?”
“I’d really like that. I don’t have a lot of friends, and it’s been a little isolating without Rachel around. We may not have been in love anymore, but at least we talked to each other.”
With every sip of my drink, pretending gets easier. Soon, we’re laughing and on our third round.
“You do not strike me as the frat boy type. At all. Did you really pants a freshman and shove him in the women’s showers?” I ask, biting back a laugh at the image of some scrawny guy trying not to trip with his pants around his ankles.
“We did. And he still sends me a Christmas basket every year in thanks.”
“What? Why?”
Laughing, Tyler looks more relaxed than I’ve ever seen him. He smiles more, and his tie is loosened. His hair is slightly mussed from running his hands through it as he told a story, and he looks… normal.
“He walked in a virgin and walked out with three dates.”
“A real matchmaker, you are.”
The scene plays in my head, and I laugh. Dude must’ve had something to offer that the girls weren’t expecting.
“Holly?”
I look up into his eyes. “Yeah?”
His lips meet mine, and the kiss is intense. In a good way. His tongue explores my mouth, and I taste the bitterness of his IPA. While it’s not my drink of choice, the flavor adds something unique that I’ll never forget.
“I’ve wanted to do that for a while now,” he says after pulling back. “I hope that was okay.”
“I didn’t know you wanted to do that until now,” I admit, touching my lips. “But… wow.”
My lips feel swollen, but it was a great kiss. Surprisingly great, coming from someone so strait-laced.
He kisses me again; this time his hand slides up my thigh and under my skirt. I know I should stop him—because of who he is and because we’re in a public bar—but I don’t. Damn this curiosity.
His fingers slip beneath my panties, circling my clit under the cover of the table. I pant as he kisses my neck, glancing around to see no one paying us any attention.
There are a few other booths with couples making out, hands hidden beneath tablecloths like ours, and I suspect we’re not the only ones doing this.
His lips find mine again, his fingers moving faster. I’m dizzy, and it’s surprisingly heady having him work me up in public. I’ve never done this before.
“Is this too much?” Tyler asks in my ear as my leg moves to give him more access.
“Not enough,” I whisper, my chest heaving.
He wasn’t kidding when he said he was a sexual guy. And the fingers he usually types aggressively with in meetings now have my full appreciation.
Taking my nub between his thumb and index finger, he rubs back and forth, nearly sending me up and out of the booth. It’s intense and amazing.
“Tyler,” I whisper, the warm feeling of an orgasm building.
He captures my mouth again, pulling my body closer as he continues to work me, and I feel how turned on he is as I do my best to muffle the moan his mouth swallows.
My entire body shakes, and he eases up before pulling his fingers from my panties. “Want to get out of here?” he asks.
“Yes, please.”
Screw him being my boss. That was hot.
