Oliver laughed hard and her insides took note. He had a nice laugh; it wasn’t false or pretentious, it was warm and genuine. She had trouble believing this man was the mean tyrant who ruled with a rod of iron. Not that you could tell anything from a laugh. She clamped her lips to her glass.
‘So, talking of names…’ he started.
‘Yes, Clark.’
‘I can’t carry on calling you Lois.’
‘Why not? Don’t you like an air of mystery?’
‘You knowmyname.’
‘Not all of it.’
He sat back in his chair and looked confused. ‘What?’
‘I don’t know your middle name.’ She sucked at her drink. ‘If you’re almost a duke you have to have at least one middle name. I think it’s royal law or something.’
Oliver shook his head vehemently but he was enjoying every second of this repartee. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d engaged in anything like it. Most of the time, when he was looking for some female distraction, it involved small talk he needed to put no effort into.Say they look nice. Ask about their job. Flatter them.Here, with Lois, he was fully in the moment, not because he needed to prove he could be, simply because hewantedto be. A ripple ran through him. That thought scared the shit out of him.
He moved, leaning his elbows on the table, shifting forward in his seat and looking directly at Hayley.
‘OK, so are we doing a deal here? Because I’m quite the negotiator.’
‘You must want to know my name really badly.’
‘Maybe I do.’ Did he? They’d only had two conversations.
‘You first,’ she said as the music lowered and a softer track began to filter.
‘Which one d’you want?’
Her mouth formed a small ‘o’ and he couldn’t help his lips, moving upwards in a grin at her reaction.
She licked her lips, rolling the straw in her drink between her thumb and forefinger. ‘I think I’m going to have to have both. Don’t tell me there are more than two.’
‘Just two.’
‘Phew.’
‘But if you want them both, you’re going to have to give me your first nameandsomething else.’
She folded her arms across her chest. ‘Just because I don’t have two middle names? What sort of negotiation is that?’
‘The only one I’m willing to agree to.’
‘And…’ She paused to suck a little harder on her drink. ‘What’s this other thing you want?’
He had said the words so many times. Maybe too many times. Yet, somehow this time, he really wanted to know. He stripped another piece of label from the beer bottle, his eyes not leaving hers. He took a breath. ‘If you could make one wish, what would it be?’
‘Is one of your middle names “genie”?’
‘I’m being serious.’
‘Me too.’
‘Neither of my middle names until you answer.’
The way he was looking at her was making her insides squirm like she had a belly full of snakes. Was he for real? Her hands straight away went to her silver clutch bag, settling over the clasp. She could tell him she wanted a dress like Lady Gaga’s or even tomakea dress for Lady Gaga; that would be giving him something real. But it wouldn’t be the truth. Because there was only one thing she wanted at the moment. And was she really about to share that with Dean’s boss?
