“Did Gage know?” I asked, fear breaking through in my voice.
“No, don’t worry. He was oblivious. And even if he did, I don’t think he’d care.”
That I wasn’t so sure about. His assistant dating his CEO brother? Not a great combination. It was part of the reason I broke things off with Chase.
Part of the reason.
Dinner was finally being served, so we went back to our table. Chase was already in his seat, but Garrett was not. He must have been at the bar still.
Chase stood to pull out my chair.
“Thank you,” I said as he did.
As he pushed my chair in under me, his hand brushed against the side of my bare arm. He walked behind me to his own seat, and the same hand grazed my back as he went. It lingered longer than it should have as I adjusted my legs nervously under the table. He finally sat next to me, and I felt as though I could take a breath.
This should be making me mad. I should be angry that he was doing this. Instead, I loved knowing that he still had these urges.
Because I did too.
However, my boss was across from me. Actually, looking at me and smiling currently. A bead of sweat formed on my temple, and I wondered if he saw what his brother did.
“Garrett’s a nice guy,” Gage said from across the table.
Chase let out a grunt.
“He is,” I said. I could have stopped there, but I didn’t. “We don’t know each other well yet.”
That was not information the entire table needed. I should switch gears and get a hold of myself. I turned to my left, leaning over the table to get a better view.
“Hi, my name is Maryellen. I work with Chase. He could have introduced us, but I guess we’ll take care of that.”
The pretty girl on the other side of Chase smiled at me and took my outstretched hand. “I’m Lena. Nice to meet you.”
Nothing else from her. And Chase didn’t encourage us by including himself in the conversation.
Everyone ate dinner as a casual conversation centered around Calvin and Laura occurred. We all heard stories from the early years at Parker Financial when he worked with Robert, Chase’s father. I loved hearing about how the dynamic of the office culture changed so much over the decades. It truly sounded like this was straight out ofMad Menin the beginning.
Chase and I worked hard to maintain a no-touch zone during dinner, and that was how it needed to be. He was turned toward Lena, I was turned toward Garrett. Each giving attention to the person we came with, how it should be.
“I’ll be right back, I have to go to the ladies’ room.”
Garrett stood as I left the table. “Want anything from the bar while you’re gone?”
“Sure, another glass of wine would be great. Thanks.”
Unsure of where to go, I wandered the room scanning for signs. Once I saw them, I made my way across the room to the staircase. There were people coming up as I went down, their voices echoing against the walls. Following the sign to the right, I pushed against the single bathroom door to find it available.
As I was about to close it, a hand pushed it open and slid in with me, locking the door behind him.
“What are you doing?” I should have been more startled than I was.
He only stood there, staring at me, as he leaned against the door. My heart raced as I focused on those hazel eyes. He was clean shaven tonight, and I missed his usual stubble.
He kept his hands behind his back, as if restraining himself.
“I’m going to stay over here, if I can, Mare. I only wanted a minute alone with you,” Chase said. His words came out strained as I watched the vein in his neck bulge. “You’re driving me crazy tonight with how fucking hot you look.”
This was dangerous territory.
