“See? The job isn’t all bad.”
River laughed. “I never said it was.” He reached for another sushi, and his leg bumped mine, sending a jolt of desire up my thigh.
We chatted for a while longer, slipping between our easy banter and a comfortable silence while we both ate. I saw that the office had emptied out, and when I realized it was nearing seven-thirty, I sent a quick text to Meredith.
“She on the way?” River asked.
I frowned at her reply. “She’s just leaving for dinner now, and she sent me a link.” I clicked on it and a breaking story came up, already leaking into the national gossip sites. “Meredith Bell: The Devil She Knew.”
I slapped my hand over my face. “Damn it all.”
“Bad news?”
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I shook my head. “Just another long night ahead.”
River frowned. The sushi was gone, and he pulled the napkin out of his shirt and tossed it to the table. “Sorry. You look stressed.”
“I’m fine,” I insisted, although I realized there was a knot in my shoulder. “It’s just been a busy week.”
“You should have caught more matinees.”
I laughed. “You’re probably right.”
Bringing up the afternoon felt like a step toward bringing the conversation we had up, too. In the back of my mind, something went into overdrive, trying to rationalize away the betrayal to Kai that flirting with his brother would be.
But then River fluttered his eyelashes. “Should I go?” he asked hesitantly. “Or would you like company?”
The overhead lights in the rest of the office were down, casting it all in shadow. My heart pounding like I was a teenager on my first date, I cleared my throat. “I could use a drink,” I finally said. “You want a bourbon?”
River nodded. “Sure. I’ll mark this as social time on your calendar.”
I laughed, then crossed to the decanter and fixed a couple of drinks. Meredith’s PR crisis worried at the back of my mind, but it wouldn’t hurt to clear my head for a minute.
When I handed River the glass, his elegant fingers brushed mine. “Social time,” I repeated, and we clinked our glasses together before I joined him on the loveseat again.
“The social media team invited me out dancing this weekend,” he said. “Do you ever join them?”
I shook my head. “I hear they have a lot of fun, but Kai and I try not to fraternize.”
Although there were clearly exceptions to that rule.
“You’re a good boss,” River said.
I chuckled. “You think so?”
“Everyone likes you,” he said confidently. “And Kai. They have a lot of respect when they talk about both of you.”
I took a sip of the bourbon, hot down my throat. “We pay well,” I said. “And we genuinely like our employees. A lot of people we took on early in their careers, just based on their personalities and talents.”
“It’s rare to have a friendly office.” River twirled his glass in his hand, and the amber liquid slid from side to side. “You’re a dream, compared to most people I’ve worked under.”
I coughed on the bourbon. There hadn’t been innuendo in what he said, but after choking on my drink, we both heard it.
Work under me, River. Please, please work under me.
“I’m glad,” I managed, sincerely flattered by the compliment and pleased that River could see the work I was doing. “I try to keep the stress locked up in my office so everyone else can have a good time.”
River bit down on his bottom lip, piercing it between his teeth. “Right,” he said. “The trips to the bathhouse make more and more sense.”
