I shrugged. “There are other tables, you know.” I started walking away but Ben got up and blocked me.
“Seriously, we’re leaving to shoot in Namibia on Thursday. It’s only for three nights, we’ll be back on Sunday. It’s going to be amazing, you have to come.”
I sighed. “I’ll go on one more condition.”
“Name it.”
“You remain totally, one hundred percent professional at all times. If you keep acting this way, people at work will start thinking that you and I . . . you know?”
“Had fucking incredible sex.”
My eyes widened and I cleared my throat. “Something like that.”
“Exactly like that,” Ben said in a husky sotto tone that made my toes tingle.
“And done,” he said.
“Done?”
“I shall be the consummate professional on this trip.” He downed his drink, reached into his pants and pulled out his wallet. He grabbed a note, far too much for the one drink, and slapped it down on the table. “I won’t try and sneak into your room at night, I will definitely not feel you up secretly under the table or look at you and imagine you naked and think about you at night just before I go to sleep.”
“Uh . . . um . . .” I stumbled. “Glad to hear it.”
“As long as you promise to do the same.” He took a step closer.
I tisked loudly. “I don’t do stuff like that.”
“Oh please. I’ve seen the way you look at me at work sometimes.”
“That’s just your over-inflated ego imagining things.”
A slow, deadly smile swept across his face. It was dirty and devilish and delicious. “You know, no one has ever spoken to me the way you do.”
I shrugged. “What can I say, your charms don’t work on me.”
He took another step forward until his chest touched mine and his nose was an inch away from my face. I no longer had knees. “We both know that’s not true, is it, Sera?” His eyes floated down to my lips and they burned.
“Mmmmm . . .” A nervous moan escaped my strangled throat. “I really have to work now.” I backed away but he reached out and stopped me with a hand around my wrist. I looked down at my wrist, his fingers tightened and he pulled me towards him. I gasped when my chest pressed into his once more.
“Good night then, Sera.” And then he leaned in and kissed me softly on the cheek. I closed my eyes briefly and drank in his scent.So damn hot!If I could bottle it and sell it to other women I would be rich.
“G-g-good night.” I finally managed to get the words out as he pulled away from me and walked to the door.
“Wait. You need change,” I called after him while scrambling for his change. He waved a hand at me as if to say “no” which I wasn’t very happy about. He turned and continued to walk towards the door, but just before exiting he stopped and turned around once more. His eyes met mine and he mouthed something.
I leaned in and tried to make it out. Was it . . .? It was . . .? What was he saying . . .?
“You are totally falling in love with me.”
I shook my head at him and mouthed the word “No” as clearly as I could. He gave me one last smile before disappearing out the door.
30. I Don’t Need To Eat . . .
I didn’t see Ben at all after that night at work, apart from a few walk-bys he’d made in between meetings in preparation for the shoot. I’d wanted to give him his change, from the night he’d bought the drink. I didn’t think an $88 tip on a $12 drink was appropriate, and I didn’t take charity from people either. But the week passed in such a crazy frenzy of working during the day and then all night too, that I hadn’t been able to give it back to him. So when Thursday finally arrived I was exhausted.
I arrived at the airport about an hour and a half early. I’d been so nervous the night before I’d barely slept. I wandered around the airport trying to decide whether to eat breakfast, read a magazine, or shoot myself. I decided on none of those and instead headed into a candy store and grabbed a slab of chocolate. I ripped the paper off and took a big bite and instantly felt better.
“Sera?” I heard Becks call out and turned to see her and Angie walking towards me. Behind them were a few people from production I barely recognized, a copywriter art director team I knew and someone else I’d never seen before.
