chairs down from the front table and gestured for her to come closer. “I’m here, as blackmailed. What did you want to talk about, Noah?”
“Oh, you know, the usual. How your day was, how my day was, why you have a naughty sex quiz taped to your refrigerator and how on earth you failed it so miserably. Why? What do other people talk about?” he asked innocently.
“Pretty much all of that plus the weather, I guess.” Rory watched carefully as he started unpacking his grocery bag. Out came a box of Swiss cake rolls and two little bottles of chocolate milk. She raised her eyebrows at him and he lifted his hands in a shrug.
“After-school snack. Best part of going to school I say. Well, that and the hot teachers.” He made a point of leering at her legs beneath her perfectly appropriate skirt as she walked closer and took a seat next to him.
He handed her a roll and then shook up her chocolate milk before uncapping it and handing it to her. She struggled hard not to be charmed by him and to remember what he was here for. Right. To get the scoop on her failed quiz. And she didn’t want to talk about it because then she would be embarrassed and turn bright red and he’d tease her about it in front of everyone the next time they were all together. So it was better just to avoid it and try to change the subject. “So what kind of job do you have that you can take off in the middle of the day to interrogate a friend?”
“ Visit a friend.” He corrected mildly. “Are we friends now?”
“Well, you did bring me snack cakes. I can call a temporary ceasefire for that at least.” She took a healthy bite and he grinned at her.
“I’m a marketing consultant.”
“So you don’t really have a job at all.”
“Ha, ha. Very funny.” Noah began unbuttoning his cuffs and rolling them up to his elbow, exposing forearms sprinkled with dark blond hair. Rory stopped chewing and just watched him as he droned on about being a marketing consultant. Something about bringing attention to good products and services that people needed. When he lifted his hand to his tie and unbuttoned the collar, she realized that he was very good at his job. He was bringing to light exactly what good services she needed. When he loosened his tie, Rory bit her lip and started to chug her chocolate milk.
Noah lifted an eyebrow. “I guess you were hungry.”
Rory nodded and crossed to grab a few tissues, blotting her mouth and handing the rest to him. “I missed lunch today.” Just that quickly she was knotted up with tension again.
“Not on a diet are you?”
Rory scoffed, “After the way I just downed that cake and milk? I don’t think so.”
“Good. You’re perfect.” Noah lifted his own chocolate milk and took a few swigs. The silence seemed loud between them. He thought she was perfect. Or he had a line that was proving to be very effective on her. Either way, it wasn’t good. “So why did you skip lunch today?” he asked.
“I had a meeting at lunch. It took the whole period.” Rory moved to clean up their mess, crushing the milk containers with a little more force than was necessary.
“Not a good meeting, I take it.” He stood and put the chairs they had vacated back up on the tables, moving around the room to pick up the chore where she had left off.
“I don’t really want to talk about it.”
“Great. Then let’s talk about the quiz,” he said.
Rory remained silent for a few moments while he finished up. “You’re not going to let this go, are you?”
He shook his head and moved closer to her, leaning on the side of her desk and crossing his arms. “I promise not to laugh.”
She jerked her head to meet his eyes. She hadn’t said it, but yes, of course, that’s what she was afraid of. When he was being sweet with her like this, she had no defense against him. Between the snack and the tie, she was afraid that he would get all of her secrets. They weren’t very good secrets, granted, but they were
“Oh, you know, the usual. How your day was, how my day was, why you have a naughty sex quiz taped to your refrigerator and how on earth you failed it so miserably. Why? What do other people talk about?” he asked innocently.
“Pretty much all of that plus the weather, I guess.” Rory watched carefully as he started unpacking his grocery bag. Out came a box of Swiss cake rolls and two little bottles of chocolate milk. She raised her eyebrows at him and he lifted his hands in a shrug.
“After-school snack. Best part of going to school I say. Well, that and the hot teachers.” He made a point of leering at her legs beneath her perfectly appropriate skirt as she walked closer and took a seat next to him.
He handed her a roll and then shook up her chocolate milk before uncapping it and handing it to her. She struggled hard not to be charmed by him and to remember what he was here for. Right. To get the scoop on her failed quiz. And she didn’t want to talk about it because then she would be embarrassed and turn bright red and he’d tease her about it in front of everyone the next time they were all together. So it was better just to avoid it and try to change the subject. “So what kind of job do you have that you can take off in the middle of the day to interrogate a friend?”
“ Visit a friend.” He corrected mildly. “Are we friends now?”
“Well, you did bring me snack cakes. I can call a temporary ceasefire for that at least.” She took a healthy bite and he grinned at her.
“I’m a marketing consultant.”
“So you don’t really have a job at all.”
“Ha, ha. Very funny.” Noah began unbuttoning his cuffs and rolling them up to his elbow, exposing forearms sprinkled with dark blond hair. Rory stopped chewing and just watched him as he droned on about being a marketing consultant. Something about bringing attention to good products and services that people needed. When he lifted his hand to his tie and unbuttoned the collar, she realized that he was very good at his job. He was bringing to light exactly what good services she needed. When he loosened his tie, Rory bit her lip and started to chug her chocolate milk.
Noah lifted an eyebrow. “I guess you were hungry.”
Rory nodded and crossed to grab a few tissues, blotting her mouth and handing the rest to him. “I missed lunch today.” Just that quickly she was knotted up with tension again.
“Not on a diet are you?”
Rory scoffed, “After the way I just downed that cake and milk? I don’t think so.”
“Good. You’re perfect.” Noah lifted his own chocolate milk and took a few swigs. The silence seemed loud between them. He thought she was perfect. Or he had a line that was proving to be very effective on her. Either way, it wasn’t good. “So why did you skip lunch today?” he asked.
“I had a meeting at lunch. It took the whole period.” Rory moved to clean up their mess, crushing the milk containers with a little more force than was necessary.
“Not a good meeting, I take it.” He stood and put the chairs they had vacated back up on the tables, moving around the room to pick up the chore where she had left off.
“I don’t really want to talk about it.”
“Great. Then let’s talk about the quiz,” he said.
Rory remained silent for a few moments while he finished up. “You’re not going to let this go, are you?”
He shook his head and moved closer to her, leaning on the side of her desk and crossing his arms. “I promise not to laugh.”
She jerked her head to meet his eyes. She hadn’t said it, but yes, of course, that’s what she was afraid of. When he was being sweet with her like this, she had no defense against him. Between the snack and the tie, she was afraid that he would get all of her secrets. They weren’t very good secrets, granted, but they were
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