always play with Mr. Gunderson. I shoot sideways glances over to David’s table on occasion but as far as I can tell he has no idea I’m here. Finally, when the waiter comes to remove our dinner plates, I catch his eye. He smiles at me and waves.
I cannot be jealous of a man I am not dating. I will repeat this mantra seven times and then forget about the blond haired goddess.
Mr. Gunderson is on his fourth glass of wine and is getting a little louder than I like, but I’m still playing the game. I touch his arm. I make him laugh. I laugh with him when he tells terrible jokes.
I want to decline dessert and get on to business but he’s in the mood for tiramisu. And sherry.
“So no men in your life yet, Rachel?” he asks, grabbing my hand. His palms are sweaty.
I smile sweetly. “No, not yet.”
He shakes his head as if that’s the worst thing he’s ever heard. “I just can’t believe that someone hasn’t snatched you up. You really are a beautiful woman.”
“Thank you, Mr. Gunderson.”
“If I weren’t married…” He is still shaking his head sadly.
Now he is touching my leg with his foot. Shit . Gracefully get out of the situation. How. How?
I see David heading our way with his date and I shrink down in my chair, praying he won’t come say hi. But he’s smiling and looking directly at me and is definitely coming to say hi.
“Evening,” he says as he approaches.
“Hey,” I mumble.
“Friend of yours?” David asks.
“David, this is Mr. Gunderson. He’s a client of mine.” I pull my hand away from Mr. Gunderson’s grasp and, while not happy to see David’s date up-close, at least this is a good distraction for my flirtatious companion.
“A client?” David’s eyes darken ever so slightly. But he is gracious and offers his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
I am trying not to look at the blonde. But she’s so… right there . And she’s tall, nearly as tall as David.
“This is my sister, Marilyn. We're celebrating some of her recent success at work.”
Sister! My mood brightens.
She smiles and I see the family resemblance. Her smile is calm, too. She says, “It's nice to meet you,” and offers her hand.
“Well, I can see you’re probably discussing business,” says David. “I’ll see you tomorrow evening, Rachel.”
“Right.” I look to Mr. Gunderson who is staring at me suspiciously. They leave us alone and I take a long sip of my so far untouched wine.
“I thought you said that man was an old friend. Not even a friend. An acquaintance.” His tone is slightly accusing and, if I’m correct, he feels hurt.
“Shall we move on to business, Mr. Gunderson?” I ask, trying to keep my tone bright. I cannot explain my lie so I decide it is best to change the subject.
The rest of our meeting is more business-like, though he does move too close for comfort as I go through our sketch-ups for his company. He accepts our proposal. I insist he take a cab home rather than drive, and after a bit of bickering, he agrees. As always, he gives me an even sloppier kiss on the cheek when we say goodbye.
With that out of the way, I go home and relax and daydream about my date with David. I cannot wait.
~6~
David
“Told you,” says Marilyn as we get into my truck after dining.
“I could have sworn they were on a date,” I reply, still not totally convinced. “Didn’t you see the way he was looking at her?”
“Yes. She’s a business woman. Some use their powers of flirtation, others don’t. Evidently, Rachel does.”
“How were you so sure she was on a business meeting?” I pull a twenty dollar bill from the glove-box and hand it over. I’d certainly lost the bet.
“Her outfit. It was formal enough for business, just a little too formal for a date. And she had a briefcase. And he is way, way out of her league.”
I shake my head and turn off toward Marilyn’s apartment. “Do you use those tactics with your clients?”
“Nah. Don’t usually need to. But sometimes
I cannot be jealous of a man I am not dating. I will repeat this mantra seven times and then forget about the blond haired goddess.
Mr. Gunderson is on his fourth glass of wine and is getting a little louder than I like, but I’m still playing the game. I touch his arm. I make him laugh. I laugh with him when he tells terrible jokes.
I want to decline dessert and get on to business but he’s in the mood for tiramisu. And sherry.
“So no men in your life yet, Rachel?” he asks, grabbing my hand. His palms are sweaty.
I smile sweetly. “No, not yet.”
He shakes his head as if that’s the worst thing he’s ever heard. “I just can’t believe that someone hasn’t snatched you up. You really are a beautiful woman.”
“Thank you, Mr. Gunderson.”
“If I weren’t married…” He is still shaking his head sadly.
Now he is touching my leg with his foot. Shit . Gracefully get out of the situation. How. How?
I see David heading our way with his date and I shrink down in my chair, praying he won’t come say hi. But he’s smiling and looking directly at me and is definitely coming to say hi.
“Evening,” he says as he approaches.
“Hey,” I mumble.
“Friend of yours?” David asks.
“David, this is Mr. Gunderson. He’s a client of mine.” I pull my hand away from Mr. Gunderson’s grasp and, while not happy to see David’s date up-close, at least this is a good distraction for my flirtatious companion.
“A client?” David’s eyes darken ever so slightly. But he is gracious and offers his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
I am trying not to look at the blonde. But she’s so… right there . And she’s tall, nearly as tall as David.
“This is my sister, Marilyn. We're celebrating some of her recent success at work.”
Sister! My mood brightens.
She smiles and I see the family resemblance. Her smile is calm, too. She says, “It's nice to meet you,” and offers her hand.
“Well, I can see you’re probably discussing business,” says David. “I’ll see you tomorrow evening, Rachel.”
“Right.” I look to Mr. Gunderson who is staring at me suspiciously. They leave us alone and I take a long sip of my so far untouched wine.
“I thought you said that man was an old friend. Not even a friend. An acquaintance.” His tone is slightly accusing and, if I’m correct, he feels hurt.
“Shall we move on to business, Mr. Gunderson?” I ask, trying to keep my tone bright. I cannot explain my lie so I decide it is best to change the subject.
The rest of our meeting is more business-like, though he does move too close for comfort as I go through our sketch-ups for his company. He accepts our proposal. I insist he take a cab home rather than drive, and after a bit of bickering, he agrees. As always, he gives me an even sloppier kiss on the cheek when we say goodbye.
With that out of the way, I go home and relax and daydream about my date with David. I cannot wait.
~6~
David
“Told you,” says Marilyn as we get into my truck after dining.
“I could have sworn they were on a date,” I reply, still not totally convinced. “Didn’t you see the way he was looking at her?”
“Yes. She’s a business woman. Some use their powers of flirtation, others don’t. Evidently, Rachel does.”
“How were you so sure she was on a business meeting?” I pull a twenty dollar bill from the glove-box and hand it over. I’d certainly lost the bet.
“Her outfit. It was formal enough for business, just a little too formal for a date. And she had a briefcase. And he is way, way out of her league.”
I shake my head and turn off toward Marilyn’s apartment. “Do you use those tactics with your clients?”
“Nah. Don’t usually need to. But sometimes
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