Page 81 of Love or Tequila in Unexpected Places

“I might.”

Angelo was too inebriated to feel ashamed that he was turned on by her confidence. But he wasn’t too far gone to notice when the sleazeball made a move to grab her ass—

And promptly found himself on the floor.

Everything happened so fast, Angelo barely registered it. One second, the creep was making his move, and the next, he was on his ass, clutching the hand he’d tried to use on her.

Angelo stood frozen, utterly gobsmacked. She’d done all of that while seated, in a tight dress, and heels, without so much as a hair out of place.

This is so odd, he thought,yet so goddamn arousing.

He couldn’t help himself. He moved closer to the woman, desperate to know her name, to hear her voice saying his.

“That was fucking impressive.”

Smooth, my guy. Real smooth.

The woman sighed, shaking her head, her loose waves shifting with the motion. She turned on her barstool, ready to fire off a retort, and then she looked at him.

Wow. Her eyes.

They were the most beautiful eyes he’d ever seen, and he had the ridiculous, delusional thought that maybe, just maybe, she’d grace him with that gaze again someday.

He extended his hand for her to shake, hoping to get her name. “Angelo.”

“Nice to meet you, Angelo,” she said and his cock came alive. “I’m Allison.”

He nodded his head as a greeting, and a way for him to calm down, because he was in serious danger if his pants got any tighter.

She smiled softly, with a playful glint in her eye. “So, what brings you to this corner of the world tonight?”

Angelo shrugged, attempting to appear casual as his attraction for the woman grew at her confidence. “Celebrating. I got a promotion. And you?”

“Just needed a change of scenery.” She raised her glass, that wicked smile still on her lips. “Congratulations. To victories, big and small.”

He laughed at that as she kicked back her shot, before he took a sip of his vermouth, relishing the burn.

“So, what do you do when you’re not charming strangers in bars?” Her tone was flirty, but not suggestive. Just light, and casual, andGodshe was so fucking hot.

“I’m in business,” he replied. No matter how sexy this woman was, she was a stranger and tonight he was here to let go. He could pretend to be someone he wasn’t, and that includednotbeing a CEO. “How about you?”

Some of her light dimmed for a brief second, before she regained her composure.Odd.“I’m a personal assistant. In business, too.”

Dangerous territory. Abort, abort.

The panic in him might not have been exactly warranted, but he couldn’t help his reaction as he thought of all the ways this could possibly go wrong. How she could be someone he would soon work with, or perhaps one of his adversaries’ assistant or—

Don’t be fucking stupid, Angelo. There’s no way.

Angelo stopped that train of thought before he lost it. He was here to have fun, and this hot-as-the-fucking-sun woman appeared to be into him. That was all he needed to know.

As the night progressed, their conversation flowed effortlessly, filled with laughter and teasing banter. They discovered shared interests, from a love of classic movies to a mutual disdain for pineapple on pizza.

“I mean, who even thought of puttingfruiton something that was already perfect?” Allison’s affronted question brought tears in Angelo’s eyes as he laughed harder than he had in a long time.

“Exactly!” Angelo managed to gasp between fits of laughter. “It’s like someone thought, ‘You know what this delicious, savory dish needs? A fruit salad!’”

Allison giggled, nodding enthusiastically, and he briefly thought she looked so innocent. “And don’t even get me started on the people who defend it like it’s some sort of culinary masterpiece.”

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