Page 5 of Sleigh Rides With St. Nick

"Can I get you a drink?"he asked as he pulled his hand away.I was almost disappointed by the loss of contact.

"Isn't it an open bar?"

"Fair point.Would you like to have a drink with me, then?"

There was a part of me that wanted to say no just because the situation was a strange one, but I knew that wasn't the point of tonight.And it wasn't like Laila and Eloise were free to have a drink with me anyway.So much for girls' night."All right."

He didn't touch me as we made our way over to the bar, which was a welcome surprise considering how much the people around us definitelyweretouching one another.There was a lot of it going on everywhere I looked.

"What do you want?"Nick leaned against the bar with all the confidence of someone who knew how good they looked, which was fair.His dark suit was clearly tailored to fit him, and the look was completed by the open collar.The only thing that would make it better would have been if he had an undone bow tie around his neck.Though I knew that was the kind of thing that happened only in very specific circumstances.

"A glass of champagne.No reason not to if Jinx is paying."

He chuckled."Sounds good."He got the attention of the bartender and asked for the drinks."So, what brings you to a Jinx party?"

"It's girls' night," I responded."As you can see, it's going well."

"So long as you're having fun, right?"

The glasses arrived, and I reached out for one of them, running my fingers up and down the stem of the glass and watching the bubbles float to the top."I need more convincing."

"That's because the food hasn't come out yet," he responded."Between you and me that's the main reason I come to these things."

"And presumably because you want to make the most of your Jinx membership."

He shrugged."Most people want to find love.Is there anything wrong with using a dating agency to do it?"

"I guess not.I've never really thought about it," I admitted."Don't tell anyone, but I'm not actually a member.My friend just happens to work at Jinx."

"Ah, an interloper," Nick joked."Your secret is safe with me."

"You're not particularly concerned about someone having breached the sanctity of the Jinx party?"

"No, for two reasons."He took a sip of his champagne and turned to face me, a serious expression on his face."For one, it's not my problem if people are here who shouldn't be, I don't work for Jinx."

"Good point.What's your second reason?"

"Oh, that one's easy.Why would I mess with it when I'm currently in good company?"

I laughed."I could be terrible company for all you know.Maybe I leave the cap off my toothpaste and never pick up my socks?"

"Do you?"

"No."

"Then I'll stand by my current judgement," he responded in a warm, and surprisingly intimate, voice.

"So, is it just the food you come to Jinx parties for?"

"Well, the company," he said, which made sense considering his previous comment."Which is pretty much the point."

"Have you met anyone yet?"I asked.

"No.Are you asking because you're interested, or because you're secretly writing a piece about Jinx and you want quotes from potential clients?"He took a sip of his champagne, his eyes twinkling as if in jest.

"I'm not a reporter," I assured him."I'm in marketing.What about you?"

"Manufacturing," he responded.

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