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Avril said, “It’s about as true as the blog write-up about me.”
Interesting and accurate comparison. I smiled.
Ziff bounced on his legs. “About that—we don’t like our analysts being in the news.”
I met his gaze. “It was clearly a hit piece designed to hurt me.”
Ziff stood taller. “We understand entirely.”
My lips quirked higher as I side hugged Avril. “And besides, Avril is the sweetest woman in the world.”
She tilted her head and stared at me. “You think I’m sweet?”
I kissed her hand, and my entire body buzzed. “You know it.” I stepped back and smiled at her boss. “So, it’s time to go now.”
Lauglin returned. “Aww, leaving so soon?”
I nodded. “We have a reservation, but Avril said we could stop by to say hello.”
Ziff said, “We’re looking forward to seeing you both at the office party next week.”
Avril waved. “We’ll be there. Have a great night.”
I headed down the stairs with her. This time, she didn’t ask to walk. We slipped in the limo.
She smiled at me. “So, that went well.”
I tensed. “They were fishing for information about my brothers.”
She pressed her hands together as we drove a few blocks. “That bothered you?”
I shook my head. “Not really, but I’m protective of my family. They’re great.”
We rode in a silence a few minutes. She lowered her hands, and they brushed against mine. I smiled. I liked that we had no escape from each other.
A few minutes later, we stopped. This bar had a line outside, but bouncers pushed the red velvet rope aside for us. Inside, the club was bright.
We walked halfway to the corner, where the private room was, and then she stopped and grabbed my arm. “Wait… is that my friends?”
I held her tight. “Yeah. I RSVPed with Charlie about a table for eleven.”
She bounced. “Who else?”
“My brothers… Jeff, Xerses, and Roman.” My brothers were in town and had specifically asked to get together.
She hugged me. “Oh, so we can talk about their plans with my company.” I raised an eyebrow, and she said, “They believe we’re dating, so we can somehow work it into the conversation that I work there.”
“Sure.”
Her friends called for us to go inside. Avril held me closer and whispered, “Let’s kiss so they can see we’re totally in love.”
The way she said “love” set an extra pulse in my veins. I pressed my forehead to hers. “Sounds like a plan.”
She cupped my face, and our lips met. Her kiss was like fireworks, and I lost sight of where I was. All I knew was that we were together and that she tasted better than any wine or woman ever. As the kiss ended, her cheeks were pink.
She took my hand. “Did they see us?”
Adrenaline rushed through me. “Let’s go in and find out.” I rubbed the back of my neck as I once again noticed the roar of the club and the bright blue lights.
