Page 102 of Playing With Secrets
I step around him. “I can’t. There’s too much we need to work through.”
“We can do that tonight.”
“But—”
Someone knocks on the door. I turn away from him and straighten my skirt.
“Come in.” I glance his way.
He’s got a noticeable bulge in his pants and a smile the size of the planet smeared across his face.
“Hi, Dori. I hope I didn’t catch you at a bad time.” Isabella steps into my office.
Hunter spins away and slides his hands into his pockets. I shift my gaze to Isabella.
“Isabella, it’s good to see you. What can I do for you?” I keep my eyes peeled so I can watch their nonverbalcommunication. Anyone with common sense can see they have a past.
But why does she make Hunter so uneasy?
She’s the only woman I’ve seen have this kind of effect on him. Even I don’t affect him like she does.
“I just finished up with Melanie and thought I’d come up and ask you if you wanted to join me for dinner.” She glances at Hunter, who just whipped around to face her.
His facial features are tight and pulled together. “Dorothy already has plans tonight.”
He should know better than to take away my choice, so I guess I need to teach him the lesson again.
“Actually, I don’t. Those plans were never put in stone.” I nod once to Isabella. “Where would you like to go?”
“There’s a sushi place down the street we could walk to. How does that sound?” She eyes him, and a wicked smile breaks through and covers her face.
“That sounds good.” I address him. “I’ll get back to you later on that request. Something tells me you need more time to fine-tune it so it fits better to the specifications I gave you.”
His gaze flies between Isabella and me. He swallows hard and runs his hand through his hair.
“Would you two like company? It’s on Efron Worldwide if you do.” He bounces his eyebrows up and down.
“No, thanks. I need some girl time, so if you’ll excuse us, I’m getting hungry.” I turn and go get my bag.
“What if I told you I’m starving and want sushi? Would you make an exception, then?” He comes to the edge of my desk, seeming a little too anxious.
I face Isabella. She flashes me a look like she’s daring me to invite him to join us. My gut screams,‘Don’t do it, Dori. It’s a setup.’
“No, Hunter. I want to talk with Isabella alone. You can grab sushi on your way home.” I pick up my belongings and motion to her.
“It looks like you're ready to go. I have everything I need, so let’s see to it.” She strolls out of my office.
I follow with Hunter on my heels. “Dorothy, would you please reconsider?”
“Not tonight. Another time, though.” I wink and throw him a bone. “If you came along, there’s no saying what kind of trouble we’d get into.”
“And we can’t have that,” Isabella interjects.
The elevator doors open just as I step up to them. “Good night, Hunter. We’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Thanks for inviting me out. It’ll be good to spend some time getting acquainted.” I place my bag on the chair next to me.
“I figured we could use it since we’re going to be working closely together for the next few months.” Isabella picks up the menu and peruses it.
