Page 50 of Hale Yes
I wave him off. “Of course.” For the next couple minutes I listen to Shonda and Opal’s stories of life in a family restaurant before my boss returns with two small swag bags. But my mind keeps going back to the fact that Helix Hale can eat a bowl of pudding with no utensils. Christ, what else can he do with his tongue?
“These are samples of our new lipsticks for women of color,” he tells the women, handing each of them a turquoise bag with the Hale Cosmetics logo on them. “Let me know what you think.”
“Ooh, you got new bags. Fancy!” Opal exclaims, and Helix smiles at me.
“Jersey designed them. We just got them in yesterday.”
“Oh, you work together?” Shonda asks curiously, her amber eyes darting between us.
“Yes, Nicolette is a biochemist in the lab now. So you should probably call her Dr. Jersey.”
“If you call me Dr. Jersey, you have to call Helix Dr. Rib Bone,” I tease. “In fact, I think you should put that on your resume.”
Shonda eyes us again, her lips tipping up at the corners. “You two are too cute together.”
For some reason, I blush at that. I really need to get my shit together and stop having flirty thoughts about this man. But it’s hard because he’s pretty much perfect in every way except one.
He’s my boss.
We decide we need some exercise after our big dinner, so we take a walk in a pretty park that’s close to the restaurant. It’s late August and the sun is just making its descent toward the horizon.
“This was a good idea,” I say. “I think my ass may turn into a brisket after all I ate.”
“You have nothing to worry about,” Helix remarks, his eyes dropping down my body for the briefest of seconds before jerking away. We stroll beside a large pond and pause to watch a mother duck gliding across the water in a serpentine pattern with three ducklings right behind her.
“Thank you for coming with me tonight. I usually don’t mind eating alone, but you made it a lot more fun.”
His little half-smile is so damn cute with that stupid dimple. “It was my pleasure. Hale Cosmetics is lucky to have you, and I want to make sure you’re happy here in Houston.”
Disappointment trickles down the back of my neck at that statement. “So you just offered to go out to eat with me because you want me to keep working at the lab?”
“What? No. I mean, I do want you to stay here, but I’ve enjoyed the past two Friday nights with you. As a person, not just an employee.”
That makes me feel marginally better. “I do like it here.” I slap at a mosquito attempting to dine on my forearm. “Except for these damn mosquitoes.”
Helix’s laugh is deep and rumbly. “They’re so aggressive, though I’ve heard they’re even bigger in Alaska.”
I pretend to make a slash in the air with an imaginary pencil. “And crossing a trip to Seward’s Folly off my to-do list.” Chewing on the corner of my lip, I say, “I am happy to be working at Hale. I feel like you listen to me.”
His brow wrinkles. “Why wouldn’t I? You’re very incisive, Nicolette. That idea you brought to me last week about the men’s skin care line was genius.” He shakes his head. “I don’t know why I’ve never thought of that before. We’re completely missing the opportunity to market to half the population.”
A sense of elation fills my chest at his praise. “Thank you. I’ve been thinking about it for a long time, but Aquarius wasn’t receptive to the idea at all.”
Helix makes a scoffing sound. “Their loss. Like you pointed out, men’s skin is different from women’s, so a dedicated line for guys is definitely a niche we can fill.” He shrugs. “Guys need clean faces and moisturized skin too. I actually use our women’s line, but I make myself a batch in the lab without the added girly scents.”
“I’ve been focused more on actual skin care, but adding some masculine scents would be a great idea.”
He smiles at me, and Jesus, he’s absurdly attractive.
“We brainstorm well together. Do you have any ideas for our new fragrances for next year?” When I hesitate, his smile falters, and his blue eyes bore into mine with hypnotic force. “What’s that look?”
“I do have an idea, but it’s… different.”
He never breaks eye contact. “Different is good.”
Bolstered, I ask, “What if we added something that evokes pleasant feelings?”
“You mean like pheromones?”
