Page 10 of Ms. Lead

Chapter Six

BIANCA

SAVE YOURSELF

An invitation? For a meal of my choice? I did not see this plot twist coming. I’m not sure how to feel about the one-eighty in his personality yet again. Is it going to switch back tomorrow? I don’t know which version of Oliver is real. I keep telling myself to give him the benefit of the doubt, he was probably jet-lagged earlier, but part of me thinks he showed his true colors.

I don’t want to say no. I want to get to know him better and see if he felt the same thing when we first saw each other. That feeling keeps sticking with me and won’t let go. I want to experience that again with the original Oliver. I want to bottle that emotion so I can enjoy it at will. It’s like a drug that I instantly became addicted to. It’s also insane. To even imagine that he felt the same thing is beyond ludicrous. But I still need to know for sure.

Here goes nothing.

From: [email protected]

To: [email protected]

Subject: Meals

Oliver,

Your request is granted. Dinner would be lovely. Since we are assuming things, I suppose we will be dining at your hotel, so I will meet you in the lobby at seven.

I look forward to hearing more about your book.

Sincerely,

Bianca

The Forgiving Driver

There. Dinner should be neutral territory. Lunch would seem too casual, and drinks would be too forward. Of course, now I’m second-guessing everything. Maybe I should have said lunch. Dinner now feels like a date. Is that a bad thing? Maybe not. Am I overthinking this? Absolutely. Well, I’ve got 24 hours to overthink it some more.

* * *

As I pull up to the Bliss Hotel and Casino the following evening, the valet on duty, Connor, gives me a once over and a smirk. I know almost every valet attendant in Las Vegas since I often see them with work. Connor has been with Bliss for a long time, and I expected to get a reaction like this from him. We tend to poke fun at each other if given a chance. He’s an older gentleman, but he always comes off as a player with smooth moves, though he’s been happily married for years.

“Well, look at you, cleaning up all nice,” he purrs, taking my keys from me. “Hot date tonight?”

“Was that actually a compliment, Connor?” A blush is spreading on my cheeks, so I need to deflect. “And, no. A business dinner. But was that jealousy I heard?”

It’s his turn to blush. “I’m just thinking I need to switch to whatever your business is to get me one of those dinners.”

I give him a wave as I turn to head into the hotel. As soon as I do, I can see Oliver watching me through the glass windows of the lobby. Our eyes meet, and it’s like being hit by lightning again.

I trip and have to stop myself from walking for fear of falling on my face. I might have caught one of my heels in the indoor/outdoor carpet on the entrance sidewalk. I look down to check my shoes, and when I glance back up, he’s no longer in the lobby window.

“Are you alright?” A worried voice asks.

It’s Oliver at my side and putting a hand under my elbow to guide me through the doors. He must have moved at the speed of light to get to me so quickly.

I’m so stunned that I almost don’t register his hand on my bare skin, but another shock goes through me when I do. And this time, I think it goes through him, too, since his hand seems to shake for a second.

We both stop and look at each other. He appears as unsettled as I feel.

“Did you just—” He starts.

“I must have shuffled my feet on the carpet out there, causing a static shock.” His gaze is too intense. I don’t know what to do with everything he’s expressing. I have to look away. “Sorry about that.” I try to laugh it off and start walking again toward the restaurant. He hesitates but catches up quickly.

Whatever is going on between us, I need to be careful. Whenever I look into his eyes, I see something deeper, personal, and private that no one else has seen. But I also don’t know what it is I’m seeing. It’s so confusing. Maybe I should avoid looking him straight in the eyes just to get through this dinner.

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