Page 23 of Outdrawn

As she came to terms with the fact that I was out here, I tried to come up with what excuse I was going to have for being out here. I hadn’t thought it through, and now, the optics were weird. Being here could be seen as having more than a casual interest in her.

Don't let Seline get to you. This is business. The business of getting to know someone before you figure out how to outdraw them.

"And you're spying on me." Noah looked down at her duck, hoping for a co-sign. He didn't budge until she tossed him some more grapes.

"Now you're trying to flatter yourself." I moved closer. "Isn't that supposed to be the other person's job in a conversation?"

Noah shook her head. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to get some air."

"In the place furthest from our cubicle?" Yeah, she wasn't buying it.

"It's nice out." I shrugged and took a seat next to her. There was enough room between us for her bag and even the duck to join us if he wanted, but the smell of her lilac perfume made her feel closer. When she shifted on the bench, I noticed the edge of her skirt kissing her knees. She cleared her throat and my chest tightened. I tore my gaze away from her to somewhere safer: the lingering duck. He stared at me while he opened and closed his wings.

"You good?" I asked him.

Noah tilted her chin up and sounded proud when she said, "He senses trouble."

"Good intuition. Maybe you can learn something from him?"

Her face fell. "Did you come out here to just antagonize me?"

"No, I think I was moved to come out here and save you from yourself."

"Knew there was someone up there looking out for me," she grumbled under her breath.

I smiled at the sarcasm. "Don't do an ensemble."

She straightened, making the duck move forward as if he were her bodyguard, ready to attack. "Excuse me?"

"It'll take too much effort for someone who isn't used to them. By the time you figure things out, you'll be cut from the running. I promise that's my unbiased opinion."

Noah blinked, suspicion and confusion swirling in those dark eyes. While she struggled to figure out how to respond, I continued.

"Your saving grace is your character work. Play to that strength. Your focus should be tugging on heartstrings, not trying to do some epic showpiece."

She opened her mouth, but nothing came out as she considered my words. Meanwhile, the duck ventured closer, and in a second of bravery, he nipped at the toe of my boot. Was Noah some sort of cartoon princess? Because how else would she have some random animal on her side after only a week of working here?

“Why are you giving me notes?” Noah finally managed to ask.

“You know I’m right,” I said instead and tucked my feet under the bench so the duck would hopefully fuck off.

Noah shrugged. “It’s…solid-ish advice.”

“Look, when you get to my level, you’re not afraid of losing just because someone’s at their best. I need you to be at your best. That way, I can beat you fair and square. Put you in your place."

I said the last sentence lower. The flirtatious undertone was purposeful. I wanted to see how she reacted, see if it'd throw her off. No other reason than to learn if she was a roll with the punches kind of girl. The more I knew, the more I could use against her.

Noah laughed, and I had to look away for a moment, because her neck was exposed. I resisted, pretending to trace the curve of it. I was totally not thinking about using a pencil and paper to do so this time.

"If anyone needed to be put in their place, it's you," Noah said, laughter still entangled in her voice. She'd turned her knees toward me and leaned her elbow on the back of the bench. Her relaxed stance paired with the confident firmness around the words, "it's you," set my skin on fire. It wasn't warm enough to be sweating outside, but here I was.

I forced myself to maintain a steady voice when I said, "So I've been told. You know, I'm starting to think if you're the one to do it, it won't be so bad."

Her eyes went wide, and so did my smile.

Noah recovered quickly, like she knew what I was trying to do, how I tried to throw her off. This would have worked better when we were younger. The effect would last longer than a few seconds.

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