“Right.” She eyed him with a hint of uncertainty. “You sure you’re okay? You seem kind of…down.”
He inspected his beer. He wasn’t about to admit that he’d been feeling defeated, wondering if he’d made a huge fucking mistake giving up a great job at AdMix. “I’m good,” he finally said. “Long day.”
She was silent for a few moments, then said, “Look, I’m sorry about that meeting earlier.”
His eyebrows pulled together. “You don’t have to be sorry about anything,” he said slowly. “You’re the boss. You tell us what to do. We do it.”
“That’s not the kind of boss I want to be.”
Her words surprised him. And when he glanced at her, he thought maybe she’d surprised herself.
“And anyway, I’m not your boss. We all know the account people are here to serve you…the creatives.”
He liked hearing that. It was true, but some suits didn’t get that. He appreciated that Sloane did.
“I know you’re used to being number one. The star.”
He pursed his lips and gave a very brief nod of acknowledgement.
“You’re very good at what you do.” She further surprised him. “Give it time.”
“I was actually just thinking maybe I made a big mistake coming to Huxworth Packard.”
She sighed. “Here’s the thing. I shouldn’t be telling you this, but I want you to know it’s not personal. Joseph Huxworth is concerned about the reputation you guys have. You, as in the Brew Crew. He’s concerned that it doesn’t reflect well on the company.”
Levi turned and stared at her. “This is coming from him?”
“Yes.”
He thought about that. “Is it because of me?” He knew he hadn’t made a great impression that first day.
She rolled her eyes. “No, Levi, the world doesn’t revolve around you, much as you might think it does.”
A slow smile spread across his face. “You’re really bursting my bubble here.”
She laughed, and it was a feminine, lighthearted sounded that tugged at something inside his chest. His skin tingled everywhere.
“You’re really pretty when you smile,” he blurted.
One eyebrow shot up. “Now there’s backhanded compliment.”
“Fuck! I didn’t mean…I mean, you’re always pretty. Shit.” He shook his head. He was usually way better at this. Compliments generally flowed smoothly from his lips. But this was Sloane and he should not be telling her she was pretty. “You know that’s not what I meant.”
She grinned. “I know. I’m yanking your chain.”
Her sexy grin had his blood running hot in his veins. “You actually have a sense of humor.”
Her lips tightened. Oops. “Of course I do.”
He exhaled sharply. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to insult you again.” He held up his glass. “I’m blaming the booze.”
“How many have you had?”
“This is my second.”
She snorted. “Lightweight.”
It took a second for his brain to process the teasing insult. Not because of the booze. Just because…it was Sloane. And because fuck, he liked it. “I’ll have you know I was the boat racing champion of Omega Kappa Kappa.”
She shook her head slowly from side to side, a smile tweaking her sweet lips. “Frat boy,” she murmured. “I should have known.”
“And proud of it.” He toasted her with his glass.
“Where’d you go to college?”
“U of C.”
“Of course.”
He grinned. “Don’t give me that. I worked hard in college.”
“While mastering boat racing.”
He shrugged. “I have many talents.”
Okay, that sounded kind of dirty. If he’d been with any other chick, he would’ve accompanied it with a wink and maybe a shoulder nudge. But…this was Sloane.
Their eyes met with a flash of sparks that told him she was also thinking about what his many other talents might be. And dammit, he wanted to show her.
Chapter Six
“I’m sure you do,” Sloane murmured.
Oh God.
She wasn’t even sure why she’d approached Levi at the bar. She’d just finished having dinner with clients and had spotted him sitting there. She’d paused and taken in how dejected he’d looked. Something had turned over in her chest and she’d found herself walking across the bar toward him.
He’d put on a good face, of course, denying anything was wrong, but the slump in his shoulders and the absence of his usual cocky smile gave him away. And she found herself wanting to make him feel better.
She should have known better than that. She’d learned early in her career that caring too much about the people you worked with only got you booted in the chops. The person you cared about and helped today was the person who’d steal a promotion or a client away from you tomorrow.