a good discussion about where they’re going with some of these new craft beer lines. And possibly changing some of the management people that came with them when they acquired them.”
“What happened with The Hux earlier?”
She blinked. “The Hux?” Then she laughed. “Oh my God. Is that what you call him?”
“Only to you. Were you in trouble?”
She shook her head then sighed. “No. Not really. He just reminded me again about keeping behavior appropriate when there are clients around.”
“We didn’t know there was a client with him.”
“I know.”
“He hates my guts, doesn’t he?”
“No, he doesn’t. Of course not. Just…tone it down.”
“I know what the solution is.”
“What?”
“We just don’t allow clients in our office.”
She burst out laughing. “Like that’ll work. We kind of need clients, Levi.”
He grinned.
“Maybe just keep the crazy fun stuff confined to the staff lounge,” she suggested. “That’s what it’s for.”
“Got it.” He pushed her hair back from her face with both hands. Her eyes flickered. His gaze dropped to her mouth and her lips parted. He could tell she thought he was going to kiss her. And he was. But that was it. After brushing his mouth over hers, he moved back and pulled her next to him, his arm around her shoulders. He picked up the remote. “So. Wanna play Xbox with me? Or watch TV?”
“Uh…”
He smiled. “Okay, we’ll watch TV.” He found an episode of Two and a Half Men just starting.
He knew she was off balance when he didn’t try to do anything more. After the TV show he kissed her and they made out until they were both melting down and she was begging him to fuck her and he said, “No.”
“What?”
“Not tonight.” He kissed her again. “I’m not your Monday night booty call.”
She gave a strangled laugh. “Oh my God.”
“You can come over tomorrow night after your dinner too, if you want. We can watch back-to-back episodes of Two and a Half Men. I love that show.”
“You’re serious.”
“Yeah.” It was fun torturing her a little, keeping her on the edge.
Friday night he got Sloane to confirm she had no business dinners or other engagements planned. He told her to come to his place dressed casually and prepared to stay over. She arrived at six thirty, wearing jeans rolled at the ankle, flip-flops and a loose pink tank top. Once again she looked like a teenager. He grinned as Chuck went crazy for her, and she crouched to pet him and rub his belly when he rolled to his back on the floor.
“You’re so cute,” she crooned to Chuck. “Aren’t you? You’re such a good boy.”
When she stood, Levi set his hands on her hips and touched his mouth to hers. “You look great. So different than professional Sloane.”
She smiled. “I’m not always in business mode.”
“Good. Okay. Let’s go. Here, I’ll put your bag in the bedroom.” He took the tote bag she carried along with her purse.
“Where are we going?”
“Navy Pier.”
“What?”
“Yeah. We’re going to be tourists. Go have dinner, go for a boat cruise, ride the Ferris wheel.”
“You’re kidding me.”
“Nope. We can walk there from here, it’s not far.”
They strolled along the sidewalk toward the lake, hand in hand, lots of other people around on a warm Friday evening in June. They talked a little shop, and that was okay because they both loved their jobs. He liked hearing her insights from the client end of things. He wouldn’t tell her the ideas that he and Scott had been dancing about on Monday. He wanted to wow her when she saw them more developed.
He hoped he wowed her. He really wanted to wow her.
They did all the things he’d said and more. Sloane was reluctant to go on the Ferris wheel, revealing an endearing fear of heights, but he promised her he’d hold on to her the whole time.
“Face your fears, baby,” he said. “That makes them so much smaller.”
“Phht.” She frowned at him. “I’m not that afraid. Let’s go.”
But she did clutch his hand the whole time.
They had margaritas and nachos on a patio. They went on a boat cruise. They even stopped at the beer garden to listen to some music and drink beer, sadly not Verhoeven beer, but oh well.
“Verhoeven is going to do a brew cruise,” Sloane told him. “Beer tasting and you can meet some of the brewmasters from Cedar Springs.”
“That’s a cool idea.”
They talked about all kinds of things—music, people at work, stories from their childhoods. Like how Levi’s sisters used to dress him in their