down next to her. “Well, tell her we said hello.”
“I will.”
“I was hoping we’d get to meet your new girlfriend while we were here,” Jill says.
The server brings my drink, and a welcome distraction from Jill’s mention of Daphne.
“Anything else I can get you, Mr. Durand?” the server asks.
She’s giving me an expectant look, like she’s hoping I’ll ask her for something—anything—else. I size her up in a matter of two seconds. Heavily made up, smelling like a perfume factory, eyes big, lips slightly pursed while also turned up in a seductive smile. Yeah, this woman who doesn’t even look old enough to be a college graduate is hoping to serve me a lot more than drinks. It happens all the time, but it never used to aggravate me as much as it does right now.
“No thanks,” I say, taking a sip of my drink.
She nods, looking a little disappointed, but then she brightens back up in an instant. “Let me know if you think of anything I can do for you. Anything at all.”
She holds my gaze and bites her lip before turning and walking out of the suite. Jill gives me an incredulous look.
“What was that? Did someone recruit her from a street corner?”
I shrug. “She’s just trying to do a good job. I think she’s new.”
Jill balks. “She’s trying to make you her sugar daddy. Blatantly.”
This is why I like Jill. In work situations, she doesn’t hold back when it’s just the two of us. She’s never afraid to tell me what she really thinks, even when she knows I won’t like it.
“How many billions do I need to get that kind of attention?” Brian jokes, laughing.
Jill gives him an icy glare.
“It was a joke, babe,” he says, putting his hands up. “You know you’re the most beautiful woman in the world to me.”
Jill is still fuming, though. “If she worked for me, we’d be having a talk right now.”
“Based on what?” I ask. “She didn’t say anything inappropriate.”
“The innuendo was there, and all three of us know it. I know you get it all the time, Olivier, but it’s infuriating for me as a woman to see other women sexualize themselves in the workplace.”
I nod, because she’s not wrong. “I get what you’re saying.”
“Other men aren’t as noble as you,” she says. “They take advantage.”
Jill’s strong opinion on this reminds me so much of something Daphne would say that I feel a physical pang of longing for her. And Jill referring to her as my girlfriend earlier gave me a similar feeling.
Now that Twitter users have collectively decided we’re a couple, the attention has actually died down. They seem to be satisfied that we rode off into the sunset together, as they were all lobbying for.
It’s far from the truth, though. Even though I made my intentions clear during our lunch date, Daphne left things up in the air. She asked for time to think about things, which I thought would be a day or two, but it’s been a week and she hasn’t said anything about making a decision.
Is it really that much to think about? I can tell she has feelings for me. The fact that she’s genuinely thinking about whether we should move forward excites and aggravates me at the same time.
She’s the opposite of the women who throw themselves at me. Daphne’s making me work for it, and even then, she’s sure as hell not a sure thing.
Maybe it’s time to write another check to Safe Harbor. Of all the charities Daphne cares about, surely none are as close to her heart as the one she works for. She doesn’t want to be wooed with jewelry or exotic trips—supporting the causes she cares about is the key to making Daphne weak in the knees.
I promised myself I wouldn’t use my money to score points with her, but I’m not sure I can help myself. I want her to know that what matters to her matters to me, too. And with her decision about us still unmade, I need to try everything I can to win her over.
Daphne’s too damn stubborn for her own good. If she would just let go of her doubts and give in to the way it feels for us to be together, she’d be here beside me right now.
I glance at the empty chair and exhale hard, rubbing my forehead.
The arena darkens, and the roar of the crowd dulls. The synchronized light, music and video show begins, images