Page 24 (1/2)

"Sara--"

I pressed a finger to his lips "Don’t interrupt me, I’m on a roll"

"I see that" He s and I want to kiss you in a bar I don’t care if someone sees me and thinks, Wow! That woman wants to be Mrs Stella, how pathetic! Does she even know he bangs a different woht?"

"I don’t"

"But they don’t know that, and the point is"--I took a breath, puttinginto his aht now I’ what people think I like you"

"I like you, too Very much In fact--"

I leaned in and kissed hi into his lap right there in that stupid bar but I didn’t care I didn’t care His hands moved toand soer on

"Sweet Sara," he et you ho by Mondaybecause I had a lot of work to do First up was the pricing strategy for the new Provocateur line Second was handing over all of the B&T Biotech workload to Sa over Max, and how the entire dynamic of our relationship had shifted in the last thirty-six hours

First: work There was plenty of tiht

"Saaaaarrrrrraaaaaa," George called, so to stretch my name into about seventeen syllables I stopped short just insidein the scene before e, in my desk chair, with his feet up and a newspaper spread on his lap

"Why are you at ured it was a better place to enjoy Page Six with you than in the break room Are you ready?"

My stomach dropped to my feet "Ready for what?" I asked It was seven thirty on a Monday, for crying out loud I was barely ready for conscious breathing

George flipped the paper to face iant picture, in black-and-white, was half of Max’s face The other half was covered by rave; vu

"What is that?"

"A newspaper, darling," George sang, rattling the paper in his hands, and the word darling triggered a tight pull inthat word around inhow it had sounded when Max said it to , ooooh, a ‘mystery woman’ " He turned it back around so he could read the caption to the photo "Millionaire playboy Max Stella spotted out for a drink with a e looked up, giddy "Thanks for confirree More of a sandy brown, really But let ht with quiet s, and ended with some heated action in the corner booth Looks like the flavor of the week is a tiger!’ "

George cracked up, extending the page toserious "You didn’t have to lie about you and Max, boss I’m wounded"

"It’s not your business," I said, practically ripping the paper fro it over It was obviously Max in the photo, but with only the back of my head and part of my arm and hand visible, my identity would be almost impossible to discern by anyone who didn’t already know y bracelet and your adorable hair," George crowed "How long?"

"Not your business"

"Is he a in bed? He is, isn’t he? Oh God, don’t tell ood mental lather first" He squeezed his eyes shut and hummed

"Not your business," I repeated, a hand toto see this My coworkers Souys, like, a thing?" he asked, exasperated and slapping his hand to my desk

"Oh my God! Not your business! Get out of ave enuine as a politician’s s else Maybe even a little turned on

"Fine," he grumbled "But you’d better spill every detail after you’ve had a chance to calreat, by the way," he said, serious now "You deserve a hot guy"

I stopped freaking out for a beat, looking up at hi the worst He was being a total pervert and enjoying everythat I was happy, and having fun, and being a single wo ood for you, Sara--the sahts I’d tried so hard to hold on to

But soht of day on a Monday, it was harder than I expected to be young, and wild, and confident that I wasn’t setting e"

"You’re welcoirl panties on"

In fact, she was closer than I expected and shovedintouy is Max?"

"Chloe, I’ up a hand "I asked you if it was Max You lied to ly, and said no I’m not sure whether I should be i her a winning smile

"Oh my God, don’t be cute" She walked over to h it"

I crossed the roo her everything: aboutMax at the club, hoe hooked up I told her about the Chinese restaurant and how I’d tried to tell hiet me off I admitted he was the man I’d been with at the fund-raiser, and how she was the one who ood distraction to explore this new adventurous side of myself with a s

"But it’s"In the past, what? Two months? It’s become more"

"For me it has I think for hi," she said, wincing "I freaked out, because I tried to hide it, but he saw the Post outside the subway station"

"Oh no"

She smiled a little "Honestly, he seemed more worried about my reaction But he said he knows Max, and if he’s pro, because if he hurts you he’ll be one appendage short, if you knohat I mean"

"That’s not the problem," I said "Which I realize is ironic because"--I pointed to ht What bothers me more is that I didn’t want to want someone This was supposed to be for me And what if he likes me because I’ve been clear about what I don’t want frooal: make me want him I don’t think he’d ever admit that, maybe he’d never even realize it, but I worry that he’s not used to soht be the lure: the challenge"

She shrugged and spread her hands in front of her "I’m the first to tell you that there’s a first ti Have you told him how you feel?"

There was a crash froe’s frantic shout of "Incoe hot on his heels

"Does he ever listen?" George askedshort when he saw the paper already init to the desk