A Million Kisses (Wish 1)

3 - Buying a drink

Cursing, she looked at her phone. She had overslept. She liked to arrive on Saturday mornings before ten. She wanted to look like she was busy working when Geoffrey strolled in with his Starbucks cup. Saturdays were her favorite day, because she only worked on her own research. Geoffrey usually wore jeans and a t-shirt, which highlighted his physique. A win-win.

It was nine-thirty, so there was no chance she'd make it before him. She still had to shower. She pulled on a pair of skinny jeans and a sweater and left her hair down. She hated pulling it up when it was wet.

When she arrived, she saw him at his desk typing on his laptop. He looked up and raised his eyebrows at her.

Innocently, she asked, "What?"

"Late night?" He smirked.

"Not really." She arrived home well before midnight. Her problem was she had one too many drinks.

He turned back to his laptop, and she went to her desk to get started. Deep into her work, her phone startled her. Seeing it was Marissa, she smiled.

"So what happened with you and Jed?" Sage asked without even greeting her. She was excited to hear the details.

"We had breakfast together." Marissa answered between giggles.

"No! Good for you! Was it a dream come true?"

"Yeah! So you and Mark?"

"Who's Mark?" Sage didn't know any of the guys' names, except Jed's.

"The guy you kissed!"

"Please, puppies kiss less sloppy than him. Not happening!"

Behind her, she heard laughter. Turning she saw Geoffrey leaning against the doorjamb looking amused.

"Listen, I'm at the museum. I'll call you later."

Putting her phone down, she took a deep breath, searching for something to say.

"Is that what a guy gets if he buys you a drink?" He no longer looked amused.

"He doesn't get breakfast. Sometimes just a thank you."

He walked into the room and was close enough she could see his brown eyes. He stopped at her desk and sat in the dingy chair across from it.

"And if I bought you a drink?" His deep voice sounded different — softer.

She shook her head, because as much as she fantasized it wasn't right. "You're my boss and I love this job."

"You don't report directly to me. I don't involve myself with personnel matters of junior employees."

It was true. She reported to Nolan, a man who was older than Geoffrey and looked every bit the drab historian. Still, he was knowledgeable and a good teacher. She would never have spoken to Geoffrey, except for her dissertation and his expertise. He ignored her completely during normal hours.

"But my research, your expert advice is invaluable."

"We're both adults... me more so than you, but if I stop buying drinks, we can go back to this." He waved his hand across her desk.

She was sure buying drinks meant something else entirely.

"You really want to buy me a drink?" Her voice was full of nerves.

He nodded. "Tonight. I'll be at your door at seven."

"How do you know where I live?" He surprised her.

"I don't involve myself in personnel matters, but I still have access to the files. I've been contemplating buying you a drink for a while."

She should probably feel creeped out, but her infatuation for him was too strong. She couldn't see beyond the beautiful man she worshipped. She couldn't see past the now to consider the future.

She smiled. "Seven."

His deep voice repeated, "Seven." He stood and walked away.

Unable to concentrate, Sage left earlier than usual. She headed over to Fifth Avenue to shop for a new dress and maybe some shoes. Her father liked when she treated herself.

As a successful businessman, her father knew other wealthy people. He had friends who were board members of the museum. He helped secure her interview. Thinking back, Geoffrey had not been involved in her interviews. It was all the assurance she needed to confirm she wasn't sabotaging her career. Truthfully, her father could probably get his friends to fire Geoffrey.

She called Marissa. "I have a date!"

"You said you didn't like Mark."

"God, no! With a real man!"

"Who? Not your boss!"

"Yup!"

"But he's like forty! That's old."

"So what! He's hot. Totally sexy."

"Are you sure? What if his balls are hanging?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I heard my mother talking about one of her dates. She said his balls were hanging down to his knees!"

"That's gross! What was he eighty or something?"

"No, but old like sixty."

"Well, Geoffrey won't be sixty for at least twenty years. I'm positive even his balls are hot. I'll let you know."

"You can't have sex with your boss."

"He's not my boss. He's my boss's boss."

"You better be careful. This could end in a disaster."

"I hope not, because then I might get stuck with your sloppy puppy."

Marissa laughed. "Oddly enough, he comes from a family your father would approve of."

Sage hadn't considered her parents, but they would probably disown her, if she married an academic a decade and a half older than her.

At six-fifty, she had on a new red halter dress with an open back. It was as short as the one she wore the previous night. She felt sexy in new lingerie and new three-inch heels. Geoffrey was tall enough she would still look up to him.

She tried to forget the sloppy dog kiss from the man-boy, who she was eye to eye with in heels. A shiver ran through her, as she anticipated a kiss to remember for the rest of her life.

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