Boss I Love to Hate: An Office Romance(54)

I smiled as I listened to her rant.

“And, one time, I said that the dry-cleaning place had ruined his favorite shirt, but in all honesty, I had thrown it out.” Sonia laughed, retelling the stories.

I merely smiled, thinking back to how I had known about that little debacle. I’d been so pissed off that my favorite shirt could not be found that I went to the dry cleaners myself and was told it never made it there. Not like Sonia had known that. The whole table was laughing at her little joke, but little did she know that the joke was on her because I’d known all along.

Dinner was over, and dessert was being served. I’d been shoving water down Sonia’s throat and had to cut her off since her last glass of wine an hour ago. Sonia was feeling good, and I didn’t want to have to carry her out.

I stood, realizing her water was drained. “Let me get some water for you, bae.” The nickname rolled out of my tongue, automatic. It was odd and weirdly normal at the same time. Words like that never slipped out of my mouth. Plus, I was a grown-ass man using kid language. Still, my little nickname for her made it seem as though we were together, on the same team, just the two of us.

She groaned. “I hate that word. It’s the name teenyboppers who don’t know how to speak English give their significant others. They make up their own words, this new generation, and it’s such bullshit. You can’t just make up words.”

She’d read my mind.

Damn it. If she weren’t so cute, I’d strangle her.

Cute. Adoringly sassy. Petite.

I grinned. “Fine. Shorty—that’s your new nickname. You’re my Shorts.” Then, I kissed her forehead and proceeded to the bar.

But not before I heard Clarisse, who was sitting next to her, say, “You guys are the cutest couple ever.”

I laughed, and as I stared back at Sonia, I staggered to a stop. She was stunning. Not like I hadn’t noticed earlier because I had definitely noticed. But, with color in her cheeks and her smile that had been absent earlier when Jeff was around, she was drop-dead beautiful.

It took me a few seconds to collect myself, and then I headed to the bar and raised a hand to the bartender. She’d been openly flirting with me all night, but I was blatantly ignoring her. With her hair swept up in a curly ponytail and her tight white button-down shirt accentuating her perky breasts, I would have given her a second glance if Sonia wasn’t here. But, for once, I preferred Sonia’s sweet innocence to the bartender’s in-your-face beauty.

“What are you having, handsome?”

“Guinness and two bottled waters.”

Sonia was going to be living in the bathroom tonight, given the amount of water I was shoving down her throat.

“Is that it?” she asked with a lilt, a voice that sounded sweet as sin and promised more.

“Yes. Thank you.” I placed a couple of bills on the counter, and when I tipped back my Guinness, Jeff sidled up beside me.

And, to think, I had been having such a good time thus far.

“Hey, Brad,” he said, raising his hand to the bartender. “Midori sour and gin and tonic, please.” Then, he winked at the bartender, who was in no way interested in his sorry ass.

“Where’s Sonia?”

Why did this guy care where his ex-girlfriend was? The question irked me.

“At our table,” I snapped.

He smiled, teetering and using the bar for support.

Someone couldn’t handle his liquor.

“Yeah, Jean went to the restroom. I think she’s checked her makeup at least twenty times. I mean, I told her she’s gorgeous, but still.”

Why is he talking to me like we were fucking pals? We weren’t.

He took the drinks from the bartender, placing the Midori sour on the bar, closer to himself. “When she started flirting with me at the office, I couldn’t believe it. Have you seen her?” He hiccupped. “She’s way out of my league.”

What a prick. It felt like a jab to Sonia, and tension rose to my shoulders. “I prefer the simple beauty.”

He knew what I meant.

“Yeah. I mean, that’s nice and all. But I’ve had that.” He gestured toward the table where Sonia was sitting. “And, between you and me, Jean is crazy in the bedroom.” He laughed and tipped back his drink, spilling some on his shirt.

I smirked, though my eyes were hard. I had an undeniable urge to knock him on his ass. “I know what you mean. Sonia … fuck …” I let my voice trail off. “I don’t know why you let her go, man. I’ve been with many women, but no one like her.”

Take that, asshole.

He straightened, all of a sudden sober. “What do you mean?”

“Well, you know …” I followed his line of sight to Sonia’s direction.

“No, I don’t.” He leaned into me and pushed up his glasses, as though to see Sonia better.

“Maybe she just needed a different guy to unleash her.” I condescendingly patted his shoulder.

Before he had a chance to respond, Jean walked up to us. “Thanks, baby,” she cooed, grabbing her gin and tonic.

I chuckled to myself. So, Jeff preferred the girlie drinks, not like I was surprised. And I knew I’d gotten to him because he couldn’t stop staring at Sonia, and all I wanted to do was rip his eyes off his face.

As though Sonia knew we were talking about her, she lifted her eyes to me and smiled. I’d thought she’d be pissed, but she began to walk our way, almost skipping and definitely shimmying her hips to the sound of the live band.