“It’s uh—it’s a trick I learned early on. The key is keeping your lines straight. Once you master that, it’s an easy talent. It helps me to keep my focus and hone in on every word being spoken so nothing is misconstrued.”
“It’s quite a unique talent you have. And very impressive.”
“Thanks,” she said. “You headed for lunch?”
“I am. Would you care for some company?”
“I’d love some.”
I escorted her out of the massive conference room before we crossed the street. There was a bar and a restaurant in our hotel that catered only to those staying at the hotel, so I knew it wouldn’t be busy. I sat us down at the bar and ordered us a couple of red wines, giving us time to chat and look over the menu.
“You know, my suite is much nicer than all the other hotels we’ve been stuck with,” I said.
“I would hope so. This place is costing your company a pretty penny given its location,” Abby said.
“You could come check it out, if you’d like.”
Her eyes slowly lifted to mine from the menu as our red wines were sat beside us. I grabbed it and brought it to my lips, not allowing her to break the stare. She was worth the chance. She was worth the rejection she might throw in my face. I had a rare opportunity to experience her in a luxury hotel, with no worries about the power or the temperature or any sort of bed bug scenario. I could tell she was mulling it over as her glossy lips touched her wine glass.
Then, I saw that devious twinkle in her eye.
“Are you hitting on me, Mr. Murphy?” she asked.
“It depends.”
“On what?” she asked.
“On whether you would like me to give you the grand tour of my suite or not.”
“My hotel room is just fine, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“Then you can give me the grand tour of your hotel room,” I said.
“Ah, so this has nothing to do with rooms. You just want to see me.”
“Have you seen yourself in those pants? You could set a room on fire with the sparks flying off your body.”
She grinned at me as the bartender came by to take our orders. She ordered a salad and I told him to ask the chef to cook me his specialty. I didn’t even look at the menu because that wasn’t where my focus was. I didn’t care about the wine and I didn’t care about the food.
The only thing I cared about was the time I was now spending with Abby.
“My, my. We’re just full of compliments, aren’t we?” she asked.
“I could insult you, if you want to level the playing field,” I said.
“Oh, really? Take your best shot,” she said.
I leaned forward and placed my forearm onto the counter of the bar before I grabbed her chair and slowly scooted it towards me.
“Your eyes are slightly offset because the bump in your nose isn’t symmetrical. Probably because you broke it when you were a child roughhousing with your father. Or maybe a neighborhood friend. You have this slight pooch just behind your stomach that my hand just can’t help but migrate towards, and I know you’re self-conscious about it. I see you suck it in from time to time when you feel you’re being judged by the people around you. It’s nice that you don’t do that when you’re around me any longer.”
I watched her straighten up and I followed her movements. The alcohol was making me bolder and my inhibitions were dropping. Our food came out quickly, but was soon forgotten in favor of another glass of wine.
One that I could tell she desperately wanted after the corner I’d backed her into.
“No matter what you do with your hair, there are always these little fly-away pieces dancing around your forehead. I hear women hate them, but I enjoy watching them. They accent the color of your skin, which there is nothing wrong with.”
“None of this sounds like an insult to me,” she said.
“Then I guess I’m doing my job right, because no one on this planet should be insulting you.”
I locked my eyes on hers and I could see her chest rising and falling with every breath. They were shallow and quick, her hand gripping her wine glass tightly to try and root herself to the ground. I leaned myself back into the bar chair, giving her some space as she released a heavy sight.
Her eyes dropped to her wine glass before she tipped the rest of it back and swallowed deeply.
“Would you like to come watch Wichita University kick Kansas State’s ass in basketball tonight?” I asked.
“Um, well—uh—where—where are you watching the game?” she asked.
“A sports bar down the road. They have the best hot wings, and all-you-can-eat bacon cheese fries.”
“Sounds like a heart attack waiting to happen,” she said breathlessly.
“So, I’ll see you there?”
I searched her eyes and tried to keep up my confident demeanor even as I screamed inside. I watched her roll the idea around in her mind, hoping that dragging things away from the hotel would make her more comfortable. This was as close to a date as we’d be able to get away with while on this business trip, but I decided not to leave anything up to fate.
I did that by refusing to call her, and I wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice.
“I don’t know shit about basketball, but okay,” she said, smiling.
“Don’t worry,” I said. “I’ll teach you. I’ve heard I can be a good teacher when it counts.”
She swallowed hard, a flush taking over her cheeks before she turned towards her food. We ate side by side at the bar, going through three glasses of wine each
