A little while later, I was surprised to hear a squeal from Jeri. I frowned, wondering what could have her so excited, and the frown deepened when I saw that Oliver Lewin had just walked into the office.

“Oli, it’s so good to see you—It’s been a while!” Jeri said, practically tripping over herself to get closer to Oliver. “Can I get you anything? Water, tea, coffee . . .”

“It’s Oliver, actually, and I just came to see Sophia,” Oliver said, looking past Jeri and into my office.

I shook my head, hardly believing that he was there. What, had he had someone watching the building to find out when I returned? Did he really have to show up on the very day that I came back to work? I swallowed hard, thinking again about Javier.

And thinking about the last time that I’d seen Oliver.

The sex and the fight seemed so long ago now. So much had changed since then. My time in Argentina had given me time to think things through, and I was more sure than ever that we weren’t right for one another. There had to be someone like Javier out there, someone who was living here in New York City, where we could make a relationship work, but with all of the same values that I had.

I shouldn’t just settle for a sexy body.

But that wasn’t all it was, and I knew it deep inside.

I sighed and stood up and beckoned to Oliver to come in, even though I still wasn’t sure what to make of his presence there.

“How was Argentina?” he asked, dropping into a chair across from my desk without my invitation. He looked more gorgeous than ever, wearing a perfectly tailored black suit and skinny tie. I couldn’t help but bite my lip to stop from openly sighing.

I shrugged cooly. “How did you know I was back?” I asked.

Oliver looked sheepish. “I’ve been wanting to make things right with you since the fight, but I had a feeling you’d probably gone down to Argentina. So I’ve had my driver take me past your office every afternoon to check if you were there. Today, I saw your car and figured that you might be here.”

“Stalker,” I muttered, but inwardly I felt a strange burble of emotion. He clearly cared about me, at least in some sense, if he was willing to take the time to try every day to see me. I remembered the roses he had sent as well, and suddenly I had to wonder if he was really the player that everyone thought he was, or if it was possible that Oliver Lewin was secretly a romantic.

I shook my head, trying to focus on what was important. “Well, you found me. What do you want?”

Oliver leaned closer. “Sophia, I feel terrible about the way things went,” Oliver said, sounding sincere. “I know your work is important to you, and I shouldn’t have tried to distract you from it. I just couldn’t stop thinking about how damn sexy you were in that wine cellar. I at least wanted to talk about what had happened between us.”

“Well, then you should have tried to talk,” I snapped. “Not tried to kiss me and get me all turned on.”

Oliver raised an eyebrow at me. “I wasn’t aware that I had that much of an effect on you,” he said, a smile playing at his lips.

I scowled at him and glanced toward the rest of the office. I noticed Jeri watching us jealously before turning away as my eyes fell on her. I fought the urge to roll my eyes. Couldn’t she take a hint? Oliver clearly wasn’t interested in her.

Because he was interested in me. I still couldn’t really believe it.

I sighed. “Oliver, we’re just not right for one another,” I told him. “You can’t just buy me a dozen roses and make me think that going out with you is somehow a good idea.”

“That’s good since I didn’t bring any roses with me today,” Oliver said, grinning crookedly. I rolled my eyes and he shrugged. “I brought flowers the first time or two that I came by. I thought maybe it would mean more if I showed up in person rather than trying to send a courier and hoping that you would call me. But by then, you were gone.”

“A lot changed in Argentina,” I told him, even though I didn’t want to talk about Javier with him. “I had a lot of time to think.”

“So did I,” Oliver said. “I know what I want now.”

“Oh, really?” I asked, arching an eyebrow at him. “Forgive me if I don’t really believe you when you tell me you’re ready to make a change and that you’ve decided to become a better person. Those kinds of things don’t just happen overnight. And I know you’ve been happy with the way that you’ve been living.”

“I have been,” Oliver acknowledged. “And I’m not suggesting that I change everything about who I am. But you must think that there’s something there to work with, if you were willing to go out with me even once. And might I remind you, we’ve been on a couple of dates now.”

I rolled my eyes. “So just like that, I should forgive you and we’ll put this all in the past?” I asked. “Again, I’m just not sure that I can believe you.”

“You trust me,” Oliver said. He paused and then glanced through the office window, as though suddenly noticing Jeri’s eyes on us as well. “At least let me take you out for a drink. I’m meeting up with some friends at a new place. I’d love for you to come.”

I shook my head. “Incorrigible,” I muttered under my breath.

“Persistent,” Oliver corrected, pointing his fingers at himself. Then he smirked and pointed those same fingers back at me. “Stubborn. Just like you were when we first met.”

I rolled my eyes, but I couldn’t help laughing. Maybe I should be a little more forgiving. After all, he and I did have fun together, for all of our differences. And it wasn’t like things with Javier could really turn into a relationship—he would be on the other side of the world again soon.

If that relationship couldn’t work out, why not have drinks with Oliver? If neither of us got our feelings tangled up in it, where was the harm?

For the first time, I let myself think about how good the sex had been. Usually, sex with someone for the first time just felt awkward, even if you had a connection with that person. You were both trying to learn the other person’s body, figure out what they liked. I tended to overthink things and second-guess myself. But there had been none of that with Oliver.

With Oliver, it had been . . . good. Amazing, really. And I could only imagine how good it could be if we did it again. If we didn’t have to rush.

“Come on,” Oliver cajoled. “You can help me smooth out some of my rough edges. Make me the perfect gentleman.”

I laughed again. “It would take a lot more than drinks to make you the perfect gentleman,” I told him.

“True,” Oliver sighed, but he was laughing as well. “What do you think? Can I take you out for drinks this evening? I want to hear all about Argentina.”

I doubted he really wanted to hear about it, but I was kind of touched, nonetheless, to hear him say that. I nodded at him. “All right. I should be ready to leave around seven-thirty.”

Oliver winced. “First day back and the boss is already keeping you here late, huh?” he teased.

I shrugged and gestured at the paperwork stacked up on my desk. “I wasn’t exactly gone on vacation,” I told him. “There’s all the paperwork that I have to do from my trip . . .”

Oliver shook his head. “I don’t envy you or your job,” he said. “Although I do get quite enough paperwork on my own as well.” He stood up. “Speaking of which, I should get back, so I can leave on time to meet you. See you tonight.”

“See you tonight,” I said, smiling after him and watching as he left. Jeri was staring daggers at me, and I rolled my eyes. Fortunately, she had the sense not to come into my office to try to talk to me about what she had just seen. I spent the rest of the afternoon in relative peace, getting caught up on a lot of my work.

* * *

The entrance to the bar was hidden in an alleyway and looked more like the back exit of a seedy nightclub. Oliver had to give a verbal password to get in and I was dubious as he held my hand, leading me down a tiny wooden staircase that led to the basement level.

Once we’d descended the last flight of stairs, the room came into full view and my eyes widened. It was like I’d entered another universe entirely. The tiny bar was covered in wood paneling. There was a random mixture of steampunk décor and taxidermy lining the walls, with strings of fairy lights strewn up in swathes across the ceiling. A hipster band was playing lively folk music in one corner, while people were carousing and tapping their feet along to the beat. There were enough seats for twenty or thirty people, but the place was buzzing with at least double that number.

“Wow,” was all I could manage to get out as I took it all in. The place was an assault on my senses. And it felt amazing.

“I thought you might like this place,” Oliver said. “A friend of mine owns it. Apparently it’s a big up-and-comer—it’s almost impossible to get a table.”

Oliver and I wound through the crowd, with him leading me to a booth at the very back of the bar. As we approached the booth, I could see that Oliver’s friends had already arrived, and suddenly I felt nervous about meeting them. I had no idea why—I guess I just wanted them to like me.

Pull it together, I told myself. It didn’t matter what they thought of me, because whatever this thing was that I had with Oliver, it wasn’t going to last. I would probably never see these people again.

“Hey there, big shot!” called a beautiful girl with black hair and bright red lips. “I can’t believe you got us a booth!” she exclaimed as she shot up to give Oliver a bear hug. I couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy shoot through my core as I noticed their familiarity.

“And you must be Sophia,” she said, as she turned toward me, leaning over to give me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. I guess hugging must be her thing. “I’m so excited to finally meet you! Oli hasn’t stopped talking about you—“

Oliver cleared his throat loudly, interrupting her mid-sentence. I thought I saw him elbow her in the side. “Why don’t you go get us a couple of drinks from the bar, Avery . . .”

“Ahh, yeah, of course,” Avery said, narrowing her eyes at Oliver. “House special okay?”

“That’s fine. Thank you,” I replied.

“Let’s sit down, shall we?” Oliver said, gesturing toward the booth. His cheeks had gone a slight shade of pink. Was Oliver Lewin blushing?

I sat down in the booth and he slid in next to me, stretching his arm around my shoulders. Warmth spread deep down in my abdomen. It was like ever since that night in the cellar, my body had been harboring the tiniest of sparks, waiting for the slightest touch from Oliver to reignite it.

Composing myself, I smiled politely at the two men opposite me. The first thing I noticed was that they were both breathtakingly handsome. I guess it wasn’t enough for Oliver to be sexy as sin—his friends had to be gorgeous too.

One of the men was dressed in a sharp suit that looked like it could easliy be worth as much as one that Oliver would wear. But unlike Oliver, this man seemed dark and serious. His expression was intense and he didn’t seem much interested in the fact that Oliver and I had just arrived. He was impeccably groomed and I could see what looked like a neck tattoo peaking out from his shirt collar. How odd, I thought. I’d never seen a business type with a neck tattoo before. Not that I was prudish—each to their own.

Whatever his story was, he didn’t seem to fit into the environment around him. This was a fun, casual place, and he must have been the only person there who looked like they were having a bad time.

The man seated next to him had very similar features, but was a little rough around the edges, with a thick five o’clock shadow and a worn t-shirt. He looked rugged and a little dangerous, like you wouldn’t want to run into him in a dark alley—no matter how handsome he was. When he spoke, he sounded amused by my presence.

“So, Sophia, what mortal sin have you committed to end up with an obnoxious asshole like our Oliver here?” he asked, nodding his head in Oliver’s direction.

I didn’t quite know how to respond, but I didn’t have to.

“Sophia, this is Will. Don’t be alarmed—he’s a prick to just about everyone. It’s just unfortunate that this prick happens to be my cousin,” Oliver said, staring daggers at Will.

Suddenly, it all made sense. It wasn’t so much that they all happened to be good looking—they were all related. I remembered briefly reading about his family when I’d done a little research prior to our first date. Oliver had three cousins—two here in the city, who had become almost as notorious in New York social circles as Oliver himself.

“And right here we have Julian,” Oliver said, pointing at the man in the suit. “Who has less of a chip on his shoulder than Will, but not by much,” Oliver continued, a smirk on his lips.

“Oh, tonight, your not gonna get much out of LA Ink over here,” Will smirked, pointing his thumb at Julian. “He’s not just practicing his pensive stare; he’s got his panties all in a knot over some girl.”

“Oh leave him alone, Will!” Avery exclaimed as she returned with our drinks. They spilled a little as she placed them roughly down on the table and sat down next to me. “He’s entitled to a little self pity after what he’s been through with that girl.” She lowered her voice toward Oliver and I. “It can’t be easy to hold a relationship together, given his . . . proclivities when it comes to . . . romance,” she said with concern. It seemed like she had been choosing her words extremely carefully.

I smiled politely at her in response. I had no idea what she was talking about, but I had a feeling that it was none of my business—especially since I was not going to be seeing these people on a regular basis. “I don’t think we were properly introduced. You’re Avery, right?” I asked, wondering who she was to Oliver.

“Oh my goodness, I was so shocked at seeing Oli bring a date to Fuck-it Friday drinks that I completely lost my shit,” she said, smacking her palm against her forehead. “Yes, I’m Avery Jenkins—Oli’s bff” she said with an excited smile. Her eyes darted between Oliver and I expectantly, like she was waiting for one of us to perform a circus act.

“Ah . . . fuck-it . . Friday what?” I looked around the table, confused.

Oliver, Will and Avery all broke out laughing. “Fuck-it Friday drinks,” Oliver responded with amusement. “It’s just a thing we’ve always done, on Fridays . . . you know, because fuck it, it’s Friday, let’s get toasted.”

“Oh,” I replied with puzzlement. I wasn’t used to such boisterous company. I felt like a fish out of water.

“Anyway, Oliver and I have been friends since college. Believe it or not, he is the sensible one in the friendship,” she said, smiling fondly at Oliver.

Best friends. I wondered if it had ever been more than that; you never know with a guy like Oliver.

“That’s something you’ll have to get used to with Oli, darling. Most of his friends happen to be female,” said Will, just about reading my mind. He stifled a laugh and took another swig of his whiskey.

Will wasn’t telling me anything that I didn’t already know. I looked over at Oliver who was smiling down at me uncertainly. He took his arm off my shoulder and grabbed my hand, squeezing it tightly under the table.