Right at this moment, my mind’s whizzing with unspeakable thoughts so I let Mark entertain Richard while I enjoy the view. The boss didn’t shave before coming here. His jaw is already sporting a five o’clock shadow, making him even sexier than usual. From the way he casually places his sunglasses on top of his head, to the way he now rolls up the sleeves of his shirt—making me stare like the little pervert I am—everything about Richard exudes sex appeal. The only flaw being that lingering sadness behind his eyes. The one he works so hard to hide.

When he’s halfway through his beer, Richard’s phone rings. He looks at the screen and smiles apologetically. “I’ve got to take this,” he says, walking away.

“Well.” Mark smirks scratching his short beard. “I’m not an expert on guys, but the dude has charm. So what’s your plan for the weekend?”

I shrug. “Survive without embarrassing myself too much?”

“That sounds like an awful plan.”

“You have a better suggestion?”

“Live and embarrass yourself the most you can.”

“Meaning?”

“Tell him how you feel.”

A speaker in the background announces our flight.

“No way!” My stomach drops at the mere idea. “Shh, he’s coming back.”

“They announced our flight,” Richard says, and chugs the remaining half of his beer. “How much for everything?” he asks Mark.

Mark gives him the bill, and Richard pays for my juice as well. We both say goodbye to Mark, and I catch a furtive wink from my new bartender bestie as I stroll after Richard.

The boss frowns at me. “Collecting admirers?” he asks, as we walk toward our gate.

“What?”

“That bloke was all over you.”

“Who?”

“Blue eyes, standing behind the bar.”

“I seriously doubt that.”

“He winked at you.”

Oh, so the boss caught that. Panic! He knows. But then I remind myself that there’s no way Richard could know Mark and I were talking about him. Let him assume Mark’s wink was about how much the bartender liked me and not how much I like my boss.

I shrug and stop in front of our gate. “Mark is a friendly guy.”

“Mark? Is that why you were holding hands when I arrived?”

Richard stops next to me and gives me a once-over, his eyes lingering long enough to give me goose bumps.

“We… I mean, what?”

Is the boss annoyed because he thinks I’m behaving unprofessionally? No, Richard isn’t prissy like that.

So what then? Could he be acting… jealous? No. No way. Blair, repeat after me: “You are on a business trip.” But I’m not the one getting all worked up over a stupid wink. And he’s ogling my shoes.

Richard’s eyes travel back up my body, stopping when they meet mine. “Do you always fly dressed like this?”