Nathan kisses her cheek. "Hello, Gretel, lovely to see you."
Gretel looks him up and down. "Good grief, do you get better looking every time I see you, Nathan?"
I smile as I watch the two of them exchange.
He chuckles and shakes his head. "You're as shameless as ever."
"Gretel!" someone calls.
She looks over. "I'm being summoned." We glance over to see her husband at the bar, obviously needing help. "I'll see you both later."
"Okay, bye."
Nathan hands me a glass of champagne. "Thanks."
"Eliza," a deep voice says from behind me. We both turn to see Henry Morgan.
"Oh." Fuck, what's he doing here? "Hello, Dr. Morgan."
"Henry," he corrects me. His attention turns to Nathan, and he puts out his hand to shake his. "Henry Morgan."
Nathan smiles and dips his head. "Nathan Mercer."
"Ah." Henry's eyes hold Nathan's for a moment, and I can see he's just worked out who Nathan is. "I'm the new boss."
Nathan's eyes meet mine and he subtly raises an eyebrow. "Really?"
"And you must be the boyfriend?"
"Yes," I cut him off before Nathan can answer him. "This is my boyfriend, Nathan."
Nathan's eyes flicker to me in question. "That's right." He puts his arm around me, and pulls me close, smiling sexily. "Well, you hired the best possible person for the job. I trust you will look after her."
Henry smiles broadly at me. "I intend to; don't worry."
His eyes go back to Nathan, and they stare at each other for a moment. Something is exchanged between them, although I'm not sure what it is.
Nathan's eyes come back to me.
Fuck.
"We need to get back to our table. Let's go, baby." I smile as I pull Nathan by the arm. "Nice to see you, Dr. Morgan," I say in a rush. Go away, now.
"Henry," he corrects me. "And do come quickly. The sooner you are under me, the better."
Nathan stares at him.
"Working under me, I mean." He chuckles. "That sounded wrong, didn't it?"
"Not to mention deluded," Nathan replies dryly.
"Goodbye." I fake a giggle. "Lovely to see you again." I drag Nathan back to the table.
Oh, crap.
Nathan sits down with a thud. He tips his head back and takes a huge gulp of his scotch.
I smile around my champagne glass. Oh, great.
Nathan's eyes meet mine. "I thought you said your boss was old."
"He is old." I lie as I try to act casual.
He raises an eyebrow. "Why did you tell him I was your boyfriend?"
I put my hand on his thigh under the table. "I tell a lot of people you're my boyfriend," I whisper.
"You do?"
"I do." I smile up at him. "Why, am I ruining your reputation?"
His eyes soften. "You are, actually." He picks up my hand from his thigh and takes it in his. His eyes go over to the bar to watch Henry. "Something feels off about him."
"He seems okay. He's a bit full of himself but that doesn't bother me."
"So, if I'm your boyfriend now does that mean I get to molest you on the dancefloor later?" He asks as he raises his eyebrow.
I giggle. "Go for it."
Over the next four hours, I watch as people try to get Nathan's attention.
He's polite and frank, and he doesn't linger with anyone. His attention always comes back to me. He walks back from the bar and holds his hand out.
"Would you like to dance, Eliza?"
I smile as I take it. "I would."
Nathan is a wonderful dancer. We dance at every event we go to. He leads me out onto the dancefloor and takes me into his arms where we begin to sway to the music. The quartet band is playing Unchained Melody.
"Thank you for coming with me to all these things."
I smile up at my beautiful friend who is so much taller than me. "I enjoy them. They're fun, and it gives me a chance to get dressed up."
He holds me close as his hand lingers on my hip, his breath dusting my neck.
He stares down at me, and something feels different tonight. I don't know what it is. It's as if I'm the only other person in the room. His attention is two hundred percent on me. He's always attentive, but I'm really feeling it tonight.
Perhaps it's the fact that I told Henry that he's my boyfriend and I know that he's playing the part.
Yes, that must be it.
I look up at him and run my fingers through his stubble. "I had a great night. Thanks for my ten thousand dollar ticket."
He chuckles and then spins me. We sway to the music once more.
He leans and gently kisses my lips with a little suction and a whole lot of nice.
I frown as my breath catches.
"Your boss is watching," he whispers.
"Oh." My eyes dart over to see Henry standing at the side of the dancefloor. "Right."
Nathan's lips drift to my temple and he kisses me again. I feel myself melting into him.
He's strong, virile, and he's holding me so close. I must be the envy of every woman in the room. God, I love this man, and here he is playing the part of my boyfriend to protect my lie.
We dance and we dance, and Nathan makes me miss having someone for real.
He holds me tight, makes me laugh, and he kisses me softly on the cheek whenever Henry is watching.
If only I could have the closeness that I have with Nathan with a boyfriend-someone who could love me in every way. Someone who could be really mine.
"You ready to go? The car is here," he whispers.
"I am." I return to the table and to the people we were sitting with. "Lovely to meet you all."
"You, too."
Nathan goes around and shakes their hands. "Goodbye. Nice to meet you." He takes my hand and we walk out the front to get into the back of the black Audi waiting for us.
He holds my hand on his lap, and I smile out of the window at the glamorous ball as it disappears into the distance.
"That was a great night. I enjoyed myself."
"Me, too." He squeezes my hand in his lap. "Thanks for coming with me."
I rest my head on his shoulder. I feel so safe, and I'm feeling especially close to him tonight. I don't know why, he just seems different. Or maybe it's me. Maybe all this talk about not dating with the girls has me missing having someone special in my life and I appreciate our friendship even more.
"Are you tired, baby?" he whispers softly.
"Hmm." I smile sleepily.
He kisses my forehead, puts his arm around me and pulls me close. I snuggle into his chest. It's warm and feels so good beneath my head. His aftershave wafts around me. Being inside Nathan Mercer's arms is my favorite place to be.
Twenty minutes later, we pull up outside my apartment. Nathan leads me out by the hand, and we walk inside and into the elevator.
"Did anyone show you footage of themselves having sex tonight?" he asks.
I giggle. "Disappointingly, no."
He smiles down at me.
"What?"
"Did I tell you how beautiful you look tonight?"
"Tell me again."
He tucks a piece of hair behind my ear. "You really did look beautiful tonight."
I smile up at him. "Do we have chocolate?"
He smirks. "So, I tell you that you look beautiful, and you ask me if we have chocolate?"
"And?" I smile. "Your point is?"
"My point is that I'm being judged on my shopping abilities."