Page 23 of Dr. Baby Daddy
“Oliver, is this you taking me on a date?”
His cheeks flush a bright pink as he rolls his eyes. “You’re still a pain in the ass, even if you are a tolerable one now.”
I lean in close and whisper in his ear. “Huh. We’re bringing up tolerable again? I thought you brought tolerable and multiple orgasms up at the same time before.”
Oliver’s cheeks grow darker again as he looks to see if anyone heard me. I laugh as the subway stops and the doors open. He rolls his eyes and gestures to the doors.
We get off the subway and climb the stairs. Oliver leads the way down the crowded streets, looking down at me every now and then. I grin and slide my hand into his, lacing our fingers together.
He stops in his tracks for a moment before giving my hand a squeeze and leading the way to a small black building. We climb the stairs to the second floor and enter a small bar.
We’re surrounded by luxurious black and gold seating with soft music playing in the background. The host leads us up another set of stairs to an outdoor patio. We’re led to a table near the railing.
Ivy twists along the wrought-iron rails, and the Brooklyn Bridge glows against the darkening sky.
I take a seat on one side of the booth and to my surprise, Oliver slides in beside me. We face the bridge, leaning back against the plush cushions as the host sets the drink menus in front of us.
Oliver clears his throat as he opens his drink menu. “What if this was a date?”
My hands tremble as I open the menu. Butterflies erupt in my stomach as my cheeks warm. “Interesting tactic to get me on a date.”
He chuckles, draping one arm over the back of the booth. His fingertips brush my bare shoulder, causing a tingle to run through my body.
Would I want to be around him as much as I am if every touch wasn’t electric?
Yes.
Oliver leans closer, his breath ghosting across the shell of my ear. “I’m not very good at this.”
“Dating, or being social in general?” I wink at him and start flipping through the drink menu. “Spicy margarita sounds like it could be good. But then there’s a gummy bear one, too.”
“Dating. Being social in general is part of my job, even though you seem to love to forget that.” He looks around until he sees the waiter.
After our drink orders are placed, we fall into a comfortable silence. I lean against his side and watch the traffic race across the Brooklyn Bridge.
A few minutes later, our drinks are placed in front of us, and we take the first sip. The alcohol chases away the last of the nerves that are coursing through my body.
“For what it’s worth, I don’t do this much either.” I stretch my legs out and put my feet up on the seat across from us.
“Dating, or being social in general?” He smirks at me over the rim of his glass of bourbon.
Laughing, I nestle deeper into his side. “Dating. I spend my days working with dozens of different people. The dating thing is still fairly new, though.”
“Why?”
I take a sip of my own drink, lime exploding on my tongue. “I was too driven. The few men I dated didn’t like that I had dreams of getting out of a smaller town and moving to the city. They wanted to settle down and start families where they had been raised, and I wanted more for myself.”
“Sounds like they were still boys, then.”
I shrug one shoulder and tilt my head back to look up at him. “Maybe. I think we just wanted different things out of life. They wanted me to be a housewife, and I wanted to work on Broadway.”
“And you did it.” Oliver traces patterns on my shoulder. “Is it what you hoped it would be?”
“Most of the time. There are problems with the show that we’re trying to get figured out, but so far, I’m loving it. It’s everything that I didn’t know if I would ever get to do. I have to work at The Gilded Raven to make ends meet, but I like it there too. You should come sometime.”
Oliver makes a strangled noise, a pink tinge crossing his cheeks. “I’ve been at most of your shows.”
My eyes nearly bulge out of my head. “Have you? I haven’t seen you there.”