Page 16 of Archer
Would it be inappropriate to tell him I wouldn’t mind if he did? Biting back a giggle—no pun intended—I slipped out of my shoes and moved closer to him, pulling my legs up and crossing them in front of me. “Better?”
He nodded approvingly, and my stomach fluttered. He was so damn handsome, much hotter up close than he’d been from a distance. “I wasn’t sure what you like in your coffee, so I fixed it like I do my own when I want a little treat.”
Curious, I leaned forward and picked it up, sipping a little into my mouth. There was just a hint of sweetness. “Yum. This is delicious.”
“A little sweet cream. I figured it would pair perfectly with our dessert.” He then proceeded to pull two pieces of caramel cheesecake out of the bag and handed me one.
After I’d moaned around the first bite of pure heaven, he smiled and took a bite of his own. Watching him pull the fork out of his mouth, licking off every bit of the yummy deliciousness, I’d never wanted to be a utensil so badly in my life. Embarrassedat the track of my own thoughts, I forced myself to focus on my sweet treat.
We were halfway done when Archer said, “Before we get down to the nitty gritty, why don’t you tell me a little about yourself and how you came to be the new owner of Harmony and Joy.”
Rolling my eyes, I waited until I swallowed my bite and responded, “It’ll probably be better to start with the class schedule and stuff. AnAbout Mepage will bore potential clients so badly that they won’t even want to give the studio a shot.”
Archer paused with his fork halfway to his mouth and frowned. “I sense a reoccurring theme here that I don’t much care for.” While he put the cake container on the table and picked up his coffee and sat back, I frantically searched my mind trying to figure out what he meant. Archer cleared his throat. “Let’s start with this. What’s your middle name?”
“Jean, after my grandfather.”
He smiled so wide that the skin crinkled around his eyes. Wow. “You’re never going to believe this, but my middle name is also Jean, after my grandfather.”
“Really? That’s cool. We have something in common.”
The smirk that appeared on his face threw me. “I think we have more than one thing in common.”
I wondered—hoped—that he was talking about our sexuality. There was no mistaking the fact that I was very proudly gay. I’d never tried hiding it, and even my father, as unreasonable as he’d been lately, hadn’t batted an eye when I’d told my family that I was gay. Considering the fact I pretty much drooled every time I was around Archer, and my not-so-subtle touching of his chest, and the fact he hadn’t decked me for it, I thought perhaps he was at least open to male attention.
Before I had a chance to ask for clarification, he said, “Like take the fact we’re both business owners.”
Oh. Yeah, that. “I mean, I wouldn’t say I’m a successful business owner yet. I’m a baby entrepreneur, if anything.”
He graced me with a soft smile, one so kind that I relaxed a little more back into my seat. “We all have to start somewhere.”
“True, and I did get lucky with how this opportunity dropped into my lap.”
“Tell me about that.” I hesitated, not wanting to bore him, but he reached over and patted my knee. “Seriously, Crispin. I want to hear how you ended up with the studio.”
So I told him. And because he kept asking questions, I told him everything. Laying it all out in a way that I’d never done for my brother or anyone else. Sure, Ben knew bits and pieces about how much I’d hated my job and how I felt like I’d found my place on the yoga mat, and Aziza knew that running my own yoga studio was my dream, but I’d always left out little details.
Since my friends couldn’t really understand why I was working so hard or why I’d disappeared from partying with them, and my dad had become outright hostile since I left my financial career in the dust, the only two people I had left to count on were Ben and Aziza, so I wanted to make them proud. I also didn’t want them to worry about me. Or for Ben to regret letting me move in while I pursued this or Aziza to regret offering it to me.
“I guess that’s it,” I said, shrugging my shoulders. “Hope I didn’t put you to sleep.”
Archer grunted. “Are you kidding me? You told me you were boring, but that story is anything but. Damn, Crispin, I’m in awe of you.”
Startled, I gaped at him. “By me? I’m a twenty-something, who has no clue what in the hell he’s doing. What’s so impressive about that?” I held my arms wide, indicating his condo as I continued. “You’re the one who’s inspiring. Look at this place. It’s beautiful. And I happen to know they’re not cheap. Yet, you work for yourself, own this place, and rent one of the spaces downstairs for your office.”
“Studio and darkroom,” he corrected with a grin.
Rolling my eyes, I wrinkled my nose at him. “You know what I mean. If it weren’t for the fact that Aziza already built a reputation and a clientele, and our place is on the side of the building with no direct access from the outside, so it’s a little cheaper, I’d never even begin to dream that I’d be able to keep our location here. I’m still not sure I can.”
Which sucked, and I hated thinking about it, but it was something I might have to face. It might be a less expensive space inside the Windsor, but that didn’t mean it was cheap.
“Hmm. You don’t see what I see, but we’ll work on that.” Archer glanced at the watch on his wrist, then back up to me. “How about dinner?”
“Dinner?” I asked confused, then checked the time on my cellphone. Holy crap. I’d talked the whole afternoon away and into the early evening. I felt my cheeks warm with embarrassment that I’d taken up so much of his time, and we hadn’t done a thing on the website, which was what he’d asked me up here for. “I’m sorry. I wasted your whole day.”
“On the contrary, I think this was a very valuable use of my time. I’m glad that we both had the availability today. So how about it? Let’s go downstairs to the bar, and I’ll treat you to a nice meal for satisfying my curiosity.”
Snorting, I rolled my eyes. It was nice of him to act like he cared about me sharing every little detail of my life. On the other hand, he’d asked a million questions that kept me talking. The question now was, did I want to spend more time with him? Hell yeah. Did I understand why he wanted to spend even more time with me today? Not even a little bit. Was I one to look a gift horse in the mouth? Nope. No way. “If you insist.”