Date in the Dark (8 page)

“Of course,” she smiles at us.

I show Miles out of the lab and close the
door behind us. I didn’t want him saying something too loud to ruin
my plan.

“You’re right, I think I should go in your
place.” I tell him.

“Seriously? I think she’ll figure it out
right away if another guy shows up.”

“It’ll be fine. It’s me, all I need it one
night. I can’t get this girl out of my mind and for some reason, I
just know we could be good together. But until she gives me a
chance, I’ll never know.”

“Hey, Parker,” Kelly says as she walks up to
us. “Is Allie inside the computer lab?”

“Hi, Kelly,” I nod behind me. “Yeah…she’s in
there.”

“Oh wow, don’t sound so enthused.” She
glances back and forth between my brother and myself. “Hi, I’m
Kelly.” She extends her hand to my brother. He towers over her by
about four inches and pins her with a look I’ve never seen on him.
He looks lost. He doesn’t say anything as he places his hand in
hers and shakes it. His movements are so gentle, it seems as though
if he shakes her hand too hard, he might break her. Kelly giggles
and a blush sweeps over her face. This is the moment I told him
about, the one I won’t let him forget. I clear my throat and glance
away because the whole situation is a little awkward.

My brother stands tall and clears his throat
too. Briefly, he makes eye contact with me, and then focuses on a
shelf nearby. I try not to laugh. Is he really going to pretend to
be interested in that book?

“You must be Parker’s brother,” Kelly says,
interrupting the silence. Miles glances over his shoulder at her
and nods. Kelly’s hand touches me and she start to rub my arm.
“Well, if you’re anything like Parker here, then maybe we could go
on a double date?”

Miles whips around, nodding at the same time
the door to the computer lab opens and Allie steps out. Her eyes
instantly dart from mine to the Kelly’s hand. Shit. I step away at
the same time Kelly removes her hand.
Great
. Like that
wasn’t suspicious behavior. With a smile, Allie keeps her eyes
focused on Kelly.

“Parker, if you’re done out here, Mrs. Lennon
is asking for your help. I tried to help her, but she insisted she
only wanted you.”

I nod. “Yeah, of course. Give me just a
moment.” I glance at my brother. Allie’s eyes follow the path mine
made and she nods. Turning for the computer lab, she pauses to
glance over her shoulder.

“Kelly, are you coming?”

Kelly perks up and follows right behind her
without saying a word. The door closes, and Miles lets out a long
exaggerated breath followed by a whistle.

“You can replace me tonight on one
condition,” he says.

I raise a brow and cock my head. “And what’s
that?”

“Get me a date with Allie’s friend.”

Chapter Nine

Allie

It’s noon and I’m standing at the front desk
waiting for Parker. When I saw Kelly this morning, I wanted to go
all high school and pull her away to tell her about my morning with
him. This guy is slowly winning me over and right now, I’m actually
excited for our lunch date. I’m also starting to accept the fact
I’m totally into my coworker and all instincts to stay away from
him or fading fast.

“Hey, sorry I kept you waiting,” he says,
jogging down the steps.

“It’s not a problem,” I say.
Holy crap
Allie, stop grinning like a fool.

Just like this morning, Parker rests his hand
against the small of my back as he guides me through the front
doors. “Where would you like to go?” he asks.

“Anywhere is fine with me. I eat
anything.”

“So, I’m not limited to a place with a
salad?”

“Ick, no, maybe pick somewhere with a burger
and fries.”

“You got it.”

As we turn the corner, I hear someone shout
my name from behind us. We both turn to see who it is and find Levi
jogging up behind us.

“Good, I’m glad I caught you. Harold wants to
go over the schedule for tomorrow.”

“Right now?” I ask.

“Yeah, he’s about to leave for the remainder
of the week and wants to do it as soon as possible.”

I try not to let the drop in my posture give
away my feelings. When Parker gives me a half smile, I know I’ve
failed.

“Alright, I guess we can do lunch another
day?”

At my words his smiles beams and he nods. “Of
course, but I’ll go pick us up something to eat while you meet with
Harold.”

“That would be great. Thank you.”

Parker waves as he continues down the street
and I follow behind Levi. Maybe this is a sign that I’m truly not
supposed to date any co workers, not even great ones like
Parker.

****

“Hey Allie, I was wondering if you needed any
other help for the Poetry Slam? Parker said he wasn’t working it
with you this afternoon. I didn’t pry, but I thought I would offer
my help, if you need it.” Levi stands at the doorway of my office.
He’s another great example of why people shouldn’t date coworkers.
Levi dates them all, but never stays with them, and then they quit.
I’m not sure what happens on those dates, but it must be awful. I
have high hopes for Amber.

“Actually yes, if you could take charge of
the schedule, make sure everyone goes in order, and only reads what
they signed up for. I want there to be enough time for everyone to
share. After the slam we had over the summer, where people brought
pages and pages and just kept reading, well…we don’t want that this
time.”

I hand Levi the schedule, and he leaves
without another word. Parker wanted to get caught up with some of
his daily duties upstairs this afternoon. I didn’t realize that I
would actually want and need the help. “Help, please, you just
wanted him to be around you again.”

“I always heard talking to yourself was the
first sign of crazy but…I think for you, there might be an
exception.” Parker says, standing in the doorway to my office with
his arms and ankles crossed as he leans against the frame. His eyes
gaze over me and a sexy smirk fills his face.

I shake my head and laugh. How does he know
what to say to keep this permanent grin on my face?

“I just ran into Levi and he said he was
helping you with the Poetry Slam. I hope I didn’t mess anything up
by going upstairs for a bit?”

I rise from my chair and straighten out my
skirt as I stand. “No, you’re fine, Parker. You’ve been an amazing
help the last two days.”

Since he hasn’t moved from my doorway, I walk
toward him. The poets are going to begin any moment and I need to
be there to make the introductions. I’m almost through the door
when he gently grabs my wrist to stop me. My heart pounds heavy
from the touch and I stop instantly. It takes everything I have not
to look up into his eyes. I know if I do, I’ll forget my rule
completely.

“How was your lunch?”

I don’t move. Not even a shake of my head.
“It was great. Thank you.”

”Go out with me,” he whispers. “On a real
date.”

“I can’t.”

“Why not? You’re beautiful, smart, funny, and
every time I’m near you I get surrounded by your vanilla scent. It
drives me crazy.”

His words seep right though me.
He smells
good too.
And I know the kind of crazy he’s talking about. I
feel it too.

“Can I give you a ride home tonight?”

“Yes,” I answer, not thinking twice about it.
Then, I dart out of my office before I do something I might regret
later. Like kiss him.

Parker

I follow Allie out into the lobby where the
Poetry Slam is taking place. I need to finish some work upstairs
but every part of me craves to be around her. I don’t know what it
is, but knowing she’s near me, puts me in a better mood. I was
always a happy guy, but Allie, she brings out something in me I
never knew I had. It’s so new, I don’t even know what it is.

Allie’s eyes meet mine from where she stands
in front of the crowd and her next words pause on her lips. I watch
as her chest rises before she looks away to continue. I swear I saw
it in her eyes. Desire. Need. Passion.

I groan and run my hands through my hair as
Allie steps away the first poet takes the stage. He has on baggy
jeans and an oversized football jersey and a Mohawk. Huh, I guess
you really should never judge a book by its cover. I listen for a
moment and after five lines, he’s done. The next poet is a girl
wearing all black. Her voice is monotone and loses my interest
quickly.

I catch a glimpse of Allie one more time
before I disappear up the steps. Now, she’s something that has my
full attention.

****

”Hey, are you ready to go?” I say, clapping
my hands as I enter her office. She’s standing the middle of the
room holding two of the children’s books I picked out earlier. A
gasp escapes her lips when I take a step toward her, and she bumps
into the desk. With one hand set flat on each side of her, I look
her in the eye. Her sweet vanilla fills the space between us, and I
fight back the urge to kiss her and steal her breath the moment our
lips touch. To taste her and know exactly what it would feel like
to have those plump lips against mine. I want to capture her
shaking bottom lip with my mouth to calm her. But I don’t. If we
started something, I wouldn’t be able to stop. I swallow hard
before I say anything.

“Last night, when I dropped you off, I wanted
to kiss you.”

“I know,” she breaths, and I feel her warm
breath on my lips.

“And today, I couldn’t wait to be around you,
hear your voice, and see your smile. I know when I took you home
last night you felt it too, Allie, don’t deny it.” I push off the
desk and forced myself to look away when her breathing picks
up.

“I’ve never denied it,” she says, grabbing
her purse and jacket and following me out of the room. “It’s just
not a good idea.”

“I know you believe that, but you’re wrong.”
I turn to face. “I’ll find a way to show you I’m different.”

Her eyes latch onto mine and I swear I see
hope in each one. She wants me to be different and tonight at
dinner, I’m going to prove it to her.

Allie

“Do you think people can fall in love even
when they hardly know each other?” I ask, watching as Kelly comes
through my door. I texted her earlier to tell her that Parker was
giving me a ride, again, and that I needed some girl talk before
dark date two.

“Is this about your date in the dark guy?”
Kelly asks.

No it’s about the crazy built-up ball of
sexual tension I somehow managed to create between Parker and me
after just a few days of working together.

“Yes, it is,” is how I actually answer. Am I
embarrassed to admit my feelings to Kelly? Would she understand?
She hasn’t said anything to me about her date from last night.

“Then yeah, I do think you can.” She glances
across the room at me then looks away.

“Is there something you’re not telling me?” I
ask.

“No. But, how are things with Parker?”

Just hearing his name causes me to blush.

Kelly sits down next to me. “You know what I
think?” she says, and grabs a magazine of the coffee table.“I think
you should treat your date tonight the way you would if he were
Parker.”

“Oh, what? No, that isn’t fair at all.”

“Hear me out, okay?” She drops the magazine
and holds her hands up “You like Parker, but you don’t know if you
can trust him enough to date him? Well, give all that trust to your
date. Base your decision off the way he treats you. It won’t hurt
anyone. It could be fun and maybe in the end, it’s less stress for
you.”

I shake my head as I consider her idea. I’m
afraid of what could happen with this guy tonight if I pretend he’s
Parker. I let out a sigh, I’ve already stepped outside my box and
am dating a total stranger, I may as well pretend he’s another guy
while I’m at it. Besides, she’s right, it won’t hurt anything.

“Okay, yeah, we’ll see how it goes
tonight.”

Chapter Ten

Parker

I wonder if this is how carried away the mind
of a woman gets. I’ve been sitting here for maybe five minutes, and
if I can hear right, there are still no women in the room. Only a
bunch of men clearing their throats and waiting patiently. It
crosses my mind that there’s a chance none of the women decided to
come back and for a moment I don’t care about anyone else. I can’t
seem to think of anyone but Allie and why she wouldn’t come back.
What did my bother do?

“Good evening, gentlemen. It’s Liz again. I
hope everyone is a bit more excited tonight. I’m very happy to see
that almost every couple has returned for this evening. Tonight
we’ll be doing things a bit differently, so please keep an open
mind and be prepared to get your feet stepped on.” Liz’s laughter
fills the room, and a few men awkwardly join in.

Fear instantly takes over. Did she say
almost
everyone came back? And did she say trying something
new? I hope they aren’t switching our dates. I didn’t make a deal
with Miles just for them to switch things up on us. Maybe they
figured out that I lied about who I was when I checked in
tonight.

“Your dates are waiting for you in the dance
hall. Before you eat, you’ll have a whole hour of dancing, so I
hope you all know how to dance and can sweep these women off their
feet.”

I’m definitely overreacting.

I don’t have time to think about what this
place must look like if they have enough room for a dance hall
before a hand touches my arm. When I stand from my seat, someone
leads me through the dark. When this is over, I’ll have to remind
Sara to ask her husband’s parents for a tour of the place.

The person leading me stops and lets go of my
arm. They don’t give me any instructions either. I listen for some
type of noise but hear nothing.