“Good evening,” she said breathlessly as soon as she walked through the door to his office.
He looked at her from her shining head to her navy high heels he knew she wore to give her added height. “Good evening. You look nice,” he said and moved forward.
He put a hand to the small of her back and guided her back out the doorway. They passed Liz’s desk and Sabrina hoped his secretary didn’t know that Sid was taking her out to dinner. She didn’t want anyone to know about their encounters. If she kept their relationship a secret, no matter how long or short it lasted, it would be difficult when he moved on, but at least everyone else wouldn’t be gossiping about it either.
“Where are we going?” she asked when she noticed that he pressed the up button on a private elevator instead of the down button which would take them to the lobby.
“To my suite,” he said.
“Oh,” she whispered. That wasn’t what she had been anticipating. His suite meant something quite different. She’d been anticipating a restaurant. Some place where others would be around and she could breathe a little easier, knowing that nothing could happen. His suite was a totally different concept and she wasn’t sure she was ready for that.
She didn’t have much of a choice though as the elevators opened and they walked down a dimly lit hallway. While she was busy debating the issue, he was guiding her to his suite. Outside of the only door, he pressed some buttons and the door opened.
Sabrina walked anxiously into the room and gasped in pleasure. “Oh, how lovely,” she said, taking in the incredible view of the Las Vegas lights through a bank of windows on two sides of the extremely large living room. The penthouse was beautifully decorated in shades of white and brown, not overly masculine but still strong and comfortable.
“This way,” he said and led her out to the patio. They were too high to hear the noise but the air was crisp and cool and not too cold since unobtrusive heaters filtered through the air. Sabrina accepted the glass of wine he poured and moved over to the banister. “I don’t know how you work with this view up here. I’d be standing here all day.” She tried to hide her nervousness but suspected that he could see right through her bravado.
Sid glanced out at the view and acknowledged that it was striking. “It’s nice,” he replied.
Sabrina laughed and looked back at him. “Not very dramatic if you have to look at it every day, I suppose?” she questioned.
“I suppose. Are you hungry?” he asked. “I’m starving,” she agreed, relieved to have something to do other than be nervous. “What did your chef make for us?” she asked.
“I’m not sure,” he said and walked over to the table and lifted the plate covers, sniffing the air. “Smells good,” he said and raised an eyebrow. “Are you ready to eat?’
“Sure,” she said and sat down at the table, grateful to be able to put some space between the two of them.
“What made you move away from the East Coast?” he asked as soon as they started eating.
“Oh, this is delicious,” she said, instead of answering his question. She savored the spicy flavor for a moment, before she shrugged one shoulder slightly in response. “I hadn’t planned to move out here. I was perfectly content to stay where I was.”
He raised one eyebrow at her response. “Why did you apply for the job then?”
“Because my sister bet me that I wouldn’t have the guts,” she laughed. “She wanted me to take the job and knew how to push my buttons. I didn’t think I had a chance in the world of landing the job so I didn’t have anything to lose except for a few hours,” she replied and smiled up at him. “This is amazing,” she said, referring to the baked salmon with a spicy cream sauce. “How does your chef make it so tender?”
“I have no idea. I’ve never done more than make a sandwich,” he said. “What does your sister do?” he asked.
Sabrina’s eyes twinkled with merriment as she replied, “She works for you.”
Sid hid his surprise but liked the fact that she felt comfortable enough around him now to tease him. “She does?”
“Yes, she’s one of your dancers.”
“What’s her name?”
“Nina. She’s been working here for several years but is also going to law school.”
“I’m surprised she has time in the evenings. The dancers rehearse a lot of the time.”
“She goes to day classes. Things are a little reversed in our family.”
“What do you mean?”
Sabrina raised one shoulder delicately. “My sister works nights and goes to school during the days. She’s also eighteen months younger than me but acts like she’s older. My sister is very protective of me for some reason,” she said, sampling the creamy potatoes.
“And she doesn’t want you to have anything to do with me,” he said, guessing accurately.
Sabrina noted the smile in his eyes and was relieved. “You’re right,” she said.
“So why are you here?”
“Because you don’t take no for an answer,” she said, chuckling softly.
“When it’s the right answer, I do,” he replied.
“What would be the right time to say no to you?”
Sid arrogantly shrugged his shoulder. “I haven’t run across a good time so far but I’m willing to bet that it will arrive at some point in my life.” He smiled as she rolled her eyes.
“How does someone become so confident? What happened in your life that has made you so incredibly….” She wanted to say arrogant but that wasn’t really the word she wanted to use although it definitely described him. “Assertive?”
He lifted his glass and took a sip of wine before answering her. “You’re assertive when it’s needed,” he said, not answering her question.
“I wasn’t very assertive tonight,” she joked.
“It wasn’t needed,” he responded in a matter of fact tone.
Her eyes showed her laughter. “Depends on your point of view,” she said.
“Touché,” he countered with a smile. “So is your sister any good?”
Sabrina laughed. “Of course she is.”
“Are you two close?”