I scoffed. “You think Ijustkeep up?”
“I don’t know, Ms. Carmen. What else do you do?”
“I do what I like.”
A flicker of a smirk played on his lips. “And what do you like?”
“Control.”
He leaned against the doorframe, hands in his pockets. “Hm. I’ll keep that in mind.”
“I’m not sure I like the idea of you holding onto that information.”
He grinned at that, amused that I caught on to what he was implying so quickly. “You know. I pictured you completely different.”
“Oh?” I asked, half-curious, half-wary. “What’d you expect?”
He shrugged, eyes scanning my face. “Didn’t expect you to be funny. Or this sharp. That’s rare.”
“So I’m theoppositeof whatever you had in mind.”
“No.” His gaze didn’t waver. “You’re better.”
That hung in the air for a second too long.
I leaned back on my hands. “Does Theo know you flirt like this at work?”
“Pretty sure he assumes I keep it mostly professional.”
Random Voice: He didn’t deny the flirting.
“Do you?”
He smiled. “Mostly.”
I laughed, more entertained than flattered. This man was, to say the least, interesting. And interesting was a problem I didn’t need right now. “Well. Maybe keep it to yourself.”
The glass door creaked open behind us.
Theo stepped inside, eyes flicking between us like he’d walked into the tail end of something he couldn’t quite name.
Vincent straightened, all ease and business again, taking the folder from Theo. “Let me know if you want changes.”
Then he turned to me, gave a respectful nod, and a smile that could’ve passed for harmless—if you weren’t paying attention.
“Pleasure, Carmen.”
And with that, he disappeared out the door and down the hall.
Theo shut the door slowly. “What the fuck was that about?”
I crossed my arms, still leaning on the desk. “What do you mean?”
Theo stared at the door for a moment longer before turning back to me, expression unreadable. “Vincent looking at you like that.”
“Like what?”
His eyes narrowed. “Like he wanted to risk it all.”
