Free Company Ink by Samantha Anne Page A

Her tummy jumped as he watched her quietly.
    “Well, forgive me for saying so,” she remarked, “but Elena sounds like a nut job.”
    “As does Steve. I’m sorry you had to go through that.”
    “So am I.” She nodded, waving for the server. “And I’m sorry you had such a cold-hearted witch for a wife. If I had been in her shoes, things would have been a lot different.”
    Yikes
. Maybe that was a little too forward for a girl who’d only been friendly with him for the equivalent of a full day. Too late to hold her tongue now. She looked up at Ben self-consciously; his smile had widened.
    “Don’t get shy on me now, Vi. This is easily the most open and fun conversation I’ve had in … years.”
    She sucked her teeth. “Oh, come on, Ben … years?”
    He nodded. “I’ve got no reason to lie. I’ve had an absolute blast hanging out with you tonight. And honestly? I don’t want it to end.”
    She sat back in her chair and crossed her arms, grinning boldly. “You mean that, don’t you?”
    He brought his glass to his lips. “Like I said, I’ve got no reason to lie.”
    Ben continued to watch her, his gaze playfully dark as he drained his glass. She hadn’t expected her night to turn out like this, but here she was. And where it was headed was obvious, at least in her mind. She bit her lower lip again, butterflies setting up camp in her tummy and sending tiny bolts of lightning through her veins. She took a deep breath and exhaled loudly, amused by just how unready she was for all of this.
    “Oh man, I hate to do this,” she said, “but I have to go. I just really—I can’t.”
    Ben paused and nodded. “I get it. But can I see you again?”
    She stood slowly, and he followed suit. Was he being a gentleman, or was he just too drunk to realize what he was doing? He approached her with a flirtatious smirk, his steps resembling a cowboy’s swagger that had the potential to drive her crazy. She ran a hand through her untamed tresses, grabbing a handful as she laughed coyly.
    “You mean like at work … boss?”
    Ben dropped a rather large bill onto the table with a chuckle, and Violet pretended hard not to notice the tremendous tip he was leaving as he led her away from the table. “Oh, I was hoping that wouldn’t come up tonight.”
    “How could it not come up? You’re my manager; I’m your production supervisor.”
    “We’re two people who seem to get along a lot better when we’re not at the bakery.” Ben placed one hand directly on her back as he reached forward and held the door open for her with one strong, deft arm. “But you’re right. It might be a problem—I’ve never been interested in a co-worker before.”
    Violet strolled toward the curb, her head swimming from the copious amounts of wine she’d imbibed. A happy giggle escaped her lips, and she nearly clamped her hands over her mouth. “Me neither.”
    Oh no.
A twinge of panic rushed through her as their arms brushed together. Ben was her boss; getting involved with him was a bad idea, period. This should have been an easy decision. Instead, Violet felt like she was being tugged in opposite directions by both arms.
    She watched as he took long strides to the curb, his long and graceful body extending outward as he hailed a cab. He was wearing a black v-neck tee shirt and dark blue jeans, and she noticed for the first time that his blond locks were perfectly mussed. Maybe it was the Merlot goggles, but Ben Preston was more gorgeous than she remembered. A cab came screeching to a stop in front of them, and she immediately regretted saying she had to leave. She dropped her head with a sigh and stepped toward the cab, looking up to say goodbye. To her surprise, Ben was closer than ever and still taller by a large amount despite the fact that she was standing on the curb and he was in the street.
    “Wow,” she breathed. “You’re … really tall.”
    “Yes, ma’am.” Ben sniffed playfully.
    And you smell like heaven
. But