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carry me home!" Fay laughed.

Fay downed the shot just as Sal added, "I'm sure that Adam would be only too happy." Fay suddenly began to choke. She put her head down coughing furiously whilst Adam patted her on the back.

"Go easy," he laughed, and a knowing smile spread across his face when she looked up at him.

Several Sambucas later they had moved to the end of the bar to talk to Ruth who was less busy as many of the other drinkers had left at that point.

"So where did she take you today then Adam?" Ruth asked with interest.

"We went to an archaeological site, a beach and a cave. We hit a few hitches along the way but we made it back in one piece," he said winking at Fay. She smiled back at him. Ruth began to line up more shot glasses and proceeded to fill them from the half empty Sambuca bottle. Fay watched in horror, dropping her head down on the bar in front of her. "Please, no more!"

"Come on Fay, if you don't drink it we'll have to force you to drink a shot of Camparri," Sal warned.

Her head shot up. "Evil drink!"

Ruth looked at Adam. "She can't stand Camparri; she says it could kill her."

"Oh well, we don't want that do we?" he replied, picking up her shot glass and holding it to her lips.

She looked at him beseechingly. "Please don't make me drink it."

"Come on now. Open up, there's a good girl," he encouraged her. She sighed and let him pour the drink into her mouth, beyond the ability to argue. "There you go, that wasn't so bad was it?"

Reaching forward he placed the glass on the bar whilst his other hand moved to her back. He sat down but kept his hand on her, stroking her bare skin with his fingers. She shuddered suddenly and looked sideways at him to see that he was watching her intently.

"Why are you looking at me like that? You know you really shouldn't look at me like that at all," she said, leaning towards him.

"Why not?" he asked.

She frowned, finding it difficult to focus through the haze of alcohol. "Because...well you know why."

He laughed. "Let me guess. Because you secretly like me looking at you but it goes against your prudish sensibilities to admit the fact."

She huffed. "What a load of nonsense." He watched her with those intensely inquisitive eyes and she turned away from him, feeling uncomfortable with his scrutiny.

Moments later she felt something touch her hair and looked back at him to see his fingers entwined in one of her blonde curls.

"What are you doing?" she frowned, glancing at him sideways.

"I'm playing with your hair," he said simply.

"Why are you playing with my hair?" she asked, bemused.

He watched the golden strands slipping through his fingers. "It fascinates me."

She burst out laughing. "You've had too many Sambucas."

"Probably, but it fascinates me anyway," he replied. She edged away from him and he dropped his hand, turning when the music became louder to see Sal and Pat dancing and giggling behind them. "Ahh, looks like it's time to dance," he said, turning back to her with a hopeful and somewhat cheeky smile.

"Oh no!" she shook her head. "Besides, bosses don't dance with their employees."

"Sure they do. What about office parties?" he put to her.

Her eyes widened. "Yes but all sorts of inappropriate things usually go on at those."

His grin widened. "Yeah, great," he said wickedly, his eyes flirting with hers.

She laughed his comment off but it was a nervous kind of sound as she found that she didn't know how to respond. To come across too offended would suggest that she believed he really meant he wanted to be inappropriate with her and so she chose to take it as a joke, but still by the look he was giving her she wasn't entirely sure if it was. She glanced down awkwardly, avoiding those inquisitive eyes of his and to her embarrassment she felt her cheeks becoming hot as she did so. As she fiddled with a beer mat on the bar she heard him laugh, a soft, knowing laugh.

"What are you thinking about I wonder?" he said, observing her reaction. She took in a breath and lifted her head to come back with a witty reply but for some reason all words left her head when her eyes met his smoky, seductively amused ones. God, she was losing track of the conversation and her senses with it! It wasn't the first time that he'd had this effect on her but it seemed to be getting worse! "I can read your mind," he smiled.

"Oh really," she replied, seemingly unconvinced.

"Yes. It's one of my many talents," he laughed. "I can tell your future too."

She faked amazement but frowned a little when he reached for her hand on the bar and turned it over in his.

"Ah yes," he began, reading her palm, "I see a tall, dark stranger coming into your life."

She looked down at her palm. "Do you see him leaving too," she came back.

"Awch!" he frowned. "Right for that madam, you have to dance," he announced, pulling her off the bar stool and onto the impromptu dance floor behind them.

"No really Adam," she protested, resisting him, "I'm sure Ruth will be wanting to close the bar soon."

He put his arm firmly around her waist and kept hold of her hand, swirling her around in a dizzying array of dance moves. She laughed as the combination of movement and alcohol made her head swim.

"Stop, stop! Please Adam," she giggled, "I take it all back!"

He finally stopped and linked his hands behind her back, assessing her much improved mood as they laughed and struggled to catch their breaths. He found himself observing what a difference a smile made to Fay's face. She was beautiful anyway, but with a smile on her face she was stunning. It hit him then that he really liked this woman, he knew that she could be difficult, defensive and distant at times but right then, at that moment, he really liked her a lot and the realization excited him.

"Isn't it great just to be impulsive at times?" he smiled, leaning closer to her and whispering into her ear, "are you ever impulsive Fay?" His breath was warm and tingled in her ear. He leant back to assess her reaction and he just caught a glimpse of temptation in her face before she contradicted it with her reply,

"No never. I'm extremely practical as well you know or you wouldn't have hired me."

He wasn't to be put off. "Yes, but you forget Fay, I can read your mind," he answered cunningly, bringing his face closer to hers and locking gazes with her. She felt her heart suddenly thudding in her chest as, by the intensity of his eyes, she began to wonder if he really could read her mind. Even worse, when his gaze moved to her lips for the third time that day all she could suddenly think about was them kissing each other! Again she felt heat flooding her face, her cheeks slowly getting hotter and hotter the longer his eyes held hers. She had the insane thought then that he might not notice, not a chance! A slow seductive smile developed across his face, he'd missed nothing! "Go on Fay, be impulsive," he encouraged her. Did he realize that by saying that he was unwittingly making her think all the more of a kiss between them? It was the very last thing that she wanted to be thinking about but somehow he'd planted the thought in her head and it was refusing to budge! His eyes sparkled into hers, daring her to do what he knew was in her thoughts. The idea was scandalous! Kissing her boss after only knowing him for one day in the middle of her local bar! And yet there was something secretly exciting about the mere thought of that. Her gaze flitted from his eyes to his lips and back again until she felt so strung with tension that she feared she might do something really stupid and actually kiss him! "Shall I be impulsive instead then?" he said finally, as she realized suddenly that somehow he'd moved in and his lips were now inches from hers. Her heart was beating so fast at that point that she feared it couldn't take the strain! Never before had she experienced such contradictory feelings inside her; on the one hand she was horrified at the thought of them kissing, on the other, she felt disappointment at the thought of them not!

As it happened the decision was taken out of their hands when without warning the mood was abruptly broken as Sal fell into them from behind whilst attempting an overly ambitious dance move.

"Sorry," Sal giggled, "Carry on don't mind me," she said, dancing away from them but watching them with interest for a while over her shoulder.

Fay turned back to Adam and laughed awkwardly. "Well, it really must be time to go home by now," she said, untangling herself from Adam's arms and heading back to the bar and her handbag. Adam followed her, still grinning to himself despite the unfortunate disruption. He placed his hands on her waist from behind and whispered into her ear quickly before asking Ruth for the bill,

"A lucky escape this time." The words 'this time' echoed in her head.


Chapter 11

Adam rose off his stool to take a crate of beer off Ruth who was struggling to carry it down the bar.

"I guess that we'll be going soon. Will you be all right Ruth? Would you like me to see you home?" Adam asked as they moved behind the bar and he put the crate down.

"No, I'll be fine. I only live upstairs but thanks for the offer," she replied.

Fay watched as Adam began to empty the bottles of beer from the crate into the fridges for Ruth.

He was quite a gentleman