insisted on telling her what to do. Of course, there was a
huge difference between Lauren and O.E.-Lauren hated
her, but O.E. seemed quite attracted. Still, his
overwhelming ego made her feel insignificant.
The waitress brought drinks and took their dinner
orders. O.E. seemed overly friendly with the woman, but
Rebecca assumed that it was just his usual playfulness. She
needed to let it pass.
They raised their glasses, and O.E. offered a toast. "To
us."
Yeah, well, maybe. Rebecca was mildly put off by his
flirting with the waitress. That didn't seem like the sort of
thing one should do on a first date. Then again, O.E. wasn't
the sort of man she ever expected to be with on a first date.
Why was she letting him bother her? Wasn't this all
about a new adventure with an exciting man? She managed
to let it go and looked up into his thirsty smile. "Sure. To
us." Rebecca tapped her glass with his.
She sipped her drink and set it down. "Can I ask you a
question, O.E.?"
"Anything."
"Don't you worry that you won't be able to find a job
when you run out of money?"
O.E. chuckled. "Always the MBA, eh? Look Rebecca, I'm
doing fine with my money and my life. Believe me, I've got
enough for a while. As I mentioned, I've got some friends
who help me out occasionally."
This worried her. A guy who leaned on his rich friends
and then spent carelessly-the worst kind of leech. Rebecca
curled her lip. "How much money have your friends given
you?"
"I told you, I've never taken their charity. Just occasional
favors. Sometimes I do some work for them. For example,
I'm staying at Dan Avery's place right now while he's on his
honeymoon."
"He doesn't mind?"
"Of course not. He's not using it, and he's happy to have
someone keep an eye on it."
"Where do you normally live?"
He worked his mouth. "I have a couple of other places
where I stay. I manage pretty well. And I have friends all
over the world." He looked away. "Can we please change the
subject? I promise I'll never ask you for any money-you're
safe with me. Why is this so important?"
"Because I'm a self-sufficient woman, and I believe that
people should be responsible. You worry me, O.E.-no
place to live and no job. You could end up on the street.
Doesn't that scare you? Your lifestyle seems a little
irresponsible."
O.E. squinted at her. "Maybe it's you who has the wrong
lifestyle. You worry about money too much, work yourself