“Oh.”
They reached the dining room, where a buffet with delicacies from around the world was displayed.
“Wow, what a room!” Sabrina exclaimed, pointing at the paintings on the wall and the expensive rug under their feet. Then her eyes drifted to the windows and the view over a different part of Manhattan.
“I guess you’d better not be afraid of heights in a place like this.”
Daniel chuckled. “That would be a problem, yes, particularly since penthouses are always on the top floor.”
She playfully jabbed him in his side. “Smartass.”
“Is this man bothering you, Sabrina?” a familiar voice came from behind them.
Both he and Sabrina turned. Daniel reached his hand out to Paul. “First I don’t see you in months, and then suddenly you’re everywhere I am. How are you?”
Paul shook his hand. “Doing well.” Then he smiled at Sabrina, shaking her hand. “I see you’re wearing your new brooch. Just like I said: it brings out the color of your eyes.”
“Hi Paul, nice to see you again.”
“New brooch?” Daniel asked and looked from Sabrina to Paul and back.
His eyes dropped to the gold brooch that was pinned to Sabrina’s dress. How did Paul know that Sabrina had a new brooch?
“Yes,” Paul said cheerfully. “Funniest thing happened. Sabrina tried to return a faulty brooch at Bloomingdale’s, and the sales clerk was giving her trouble. Luckily I happened to be there and was able to convince the guy to let her exchange it for another one.”
Sabrina smiled. “Paul helped me pick this one. Do you like it, Daniel?”
Daniel pushed down his annoyance. He should have been there to help Sabrina, not Paul. Would she look at Paul as her knight in shining armor now?
“Yes, it’s beautiful.” He took a breath. “You didn’t mention that you ran into Paul.”
He tried to keep all accusation out of his tone, not wanting to sound like a controlling boyfriend, though he did feel irritated that Sabrina had kept her chance meeting with Paul from him.
“You’ve been working so much lately, we didn’t really have time to talk. I guess I just forgot to mention it,” she said lightly.
“Well, I’m glad Paul was able to help out.” He nodded at his friend.
Paul smirked. “What are friends for?”
Wanting to change the subject quickly, Daniel asked, “Did you bring a date tonight?”
“Going stag. But don’t worry, I won’t be going home alone. Zach always invites the prettiest women.” His gaze strayed to Sabrina, then drifted to the buffet where a beautiful blonde placed a few pieces of sushi on her plate.
“Excuse me, guys, I think it’s time for me to turn on my charm.”
Sabrina laughed. “Have fun. And thanks again.”
With long steps, Paul walked up to the buffet.
“So you ran into him at Bloomingdale’s,” Daniel repeated.
Sabrina looked straight at him and took a sip from her glass. “Yes, as I said.”
He grunted.
“Are you jealous?”
“Of course not! It’s just odd that you wouldn’t have told me about meeting Paul.”
“Meeting Paul? I was hardly meeting him. He saw me standing at the jewelry counter, arguing with the sales clerk and came over.”
“Hmm.”
“Daniel, please, what’s the problem?”
“I should have been the one helping you out of this situation, not he.”
Sabrina shook her head. “But you weren’t there.”
“That’s just it. I don’t seem to be there when you need me.” What kind of boyfriend did that make him?
“Please don’t blow this out of proportion. He helped me out, that’s all. I was grateful.”
“How grateful?” he ground out.
Sabrina slid her hand over his chest and leaned closer. “Not as grateful as I would have been had you been the one dealing with that clerk,” she said in a sultry voice, batting her eyelashes at him.
“Oh God, Sabrina, don’t play with me.”
“I’m not.” She brought her lips to hover over his. “I would have been very, very grateful to you.”
Daniel almost choked and felt blood shooting to his groin at the implication of her words. “I think we should get out of here.”
“We just got here,” she whispered back. “It’s gonna look odd if we leave already.”
“I know, but when you talk to me like that, all I can think of is to throw you down on the nearest flat surface and bury myself deep inside you.”