Claire stood up and joined in the hug, leaving only Hanna still seated, staring at them with a small smile covering her lips. Richard walked over to her, putting his hand out and pulling her toward him.
“Hey you,” he whispered into her hair as he held her tightly against his chest. Her hands circled his waist, fisting the fabric of his jacket.
“Hi,” she whispered back softly.
“How are you doing?”
“Good, thank you. How are you? Claire tells me you’ve become a workaholic.”
“I don’t really get a choice.”
“Well, maybe I can try to cure you over the next few days.”
“That sounds intriguing. I’m free tonight.” He surprised himself with this invitation; there was no way he was going to get the presentation finished today. He really needed tonight to add the final touches.
“I have to go to my father’s for dinner at seven. Maybe I could meet you afterward?” The hopeful tone of her voice made Richard smile.
“Why don’t you come and meet me at the office, it’ll give me a chance to finish up some stuff. We can get a drink or something?”
Later that evening, Richard was just shutting down his computer when Hanna arrived. He glanced up, taking in the black dress, natural makeup and long brown hair. “How long ago did you leave the Goth look behind?”
Hanna laughed. “I haven’t been a Goth since I went to University. I still prefer dressing down, but I didn’t want to give my father too much of a heart attack.”
“The dress suits you.” It clung to her curves in all the right places, the hem falling at mid-thigh to expose her long legs.
“You seem to have changed your style, too.” She walked over, a small smile dancing across her face as she came to a stop in front of him. Lifting up his tie, her fingers played with the soft silk. “I don’t think your suit came from Marks and Sparks.”
“Marks and Spark’s?” Richard shook his head in confusion.
“Marks and Spencer. I’m pretty sure they don’t stock Gucci.”
“You recognized the designer?”
She laughed out loud, still holding his tie, slowly pulling him forward until their faces were almost touching. Putting her mouth next to his ear, she slowly breathed. “Nathan told me you won’t wear anything else.”
Shit, he was getting a hard-on from feeling her exhalations on his skin. He didn’t know whether to just surrender to it, or pull away. Hanna made the decision for him, moving back to sit on the chair next to his desk.
“How is corporate life treating you? You’re looking good in it
.” She stared at his suit again.
Richard closed his laptop and swiveled around to face her. “You know, I actually love it. I’m learning quickly, people listen to me when I talk, and I make things happen. In three years’ time, I might actually know what I’m doing.”
“So, you don’t regret not going to San Francisco?” She was leaned toward him, her elbows propped on the desk, her chin resting in her hands.
“I try not to think about it. I’m all about looking ahead. Speaking of which, what do you have planned after graduation?”
Hanna smiled broadly, her eyes dancing as she thought about her own future. “I’ve been offered a job on Music Train, where I interned last summer.”
“Wow, that’s excellent news. We should celebrate.”
“Yes we should,” she agreed.
Standing up, he took her hand. They walked to the elevator, keen to get out of the office and finally spend some time together.
A few drinks later and he’d managed to get her to open up about Josh. Richard wasn’t sure why he was so keen to hear about their split; whether it was out of genuine concern for her, or if he just wanted confirmation that everything was really over. Either way, he sat in the booth with Hanna, his arm loosely around her shoulders, and she leaned against him, her face screwed up as she tried to explain her emotions.
“…He kept trying to say that he only slept with her because he was afraid of his feelings for me. That he thought I wasn’t committed to the relationship, and he wanted to show me that he didn’t give a fuck. Then he’d change his mind, and tell me it was a complete mistake, and that he was out of his mind with alcohol. He wouldn’t even tell me if it was a one-off or if the relationship had been going on for some time.”