Out of the Friend Zone by Genevieve Jourdin Read Free Book Online

Out of the Friend Zone
     
     
    I looked at the clock and could hardly believe it was already time for Oliver to get here. Where had the time gone? I was still trying to decide what top to put on with my skirt, finally pulling on a green v-necked summer sweater that showed a fair amount of cleavage thanks to my new push-up bra. I didn’t usually like to walk around advertising the goods, but I wanted to look sexy for Oliver tonight. He was my work friend, but I had been waiting and hoping for him to show some romantic interest in me since he had transferred from the Boston office of Quantum Software Solutions eight long months ago.
    He was the company’s pinch hitter, sent to Houston to help shore up Quantum’s biggest account. He had done that, and wooed several other large clients in the months since he had arrived. If my job was in the software development section at work I might have felt threatened, but since I was in accounting I had been happy to welcome him to our office with no ruffled feathers.
    I had used that to my advantage and we had become very friendly, occasionally even eating lunch together. He always made a point to say hello when he passed my office door, and I made sure to do the same—I had spent a fair amount of time ensuring that he noticed me.
    A few of the developers had decided to blackball him, but I thought that was mostly jealousy. I didn’t have any feelings of animosity towards him so it was easy to slip into the role of office buddy, especially when there was very little competition for the title.
    Of course, that didn’t hold true for the single females in the office because, let’s face it, Oliver was a catch. He was tall and broad, and had a shade of dark blonde hair that I thought was very dashing. He was a tiny bit nerdy, but it was sexy in an “I’m more intelligent than anyone you’ve ever met” way. Not that he was a gloater. I just happened to think that smart guys were the hottest. I’d take brains over looks any day, but luckily in him I didn’t have to choose. I thought he looked hot as hell, and now that he’d finally asked me to dinner, which may or may not be a date, my stomach was in knots. Spending all that time in the “friend zone” while my insides were churning with lust had been difficult, but realizing that he possibly wanted to be more than friends was both exhilarating and jitter-inducing. What if tonight fizzled?
    I tamped down those thoughts as my door chimes rang. There was no way I was going to let my nerves rule tonight. I checked the peephole to make sure it was Oliver before I threw open the door with a smile.
    “Wow Vivienne, you look amazing.”  His eyes widened as he took in my outfit and I was thankful I had chosen to go the extra mile. He held a bouquet of daisies in front of him. “These are for you.”
    My heart started a strange tattoo. This was the first time I had ever gotten flowers. “They’re beautiful. Thank you.” Flowers meant it was a date, right?
     I stepped back to usher him inside and as he walked past me I caught a whiff of his cologne. Oh man, he smelled good. I put my hand out to take the flowers, but he took it and carried it to his mouth for a kiss. My insides did a strange flip at the touch of his lips and my lady parts started tingling. I wasn’t sure what that meant for the rest of the night, but things were starting out pretty darned good.
    “Let me get these into some water. Would you like a drink?”
    He looked over at me with a grin. “I would love a drink. The restaurant isn’t going anywhere and I’d be happy to have you all to myself for a little while longer.”
    I might swoon. I suddenly wished we could just stay here for the evening. “Great. I’ve got some drinks. In the kitchen,” I quickly added. Well duh, I wasn’t going to offer him a sip from the bathroom faucet. I turned and walked towards said kitchen before I could say anything else. I could feel Oliver following me, a good thing