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Mitch heaved a sigh, relaxed, and grinned.  Man, I can t tell you how relieved I am. I hate being in the wrong, not to mention the
doghouse.
 Who has you in the doghouse?
 April.
 Ah.
 And speaking of her, it was her idea, to which I absolutely agree, that I need to make this up to you. I ruined our lunch together so I at
least owe you a meal, if not something more substantial.
 No, you don t. Really, it s fine.
 No, it s not fine, and I insist. For starters, lunch or dinner anywhere you want. My treat.
 You know that s truly nice of you, but honestly, I really don t want to end up on television again.
 Oh yeah. That. I don t blame you, which reminds me. I need to thank you for that, too. You were discretion personified. I ll bet you
really wanted to let me have it.
 You have no idea.
Mitch laughed and Ben relaxed, his tension eased by the man s easygoing charm.
 Oh, I think I do. I was pretty damn obnoxious. I have an idea though about how to avoid the spotlight. Have dinner with me at my
house. I ll cook.
Ben felt his brows rise and fleetingly wondered if they were even with his hairline. This was the second time Mitch had surprised him
and this time it was even more unexpected.  I don t know what amazes me more, the invitation or the idea that you can cook.
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 Hey! Mitch replied with mock indignation.  I happen to be a very good cook. It started out as a survival technique, but I got to where
I actually liked to do it. Let me prove it to you.
 Oh, man. I don t know.
 Come on. I promise I won t poison you.
Fearing that this might be a bad decision on his part, Ben squelched the inner voice that was shouting a warning in his ear.  All right. I
accept.
 Great! How about tomorrow night?
 Don t you have to work? I thought actors worked like twenty hours a day, seven days a week.
 Depends on the time of year and how the shooting goes on any given day, but we re on hiatus right now.
 Ah. Well, in that case, sure. Tomorrow night is good.
 Cool. Mitch took another sip from his cup.  Got a pen and paper? I ll give you my address and phone number in case you get lost.
 I don t get lost, Ben said with a derisive huff, which brought a smile to Mitch s lips.
Producing the requested items, Ben watched in a bemused daze while Mitch wrote out his personal info. Once more, he was tossed into
the realm of the surreal. The man unexpectedly sitting here in his office had taken on chameleon-like traits. He d suddenly morphed from
conceited bastard to nice guy, and it was rather difficult to allow for such a fast transition.
Ben s confusion was further compounded when there d been no repeat of that subtle vibe of interest that had occurred during the
handing over of the office key. He was entertaining the notion that perhaps he d imagined the whole thing. Mitch seemed to have no ulterior
motives for being here. Certainly furthering their acquaintance with an eye to starting something between them was far-fetched. Wasn t it?
Mitch had most likely simply shown up to engage in damage control, but then that idea really didn t play out either. Ben wasn t in a
position to cause harm to Mitch s reputation. In fact, he d gone out of his way to be, okay, if not exactly discreet, at least vague in his
assessment of Mitch to the media, and it wasn t like they d kept the story in the forefront of the news. It was a one-time thing, apparently
reported and forgotten, so why would Mitch bother? From Mitch s perspective, Ben, like the story, could have just as well remained forgotten
too. Of course, he had offered another explanation.
He must truly be feeling remorse. The man wanted to make amends for his rude behavior and therein lay the danger. Ben was
experiencing some feelings for the considerate and amiable side of himself that Mitch had revealed. They were feelings that could cause
problems should they get out of hand. Hadn t he already let his imagination send him off the deep end once? He consoled himself with the
thought that this  date was a one-time thing. He would give Mitch the opportunity to do what he needed to do to salve his conscience and
that would be that. End of story and the whole  he likes me he doesn t like me issue would become moot. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]