Smolov confessed, and he himself, as if frightened by an unexpected revelation, jumped to his feet and said exaggeratedly cheerfully:

- My stomach is stuck to my back, it will eat itself! Let's get out of this infirmary straight to the restaurant! Nothing to breathe! The holiday is over anyway.

Indeed, refreshment would not hurt! It doesn't matter if I don't eat after six! I didn’t eat “before” today, so forgivable! Unfortunately, my body does not work exclusively in the air.

- Went! I didn't get up as quickly as the boss, who was about to change the subject. - Did you come here by car?

I remembered his low R8, which I saw at the entrance to the mansion.

“Of course,” Pasha put his hand on my shoulder in his own way, and I sat down in surprise. - What are you?

— Surprised! – confessed honestly.

- Come on, after this baptism of fire, we are like brothers! - Smolov for a complete picture was not enough just to pat me on the back.

Brothers? But this is embarrassing!

We rushed to the city with a breeze - the whole cork was pushing into the region. This is an indescribable feeling: four lanes are facing you, and you are flying, not noticing the speed. You are escorted by envious and tired looks from oncoming cars, and a delicious dinner looms ahead. Mmm!

After today's stressful day, I spread out on the seat in a puddle and relaxed looking either at the lights of the evening city through the window, or at my neighbor. I liked this Pasha even more: he threw off the mask of eternal tension, relaxed in a homely way, there are not even the usual wrinkles of labor zeal on his forehead.

- Tired? I wanted to take care of him, but who am I? I can only ask, and then carefully, without going overboard ...

“A little,” Smolov admitted with a creak. - Today is a somersault day: for the first time in three years, I missed a morning run!

Everyone in the company knew that the boss runs around the park every day at six in the morning. Some particularly nimble and fearless office ladies did not stop trying to get to the main point during joint sports, and then angrily flashed their eyes in the smoking rooms, sharing with colleagues what a cold bastard our boss is. Smolov outlined his position long ago and brought Buer to each employee: no office romances! Otherwise, get out!

We ate very satisfyingly in an insanely cozy and dizzyingly expensive restaurant, for which I defended the bill with foam at the mouth for a good half hour. And she won!

But I didn’t get pleasure from my victory ...

Smolov got quite angry, sending waves of discontent on my unfortunate head, so I decided to take rescue measures:

- Let's go! I haven't walked along the embankment for a hundred years!

- Went! Smolov waved his hand, calling for him. - It's a five minute walk!

I didn't recognize the boss. Today he was different. That's why I felt completely different! If only Pasha noticed the girl in me, at least with one eye, it would be the best evening in my last year!

The embankment met us with flowering arches with petunias and comfortable benches. We sat on one of them and admired the original architecture of the center of Moscow. The city has changed a lot in recent years and looked like a marriageable bride.

- How long I live here, but I have never ridden a river tram!

- Seriously? No, are you kidding? Can't be! - the chief did not believe, but when he saw my honest eyes, he shook his head: - We urgently need to fix it!

And pulled me along to the pier.

“But there’s nothing going on here anymore - it’s too late ...” I looked back at the smooth ripples along which the reflections of street lamps jumped.

“Wait ten minutes!” - Pavel stepped aside, made a call and returned, flashing an enigmatic smile. So proud of myself that I felt a joyful anticipation, like in childhood before the holiday.

In anticipation of a miracle, I turned my head around so much and shifted from foot to foot with impatience that Pavel laughed at me. And he completely burst out laughing when he saw my face at the moment when a snow-white yacht sailed to the pier.

- Wow! You love to shock! My eyes weren't even round, they were square!

“The expression on your face was worth it!” Pavel was terribly pleased with himself, and I with him. When else would I ride on a luxury yacht? Yes, only in a dream! I, of course, would be satisfied with an ordinary river tram. I just decided: I sleep, sweet and soundly! This is my best, most amazing dream!

We sat at the bow of the yacht and enjoyed the speed, splashing water and night view. The smiles never left our faces. They told each other funny stories from the past, shared memories of the old city and compared it with the new one, chatted about nothing. And in an instant they turned to each other, almost touching noses ...

I will remember this turning point forever. How the chief's gaze became carnivorous, how blue eyes captivated from a veil of eyelashes as dark as night. For the first time, Pasha looked at me as if I were a desirable woman: his eyes lingered on the curve of his mouth, glided over the skin of his cheekbones, drowned in my eyes.

Powers of heaven, Smolov conveyed desire with just one look, so that all ancient instincts, all carefully hidden sensuality, awakened in me. The world blurred, the lights of the city faded, the splashes of water dissolved into the air, only he and I remained.

Smolov swooped down on me like a predator: fast and inexorable. I didn't have the slightest chance to save myself from the fire in my body, from the fire in my blood. Lips, neck, collarbones - melted from kisses. He swept away all the obstacles in his path with his lips and hands, took the barricades one after another, and I surrendered under his pressure. No longer pushing away, no longer inserting hands between our bodies ...

She timidly responded to the male onslaught, and it was as if the devil himself had moved into Pasha! When I groaned into Smolov's mouth, I immediately found myself in the arms of a man, and a minute later - on the bed in the cabin. Clothes flew in all directions, like a peel.

- But … captain … there … through the wall …

- He will insert earplugs …

At present…

Let me guess what happened next! - Guessing spread his arms to the sides, like an experienced storyteller. - You woke up, spent half a day together, and in the evening went home, right?

- So. This is understandable: I had to go to work the next day!

There was not even a question between me and Pasha that I could stay. Moreover, we didn’t even enter its territory: first a night on a yacht, and then breakfast in a cafe, a walk and a slightly awkward goodbye when Smolov drove me home.

“Naturally,” the fortuneteller nodded importantly, and I didn’t understand whether he was mocking or speaking absolutely seriously. - The next day you ran into each other at work, and he pretended that nothing had happened. So?

- Of course it is! We have a ban on office romances in the company! And dictated by Smolov himself! Yes, and the day was bad: they were raking the consequences of mass poisoning.

When I remember, I'll shudder! It's been a hell of a week!

- Yes Yes Yes! – the relationship guru verbally patted me on the shoulder, starting to annoy me a little. But the next thing he said made him repent in his thoughts: “And then you wrote to him. A lot of. Often. And he answered at first that he was busy, then that he could not answer, and then he completely unsubscribed after a few hours, and then days. So?

I turned pale. So!

- Are you silent? So I'm right. And you wrote him the following: “Good morning! How did you sleep?”, “Have you had lunch yet? Do you want me to bring a business lunch?”, “Sweet dreams, don’t work for a long time, get enough sleep…”.

Fingertips went cold. Maybe he really was guessing, ugh, that is, a psychic?

“And that was your number two mistake!” - Ivan, who is part-time Joe Lee, sealed me to the place.

- Number two?! - and when did I manage to goof off? Where?

- Yes! - the swarthy forefinger wondered aimed at me like the muzzle of a pistol.

“Because I stayed half a day with him on Sunday?” - I went through everything possible in my head and found only this. And then, in my opinion, it was a stretch.

“We’ll talk about satiety later,” the relationship guru brushed aside. - The first mistake is that Smolov wanted to show his generosity, and you did such a good undercut to his male ego: you demanded to undress the bill for dinner when the man repeatedly insisted on payment.

- Oh, what an oldie! What are the relics of the past?! It's normal when colleagues share the score regardless of gender! Europe... - I was just about to give hundreds of examples, as I guessed, I built my face with a brick and interrupted:

Are we in Europe?

- No, although geographically ... - well, yes, well, yes, I'm bored.

- Anna! The main thing is not “where” and “how”, but how your man reacts. Tell me, did he like your initiative?

“No,” she answered dully, remembering how irritated Pavel became after my stubbornness.

- That's it! If he was happy, then there would be no mistake - two "Europe" would meet. Your Smolov initially wanted to treat you, but you didn’t give it, forbade it, insisted! Made a fight! - Guessing, he pulled himself up on his hands across the table and froze close, close to me, his brown eyes bulging. What kind of guy needs a battlefield in a relationship? But first things first, otherwise we catch another lesson. Let's move on to the second mistake!

-… Which? - I was pretty upset because of the first mistake, what will happen because of the second?

- In short, the second mistake can be described as follows: "I decided everything myself."

- I didn't do anything!

Outrageous! It's not me Smolova ... Well, the same one ... I pounced!

You didn't even notice, did you? So tell me, showering him with messages, how did you behave? - Guessing twisted his earlobe in anticipation of an answer. And an earring on a lobe would suit him, he would be a sort of maharaja! Indian prince!

- How? Fine! She expressed herself in censorship, did not call him a little baby from the bay-floundering ...

- I'm talking about something else. Did you act like someone? Status…” Guessing slyly screwed up his big eyes.

- I mean, like who? Like a girl! This is how anyone in a relationship behaves! She shrugged her shoulders in complete confusion.

- Were you in a relationship? - judging by the cunning look, guessing was getting closer to the point. Still to catch it, this very essence!

- Of course! We… Well, we… we had everything! – it’s inconvenient to talk about such personal things, well, if you called yourself a client of the guru – admit it!

"That's why you thought you were dating!" – the guesser, extremely pleased with himself, slammed his swarthy palm on the table.

- Yes! Of course! .. - and then I realized what I had just said. I really made up my mind. Herself. I drew a conclusion based on my emotions and morals.

The realization of a miss was unpleasant, like a handful of snow thrown down the collar. But is it really that important? Maybe the failed Zhou Li is exaggerating?

– Do you think that it is necessary to discuss this issue? Or wait for an offer? - as best she could, she defended her old foundations. And I hoped I guessed wrong! Fundamentally wrong!

But the sucking feeling under the shoulder blade suggested otherwise...

– Do you hear what you say? Again you run ahead of the locomotive! But just think for a second: did you give the man time to take the initiative? SMS ping-pong started in the evening, right?

The rebellious spirit in me went out like a candle stub. Yep, tonight...

"But what do you think I should have done?" – I asked on emotions, realizing how I had blundered.

How my hands itched that evening! If I had not written to Pasha then, I would not have been able to sleep or eat!

- Wait. Do business, yourself, friends, anything, but in no case fill up with messages! If necessary, tie your hands. Men are hunters by nature, and when the victim herself runs into the cave, throws herself on her side and exposes her neck so that he sinks his teeth, it becomes not interesting. It even kills your appetite!

- Even one SMS beats off? - it's rubbish! Zilch!

– Even one! – strictly said guessing. – Do you know what is the first task of a woman in the field of love?

- Which?! I leaned forward, trying not to miss a word.

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