Seduce Me by Jo Leigh Page B

that movies will be here to be studied and enjoyed for years to come.”
    As always, she met the gazes of as many people as she comfortably could to keep the conversation engaging even through the technical parts. But a motion from down the hallway caught her attention. At first she thought she saw Max, but that wasn’t possible. A second look proved her wrong.
    Whatever she’d been saying was lost as she watched him approach. He wore jeans, a dark blue polo shirt and a smile. She wondered if she’d forgotten something at his loft.
    By the time he reached the group, everyone was staring at him. His smile dimmed and his step faltered. “I was told I could join the tour even though I’m late. Is that okay?”
    Now all eyes were on Natalie. She opened her mouth and then stood there mutely as she tried to get a grip. Finally, she nodded. It took several more seconds for her to say, “If you’d like to, that’s fine. We were just talking about film preservation.”
    “Great,” he said. “Thanks. Sorry for the interruption.”
    Natalie tried to force herself to focus on the task at hand and scrambled to reconnect with her core eleven. “Saving films is expensive. In, uh, 2011, no 2010, it cost almost twenty thousand dollars to remaster a seven-reel black-and-white silent feature. That’s not counting any special restoration work. Creating a digital video for public viewing adds another three grand to the total. Preserving a movie with sound can cost—uh...”
    She knew this. She’d given the same talk at least a hundred times in the two and a half years she’d worked there.
    “From fifty to one hundred thousand dollars,” Elizabeth said, making her way toward Natalie. When she got close, she whispered, “If you need to speak to your friend, I can take over.”
    “Oh, no. He’s just... I don’t... I should...”
    “Go. I promise I won’t screw up, and this’ll look good on my résumé.” Elizabeth turned her attention to the group. “Do you mind if I fill in for a bit? I’m doing my PhD on film preservation, and though I’ll never be as accomplished as Natalie, I promise not to make things up.”
    The tour group responded with gentle laughter and seemingly approved, so Natalie nodded. “Thanks. I’ll be back soon.” Then she turned to Max. He looked as if he was about to bolt. She gestured for him to join her, and they didn’t speak until they arrived at the elevator that led to the lobby and her office. When the doors closed and the old Otis began its journey up, he cleared his throat.
    “I’m sorry I interrupted.”
    “It’s okay. Really. Elizabeth is very capable of leading the tour. She’ll probably end up working here.”
    Upon exiting the elevator, they were greeted by old movie posters that dotted the brick walls of the lobby. The building’s high ceilings carried the sound of their footsteps as they walked down the long hallway to her office.
    “I won’t keep you,” he said as he looked around her office and then at her. “I have no idea why I thought it was a good idea to walk in without calling first. I was just down the street—”
    “It’s fine,” she said and took a seat in one of the guest chairs while he sat in the other. “Honestly. I don’t mind at all. But I am curious as to why you’re here.”
    “I saw M last night. The Fritz Lang movie.”
    “Really?”
    “You’d mentioned it, and there it was on TV. It was great. Really great, and creepy as hell. I liked that it was in black and white. The shadows. Man. I wanted to talk to you about it. Maybe over dinner tonight?”
    Natalie’s heart had been racing since she’d caught sight of Max, but now it was trying to pound out of her chest. He wanted to take her to dinner. She hadn’t dared dream of such a thing.
    “I know I’m breaking the rules,” he said, studying her closely.
    “Rules?”
    “Yeah, the one-night thing?”
    “Oh, right.” She shrugged and gave him a shaky smile. “It’s