“Seriously, though, I know this feels like déjà vu, but it’s different. You were never this nervous about thimble dick. And he’s already given you an orgasm. Which is why I say go for it. If all that happens is a few more orgasms, you’ll be in front.”
I chuckled. “You’re not wrong. Fair warning, though. When this ends, I’m going to be mopey, and there’s every chance I’ll move out and to somewhere cheaper.”
She threw her arms around me. “Don’t say that! You’re not moving back to your mom’s. I won’t let it happen.”
“You’re the best friend ever, but I have to grow up sometime and stand on my own feet. I won’t move back to her place. I’ll find somewhere I can live on a small income, which won’t be NewYork.” I took a fortifying breath. “It’ll be fine. And I promise I’ll come visit often. It won’t be so bad.”
“But I’ll miss you.” She frowned.
“I’ll miss you too.” I swallowed the heat in my throat that was trying to make it to my eyes. “Now, no more of th?—”
The intercom buzzed.
I startled, and Amy said, “Looks like the driver snuck past your eagle eyes. I’ll answer it. You grab your bag.”
I suddenly needed to pee again, but it was too late, and there were likely no more than a few drops.It’s all good. You’ll probably only be working anyway. Which was disappointing but mostly for the best. He’d promised more, though. The anticipation of when that would be, if that would be, ramped up my butterflies until they’d spilled from my stomach and were trying to choke me. I grabbed my laptop bag from my room and made my way to the front door.
“Lovely to meet you, Curtis. I’ve heardabsolutely nothingabout you.” My best friend laughed at the obvious absurdity. But what in the squashed donuts? I tripped and flew into the small foyer, managing to stop myself just before hitting Amy, although she deserved a bit of a smack upside the head right now. My cheeks burned, as usual.
Curtis, still dressed in his suit and tie, smirked. My lungs panicked, expelling all the air. If this was the way I died, so be it. His eyes still glued to my face, he said, “Lovely to meet you, too, Amy.”
“I’ll leave you two to it. Have fun, Faith. Don’t work too hard.” She actually winked at me. Being a lawyer, subtlety escaped her. She was always rather succinct, making sure everyone understood her communications.
“Yeah, sure.” I narrowed my eyes at her retreating back, my scowl lost on her. Willing my cheeks to calm down, I turned back to Curtis. Maybe he needed a new nickname. FromBosshole to Hothole maybe? Hmm, no. That sounded all kinds of wrong.
“Well, that was a whole conversation in your head I just missed out on.” He chuckled, his dimples hypnotizing.
“Ah, um, yep.”Nice one, Faith. The most intelligent sentence ever uttered. “I’m just surprised you came rather than your driver. I thought I was meeting you at your place.”
“Well, this morning, I took my own car to work. The universe probably wanted me to drive you.” Oh, my iced donut. A man who could joke about woo-woo stuff? I never would’ve plugged him for a sense of humor.
“I guess we should go, then. Get this work done before your deadline.”
His easy manner beat us out the door, and his dimples fled. His shoulders dropped a fraction. “Yep. Let’s go.”
I shut the door behind us and led the way down the three flights. He overtook me at the bottom just so he could open the door. “Thank you.” I smiled at him. I hadn’t thought he’d be so… considerate. Rich people didn’t need to be, and they often weren’t. Mark never opened any doors for me—not that it was a requirement—but going through a door first and letting it shut in my face? What the heck did I ever see in him?
There was no fanfare when he reached an impressive, shiny, black Porsche. And guess what he did? Yep, he opened the door for me.
“Thank you. Also, your car is so cute.” Horror leapt onto his face. “Oh, um, wrong word? Gorgeous. Is that better?”
He gave me side-eye. “Just get in.”
Yikes, I was in trouble. But I was pretty sure he was kidding, so I laughed and slid into the smooth, cream leather seat. I buckled up and left my laptop bag in my lap for comfort. It was good to have something to hug against my chest. Yet again, I was out of my depth in such an expensive car with a man I didn’t know well, aman who shouldn’t have looked at me twice. I had no idea what I was doing here. Oh, yeah, that’s right—I had to help save him from losing his CEO position. No pressure, then.
When Curtis agilely slipped into the car, his subtle spicy scent mingled with the new-car and leather smell. He shut his door, buckled up, and started the growling engine with smooth, deliberate actions. When his large, strong hands gripped the steering wheel and he pulled into traffic, competent I-can-do-anything vibes poured off him like the smoke off dry ice. He was spectacular to watch, even doing something as mundane as driving—okay, so being in a Porsche added to the spectacle. But if there was a zombie apocalypse, I wanted him in the driver’s seat.
“So, you think my car iscute?” His voice was almost as growly as the engine, sending vibrations through my body, matching the car’s energy perfectly. Could this man be any more divine?
Those are dangerous thoughts, Faith. Please stop having them.
“Yep, in an expensive, sexy way. She’s also gorgeous, as I said. This is the most beautiful car I’ve ever been in.”
He glanced at me, something in his eyes. I didn’t know what it was, but it was serious and silenced me. Before I could get lost in the moment, he was looking back at the road. Probably a good idea because the traffic was bad, as usual, and rear-ending someone would ruin the car. My immature brain got stuck on the rear-ending portion. Would he ask if he could? I knew some people enjoyed that, but it was a hard no from me. That was a one-way street no one was entering.
“You look worried. Is my driving bothering you?”
I tried not to smile, but it broke free. “Not at all. Just thinking about one-way streets.”
