“What the hell?” I asked.
“I-I’m so sorry. My package—well, my friend’s package—was delivered here,” she stammered.
I had no idea who this woman was. But instead of being angry, I found it fun watching her try to explain her way out of the fact that she was in my apartment. She seemed innocent enough, like an adorable little plaything. I raised a brow and tilted my head slightly, listening to her ramble on. I was enjoying this evening’s turn of events. Most people would probably call the cops when they found someone had broken into their apartment, but she seemed harmless.
“I-I didn’t want to bother with the front desk, and I couldn’t very well ride the elevator up. So I used the fire escape. And then I looked down, and I was stuck up there. It was so high…”
My mouth fell open as I processed what she just said. I looked at her with concern. “Wait. Wait. Wait. Youclimbedthe fire escape? Are you crazy?”
She let out a long-winded sigh and shook her head in defeat. “I just really needed my package.” Her eyes fell to the box tucked under my arm.
“You meanthispackage?” I asked, gesturing to it and suddenly realized the purple dildo still quivered in my other hand. I quickly pressed my thumb against the silicone button, but instead of turning off, it just began moving faster. The whirring sound filled the silence between us.
“What the…?” I muttered to myself before pressing the button again.
It finally turned off and I placed it back into the box with relief, before looking back at her. Her green eyes showed no sign of amusement as she stared back at me. She looked scared as hell, and now that I knew she just harrowed the rickety, metal stairs up here to the top floor. It explained her windswept hair, too.
“I’m so sorry,” she said, her voice barely a whisper.
“You must have wanted these really bad to break into my place…”
She bit her bottom lip, and that right there combined with this box of precarious sex toys, had me thinking this night was about to get a hell of a lot better.
“Why don’t you come in?” I asked, giving her a warm smile.
She looked at me like she didn’t quite believe what I was asking of her.
“I don’t know…” she started. “I just should probably just take my things and go.”
She looked from me to the box I still held in my hands, her eyes unsure. I chuckled to myself. She didn’t look like she had a clue of what to do with any of these things. But me, on the other hand, I could show her exactly what to do with them.
“Stay for a drink.” I said, more of an order than a question. “It will help calm your nerves after your climb up here.”
“O-okay,” she replied, her hesitancy giving in.
I pressed my lips into a reassuring smile and gave her a nod before stepping past her into my apartment. I flicked the lights on, the room coming to life. Still carrying the cardboard box, I set it down on the large stone coffee table in the center of the living room, before padding over to the wet bar tucked into the corner of the room. I watched as she trailed behind, her eyes catching on the box before they settled on the view of the city below.
The view was what sold me on this place. The floor-to-ceiling windows that gave unobstructed views of the surrounding city and Central Park. During the day it was any New Yorker’s dream, but it’s the night that got me. The sky outside now was a deep purple, and my guest was taking it all in. I realized we hadn’t had a formal introduction.
“It’s Sadie, right?” I asked as I pulled two glass tumblers from the shelf.
“Mhmm,” she answered, and her voice seemed distant as if lost in the city lights.
I pulled a bottle of bourbon from the shelf, not bothering to offer my name. She didn’t seem to know who I was, and I didn’t want to make it that easy. This was refreshing.
I poured the amber liquid into each glass and padded across the plush, cream carpet to where Sadie stood, taking in the curve of her backside in her black leggings. She turned at my presence and I quickly lifted my gaze before handing her a glass. She didn’t hesitate before taking a sip. I followed suit, the spicy drink running down my throat. I could already see her shoulders lower slightly as they released the tension they held. I wasn’t sure if the tension was from her breaking in or if it was something else.
“So,” I started pointedly.
She looked up at me and tilted her head slightly, tangled strands of her auburn hair falling across her fair face.
“You really climbed up twenty-seven floors for apackage?” I asked, still in disbelief. I looked down at the socks on her feet. “With no shoes…”
“Technically, twenty-four. I live on the third.” Her toes wiggled in the white crew socks.
“Impressive,” I said, taking another sip of bourbon. “I haven’t seen you around before.”
“I just moved in,” she said, looking back out at the city. “It’s temporary though, until I can find somewhere more affordable to live.”
