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‘Well, Miss Ella. You look fantastic, girl,’ he said as he held out his hand for mine, and as I took it, he spun me around, admiring my dress.

‘Thank you,’ I said with a grin, blushing slightly.

‘What’s on tonight? Hot date? Business dinner?’

I hesitated, unsure how to classify my plans. ‘No, my boss is taking me out because I never seem to leave the office in time to enjoy the evening,’ I said.

‘Mr Jimmy?’ The doorman’s eyebrows shot up.

I blushed again, by way of confirming.

‘Well, ain’t that interesting,’ he concluded with a slight hum to his voice. We stood shoulder to shoulder, awaiting Jimmy’s arrival for a few more seconds. ‘He’s a good man, Mr Jimmy,’ Otis eventually replied.

I grinned. ‘Yeah, he seems like it.’

There was a flash of headlights as a sleek car drove into the car park and I took a step forward.Here we go, I thought.

Otis grinned, voice teasing as he said, ‘Don’t stay out too late now, Miss Ella.’

‘I’ll see you soon,’ I warned.

I walked over to the black sports car as Jimmy opened his door and stepped out to greet me. He looked good, dressed in a dark shirt and trousers. He grinned as he approached me.

‘Damn, you look great, Ella,’ he said, pulling me into a quick hug. I patted his back, a bit awkwardly, then he opened the back door of the car.

‘Thanks,’ I replied.

‘No problem,’ Jimmy said, his eyes still on me. He shut the door.

Fuck. What was I doing? He had his own driver who seemed oblivious I had even entered the car. I felt unsettled – overheating, nervous. Talking to Jimmy at work was easy, but this felt different. Bigger. Plus, I really needed to shit.

I watched him wave to Otis, and a few seconds later, he was sitting beside me, buckling up.

‘How are you?’ Jimmy asked, as his driver pulled away from Hudson Yards.

I gulped. ‘Yeah. Good, thanks. How are you?’

He laughed. ‘I’ll be real – I was nervous as hell on the drive over,’ he said, showing me his sweaty palms. ‘See this?’

‘I felt fine until I got into your car, then I felt really nervous too,’ I admitted, laughing slightly.

‘I’m glad I’m not the only one,’ he said. His easy-going nature and admission made me instantly less anxious. I sat back and managed to feel my breath and stomach settle.

‘So, you left the office on time today?’ He raised a brow as he darted me a look.

‘I did. I’ll have to make up for it tomorrow now,’ I replied. ‘My boss can be a bit of a dick with that kind of stuff,’ I joked.

Jimmy’s face dropped and he swung round. ‘Ella!’ He sounded shocked. ‘Wow!’

‘You also leave pretty late, too, you know. Is there something happening, or is that normal for you?’ I added, as casually as I could, hoping to gain intel to catch our stalker as early into the night as possible.

Jimmy exhaled. ‘There’s always something going on, trust me. I won’t bore you with the details.’ He shrugged it off.

‘I’m a good listener,’ I replied, smiling back at him.

Jimmy paused, glancing over at me. His dark eyes locked onto mine. Then I felt his hand pat my thigh. ‘I bet you are, Ella,’ he said, grazing his thumb ever so gently against my dress.

My heart raced, and I felt as if I were glued to the seat. Then, he lifted his hand, returning it to his lap. I peered out of the window, watching the buildings fly past us and listening to the purr of the engine.