Walking away from Chase took a strength I did not know I possessed. I swished my ass in a tantalizing fashion hoping he was watching. I wanted him and I no longer had the wherewithal to deny those feelings. I was glad he was still interested.
A man like him didn’t need to wait around for me and my stupid crush and my stupid rules. But he had when I asked. It wasn’t fair to expect him to wait any longer.
Back in the office, no one commented on my prolonged lunch, or the stupid grin on my face. Now I just needed to wait for Chase to ask me out. That hadn’t happened, I left him, hopefully with his jaw hanging open, before he had a chance to say anything. I had wanted to be a sexy tease. I only hoped it worked.
I sat at my desk, placed my phone in front of me, and watched it. Would he call me immediately? I was being stupid. He would not call me—
The phone rang. It was Chase. I let it ring a few times so he wouldn’t think I was too eager.
“Hello?” I spoke.
“Gem, meet me for dinner.” He sounded in control, not like me who was out of breath because I ran back to my office.
“Let me check if I’m available,” I teased.
I heard him groan.
“I’m done playing these games, Gem. Dinner tonight. Meet me at eight.” His voice was raspy, thick with lust. Or maybe I was projecting my own desires onto him.
“I would love to. Text me the details. I’ll see you then.” I hung up on him before I melted into a puddle of human goo. I wasn’t going to be good for anything the rest of the day.
I shot Maggie and Bria an email letting them know about the brainstorming at lunch. The more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea of being the Social Media Manager. It could be fun for a while.
I checked to see if Matt needed anything.
“Yeah, the rest of my team,” he joked.
“You and me both,” I replied. “I’m headed out early if you’re good.”
He gave a nonchalant nod, and I left him alone.
“You’re home early,” Mom said.
“I couldn’t focus. I have a date!” I practically squealed.
“You have a date? Does he know about Amelia?” she asked.
“Mom! I’m a little more worried about what I’m going to wear. I haven’t been on a date since before Amelia was born. I don’t know if I have anything to wear.” I started to panic.
“Is it a fancy date or a casual date?”
I thought about that for a moment. This was Chase, and for lunch, he had taken me to a nice restaurant, not some dive.
“Fancy, I think,” I finally answered.
“You can’t go wrong with basic black. You have that nice little wrap dress. It shows off your figure nicely,” she said.
I spent my time getting ready. I did my makeup, washed my face clean, and reapplied my makeup. The black wrap dress was perfect. I read a story to Amelia before Mom put her to bed. I called a car and went to the address Chase had given me.
I stood in front of what I assumed was the restaurant. Chase arrived less than a minute later.
“You have got to be kidding me,” I said. I gestured back at the bright neon sign. This was a hole-in-the-wall restaurant. Literally.
There were no tables or chairs, just pizza by the slice from a counter at a window.
“It is the best pizza in town,” he said. He gave me a slow up and down look-over. I crossed my arms and did the same to him.
I intended to mock him, not be floored by what I saw. He wore comfortable, faded jeans. The kind of fading that comes with years of use, not from the store. They hugged his thighs like nobody’s business. He wore a faded movie fandom shirt and a leather jacket. He looked good enough to eat.
“I’m afraid I’m overdressed,” I said, indicating my choice of clothes.
“You look beautiful.” He leaned in and kissed my cheek.
That kiss made up for everything that had not gone as I had hoped. I had been expecting to be wined and dined. Not pizza and hang out, then again hanging out might not be so bad.
“So, what’s the plan?” I asked.
He looked down at my shoes and smirked. “I enjoyed talking with you today. I thought we could do that without taking over a table for hours. But those shoes make me think you won’t want to do a whole lot of walking.”
“I can walk just fine in these.” I demonstrated by walking a bit away from him, swinging my hips, and then stalking toward him. My shoes were not made for outside winter weather, but I was the idiot who put them on, because I thought they looked hot. I tried to walk with a sexy slither while not slipping on any snow or ice.
His gulp told me I had succeeded.
“I can think of a few other things we could do where those shoes would look fantastic.” His voice was low and rumbly.
It made my entire body quiver.
He stepped in close and whispered, “Shall I tell you, or should I show you?” His lips brushed my ear. “You’re shaking. Am I making you nervous?”
I felt too hot and chilled. It was as if I had a fever and Chase Campbell, was the only cure.
“Show me.” I had a difficult time speaking. I was breathless and giddy, and he hadn’t even touched me properly.
“We should eat first. For energy.” His eyebrows quirked up, and he gave me this sexy little half-smile.
“For energy,” I agreed.
He ordered for us, two slices and two cans of soda.
He kept his eyes locked with mine as he folded his slice and licked up the seam he had created. It was surprisingly erotic, and a wet heat pooled between my legs. If I had been more stable, I would have attempted something similar, like deep throating the slice. In my current condition, I would choke myself, and that would not be sexy. Besides, I wouldn’t know if I was doing it right. I’d never had a cock down my throat. Never wanted one, until now.
I nibbled at my slice and blushed at the thoughts Chase was giving me. Would he really want to lick me like that? Did I want to suck him down? I barely tasted my pizza, and before I knew it a black car had arrived, and we were climbing in the back seat.
Chase reached into a pocket and brought out a pack of gum.
“I don’t mind garlic if you don’t,” he said, offering me a piece.
“Huh? Oh, thanks.” I really didn’t understand what he was getting at. I folded the stick of gum onto my tongue.
He groaned. “Do that to me.”
“What?” I didn’t think I had heard him properly. “You want me to… Oh.” I had to have blushed like a neon sign. Without realizing it, I had flirted with my food. Next time I would be sure I was aware when I was being sexually suggestive.
It wasn’t long before the car stopped, and a liveried doorman opened my door. I slid out and looked up the side of the building as I waited for Chase.
“Warehouse?” I asked.
“Not anymore. They are exclusive lofts. I’m on the fifth floor.”
We kept our hands to ourselves on the short ride up. The industrial elevator had gates and sliding doors and call buttons that required an operator. His front door was one of those sliding steel industrial doors with rivets, and it hung from an overhead track. He slid it open. His loft was spectacular. Even only on the fifth floor, he had a view that took in his neighborhood and opened to the skyscrapers.
“Oh, Chase, this isn’t what I expected,” I gushed.
“No?” he asked as he shrugged out of his coat. He reached out for my coat. “What did you expect?”
“I pegged you as a high-rise penthouse kind of guy.”
I figured he would be like John that way. John refused to live in the boring townhouse. He wanted a bachelor pad, not a family home. This was neither a glass and chrome bachelor pad nor a stately family home. This was comfortable and oddly cozy in its way.
Most of the walls were old, exposed brick. The floor was hard wood, and polished, but the wear from years of factory use was obvious. His furniture was plush and overstuffed upholstery, not leather. And he had art on his walls.
“It’s more comfortable than I… I guess I expected what you see in the movies from the hot young executive. This is positively bohemian in comparison.” I sat on the couch and slid to the side, propping my legs up and crossing them at the ankles. I adjusted the slit in my dress to expose my leg. “Can I take my shoes off; will this floor give me a splinter?” I asked in my best playful pouty tone.
“Keep your shoes on,” he said as he stalked toward me.
“But I wanted to get comfortable.”
“I can help with that.” He placed a knee on the couch next to me and reached for the tie on my dress. “Maybe loosening this will help.”
The tie to my dress slipped open under his deft fingers. Nerves throughout my body started pinging with anticipation. Chase was going to touch me. This was all about us touching each other. I had dreamed about doing this for my entire life, and more so for the past three years.
My dress unwrapped, exposing one lace covered breast.
