I give her a tight smile. “Thanks, you too.” Today, she’s in white tights with pink polka dots and a pink tunic. She’s wearing powder blue suede high-heeled boots and her pixie pink hair looks sex-mussed with blue butterfly barrettes in it. She has purple lipstick on and her nails are painted the same blue as her shoes.
She looks at me quizzically.
I look to Aiden and he’s standing there still smirking.
Smirking. Not apologetic about waking me the night before, about being inappropriate with me. No. He was also inappropriate with me this morning, and now he’s absolutely trying to toy with me with that smirk.
“That color does great things for you,” Ally says, and we all look toward the door, seeing the taxi pull up. Yep, same guy as the last two morning cabs.
I’m wearing black with a touch of coral. I now own a whole lot of this color. Today it’s a black and coral wrap dress with just a bit of a ruffle and I’m wearing nude pumps. My hair is up in a bun with tendrils framing my face, and I have a shimmery wet peach lip gloss that I just bought. I think makes my lips look great. I don’t have a big ego, but when Layla the stylist put it on me, she made this big o-face and told me it was my magic lip-gloss.
“Wear this, girl, and you can conquer the free world. Trust what Layla is tellin’ you. She won’t steer you wrong.”
Layla spoke of her self in third person a lot. But, she is fantastic for my self-confidence. I wished I could’ve brought her to San Diego with me.
I half-regretted all the money I spent upgrading my wardrobe for the big move after my sister maxed out my credit card, but I suddenly feel like it was a very worthwhile investment to have to live hand-to-mouth when I see Aiden’s eyes land on my mouth as we make our way to the revolving door.
Wait. I shouldn’t be thinking this way. I shouldn’t be thinking it’s good that he’s objectifying me. I’m here to further my career. Re-boot what was a mess of a life. That’s it, for the moment. And even if I was interested in pursuing a guy, it wouldn’t be this alphahole jerk I wanted to impress.
Then again, if I throw him off his game, maybe he won’t make me feel like I’m inferior due to his apparent charisma and Texas-sized ego.
Ally gets into the carousel first, and instead of getting the next one to myself, Aiden gets in the same one with me, crowding me. By the time we get outside, I feel goosebumps on the back of my neck and all up and down my arms, despite the fact that my face is heating with anger. He moves faster than me to open the back door for Ally, who climbs in. His thumb grazes my upper arm, making me startle. He’s felt those goosebumps and intentionally pointed them out. Rat bastard.
And now he’s still holding the door, still crowding me, and I have to climb into the back seat of the cab in a dress.
I bend to do so and yikes… my ass brushes him. I’m not sure where on him, but I can guess.
I scoot in beside Ally and her face is alight with amusement. I shoot her a glare and she busts up laughing. Her eyes bounce between me and Aiden, who is now shutting the door, a weird look on his face.
I glare at him.
He swallows, eyes on my lips, then gives his head a shake. “What’s your name, cabbie?” He directs the question forward, but his eyes are still on me.
“I am Ash,” our usual driver replies in an accent I can’t place. “You work with these girls?”
“Mornin’ Ash. I do. I’m Aiden, and since you already know Carly and Ally, here, I’m guessin’ you know where to take us?”
“Yes, sir. I do know.”
“Then, take us to work, if you please.” He waves his hand.
The cab pulls away.
I try to scoot over, closer to Ally, but this is one of those small hybrid cars and there’s no
t really enough room for the three of us to be comfortable in the back, especially with him being so tall. Aiden puts his arm around the back of the seat, likely for space, but it puts his chest at almost my cheek and his body is plastered to the side of me.
His cologne or bodywash or aftershave (or combination of the three) is heady.
“Wow, Bossman. Hope this isn’t an HR violation, but your cologne is bomb,” Ally says, eyes big and on him. “It smells like… like…” she gives her head a shake at a loss for words.
Sex potion is what comes to my mind, but no way am I saying that aloud.
“Good. It smells good. Sex and chocolate. Good-God-good.” Ally chuckles.
Aiden laughs with her and then it melts away and his face scrunches up. “But not everything smells good. What’s that smell in here?”
The cab smells terrible. It wasn’t as bad as the day I’d arrived from the airport, but now that the Aiden Sex Potion aroma has settled, there’s also that thick onion, garlic, and body odor combination. And there’s another nuance to it, too. Like rotting meat.