Chapter Four
Mondaymorningcame,andI hoped the fresh start to the week would bring me a clear head and simple decisions to make. Considering the X-rated dream I had the night before, the idea was rather silly. The library stranger smacked my ass until my skin reddened, and then fucked me senseless.
His phantom hands branded me. The heat beneath my flesh burned so intensely I took another cold shower. I was starting to think this was not a viable solution for horny women.
I spent the morning mulling over how I might respond to the email he sent me, and what that meant about my sense of self-preservation. If I thought with my head, I would let the crush go and never set foot in the library again. Not only did I make a complete ass out of myself whenever he was around, but there was something dangerous about him. He could destroy me if I gave him a chance. Unfortunately, my long-neglected pussy enthusiastically involved herself in the decision-making process.
The bus ride to work went faster than normal, with all my confused, lusty thoughts keeping me busy. The rest of the day followed suit, and I couldn’t tell you if I spoke to another person. I must have, since a pile of papers I hardly touched sat in front of me. I glanced up and jumped as I found Tyler leaning against my desk with a smile on his face.How long has he been there?
“You’re distracted today,” he commented with a little smirk. He sipped a mug of coffee and handed one to me.
I smiled appreciatively and took a deep sip. Getting lost in your thoughts is more tiring than you would think. “Yeah, I guess I am. I have a lot of stuff to do.” I shrugged and gestured to the papers stacked in front of me.
“You work too hard, Claire. Do you ever relax?” He ran a hand through his brown hair, giving him a tousled look.
The image of me masturbating to my own dirty dreams popped into my head. I coughed to cover the heat rising in my cheeks. “Well, yeah, sometimes, of course.” I stuttered.
“You have been doing wonderfully here. I think we should celebrate your success and get to know each other better.” His brown eyes crinkled around the edges and his practiced smile revealed straight white teeth. I couldn’t help but find him quite handsome, even if he made me nervous.
“What did you have in mind?” I gazed up at him through my lashes, deciding it wouldn’t hurt to flirt a little. I could blow off some steam with him, at least enough to stop the need for those too-many-to-count cold showers.
“How about I take you to dinner tonight?” Surprise flitted through me. I assumed he would invite me for a coffee, or lunch tomorrow, but his urgency packed the pressure. It took me a moment to answer, and all the while he smiled at me like the decision to accept was a given.
It was against company policy—and my personal rules—to date a coworker, but he was cute, and my pussy kept making decisions above her pay grade.It’s only dinner. What could it hurt?My rampant libido whispered in my ear.
“Okay, sounds fun.” He asked me for my address and phone number and I wrote them out for him on a sticky note.
“Great, I’ll pick you up at six-thirty.” I opened my mouth to tell him that wasn’t enough time with my bus ride, but he was already strolling out the door. I looked at the clock. Crap, it was past five. I raced to the bus stop, hoping this was not a huge mistake.
As I stepped off the bus down the block from my apartment, my phone buzzed with an incoming text. It was Tyler telling me he would take me to a popular fusion restaurant downtown. I ran inside as quickly as possible, rifling through my closet with superhuman speed to find something that looked nice but not too sexy. I shook my head at myself. My only options were lounging, professional, or smoking hot.
I took out a red dress that fit me snuggly and accented my curves, but at least it showed a limited amount of skin. I paired it with black heels and a matching clutch. A knock on the door interrupted my open-mouthed mascara application. “One minute,” I called as I finished applying the product and pulled my hair up.
I grabbed my purse and headed to the door, peeping through the hole to make sure it was Tyler. He looked quite handsome in his fitted light blue suit. Hecouldbe the distraction I needed. I used some genuine effort to open the door, and when it relented, I grinned at him. He didn’t have the panty-meltingly good looks the library stranger did, but it would probably be healthier if I stopped using him as a benchmark for attractive men.
“Well, hi,” he purred, as his eyes ran hungrily over my body. “You kept me waiting. Can I come in?”
The expectation in his voice had me questioning myself. Did we agree to a drink here first, or something else I didn’t remember? “Uh, sure,” I stood aside, and he waltzed in. I expected we were going straight to the restaurant. In the little time he gave me, I just managed to get dressed, never mind ready the place for company. It was not a true mess anymore, but my things cluttered the apartment.
“Can I sit?” He didn’t wait for me to answer, sitting on my couch and running his hand over the spot next to him like I should take a seat too. He looked at his palm, cringing slightly at the fabric. His eyes flitted around the room, taking it in with apparent distaste. “Nice place.”
“Thanks.” I stood beside the door, holding it open, and doing my best to muster up a backbone. “I thought we’d head to the restaurant. It’s almost seven.”
He leaned back, draping his arm over the couch and spreading his legs in a gesture I think he meant to be inviting. “Let’s stay a minute. I’ve known you for weeks now, and I hardly know anything about you.” The look he gave me told me all he wanted to learn was what I looked like naked.
“No, thank you. We can always talk at the restaurant, and I promise to tell you all about myself over dinner.” I tried to give him a convincing smile as a pit opened in my stomach.
He must have had some modicum of humility, because he got off the couch and held his hands up in surrender, “Fine, let’s go,” and he stomped toward the exit. To my surprise, he held the door and gestured for me to go first with an annoyed wave.
As we walked through the hall, he raced ahead of me, jogging down the stairs. He stood by the entrance tapping his foot in irritation as I clung to the railing and maneuvered the stairs in my heels. When I made it to the bottom, he let me go ahead of him again, and I felt his eyes on my ass as he walked behind me, brooding like a sullen teen who had been thwarted in his efforts to steal a playboy.
He led me over to a sleek silver Maserati, and I choked on air. There was no way he afforded that car as an admissions counselor. He opened the door for me and stared down my dress as I slipped in.
“This car is my baby,” he began as soon as he sat beside me. I clipped my buckle into place and he took off, darting through the darkening streets, ignoring traffic laws and making me as nervous as possible. “Ever been in a vehicle like this before?” Doubt dripped from his tone.
“No, I haven’t.”You saw my apartment.I stared out the window, rolling my eyes without him noticing. I worked at keeping my polite smile in place as he droned on about horsepower.
We arrived at the restaurant, which was spacious with large glass windows showing the interior decorated in red and gold. Crap, I matched the décor. A young man stood behind the valet stand and greeted us warmly. Tyler flipped his keys at him. “This car is worth more than you make in three years, don’t fuck it up.” Then smirked at me like he did something impressive.