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I’ll continue as I have been, and try to push for a little more trust. But first things first—I need an outfit that will grab Alessa’s full attention.
Time for some strategic wardrobe browsing.
CHAPTER12
ALESSA
The elevator doors open, and I step into Natalie’s lavish penthouse.
“Hope you don’t mind waiting a moment more,” I hear Natalie call from the end of a hallway. Turning my gaze toward her, I’m struck by the vision she presents. Clad in a slender royal blue dress that skims the floor, she looks every bit as elegant as her home. “I just need a minute to finish getting ready—oh.”
She walks forward a few steps, blinking at my casual attire—a pair of jeans, a sports jacket, and a baseball cap pulled low.
“I should have mentioned to dress down,” I say, drinking in the view. The way that dress clings in all the right places makes me wish I could peel it off slowly, inch by tantalizing inch. I force my gaze back to her face. “But I’m certainly not complaining about the view.”
I let my most charming smile spread across my face. Natalie blinks again, like she’s trying to process this new side of me outside the usual glitz and glamour.
“I’ll just…go change,” she says after a moment, cheeks flushed.
“Need a hand?” I ask.
Natalie’s cheeks flush a soft pink, and I can see her weighing the options in her head before she finally shakes her head with a flustered laugh. “I think I can manage, thank you.”
“Have it your way,” I concede, my grin widening as I watch her retreat to what I assume must be her bedroom.
I’m absolutely determined to see the inside of it tonight. But as she disappears, I take the opportunity to wander over to the windows, watching the city come alive as evening turns to night. The vibrant pulse of life below seems so far removed from the quiet intimacy of Natalie’s penthouse, and for a moment, I wonder—if I suggested it—could we skip the evening and stay here instead, preferably in her bedroom?
But no, I can’t do that. I have a standing commitment on Wednesday nights—one that I intend to pull Natalie along to.
When she reappears a few minutes later, gone is the sophisticated elegance of the dress, replaced instead by the casual comfort of jeans and a sweater. There’s a vulnerability in her expression that wasn’t there before, and it makes my chest ache with something that feels dangerously close to…
Tenderness? Oh, dear.
She looks so…real.
Not like all those women who have come and gone, airbrushed to perfection. This version of her is even more captivating than the woman who greeted me moments ago.
“Sorry again for not giving you a heads-up about the dress code,” I tell her. “It should have occurred to me.”
“Is this better?” she asks, her voice tinged with uncertainty as she looks down at herself.
“Perfect,” I assure her. “You look lovely, Natalie.”
“Thanks,” she mumbles, a shy smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. “Now, are you going to tell me where we’re going?”
“Ah, you’ll see,” I say playfully. We step into the elevator and she leans against the mirrored side.
“Okay, you’ve got me extra-curious now,” she admits.
“Good.” I grin, feeling a surge of excitement course through me. The doors slide open with a quiet hiss on the lobby, and I lead her outside where a cab is already waiting. Natalie slides in beside me in the back seat, curiosity sparking in those pretty brown eyes. We drive downtown, and then we’ve completely left behind the glittering lights of Manhattan.
I watch Natalie carefully, but she just stares out the window.
“Very mysterious,” Natalie muses, crossing her arms over her chest with a nervous smile. “Should I be…worried?”
“Why should you be worried?”
She flushes. A true, deep embarrassment.
