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“Tell me truly though,” she said. “Are there any issues?”
“None but… I was just looking to be careless, so if you are at the point where you can let the job go, then let me know.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” she asked. “And what do you mean you are looking to be careless? Have things deteriorated even further between you two?”
I thought of Lucien’s proposition earlier and Elena's call and shook my head because she had absolutely no idea. I stuck to my guns, though, about not telling her anything until I was nearly on fire, and thankfully, this wasn’t something I had to worry about just yet.
“I'm fine, everything is fine.”
“Where are you right now? Still at the office?”
I looked around the gorgeous apartment I was in and truly wondered what to tell her. The last thing I wanted to mention, even though I was dying to, was the fact that I was in Lucien's apartment and he was about to cook oil pasta for me, a dish I was sure was the only one he knew how to make and that he only made it for very few special people, and now I was one of them. Somewhat.
“Heading home now,” I lied and shut my eyes, unhappy that I was lying to her but I truly couldn’t get in a fight with hernow that I was literally at the heart of the storm in Lucien’s apartment.
“Oh, alright but it's pretty early though, isn't it?” she asked. “I know this is late for you, sorry about that, but Lucien is usually still at work this time.”
“Yeah, I know but—“ I paused then as I heard his footsteps descending the stairs. He was far enough, I was sure, for me to quickly wrap up my conversation with Sophia, but I couldn’t take any chances. This type of apartment made me quite suspicious because it was so modern and state-of-the-art that I wouldn’t be surprised if any words spoken in every corner somehow got transmitted to him. I had already said too much, and so I told her goodbye. “I’ll call you later; I have to go now,” I said, and before she could protest, I ended the call and put it away.
A few minutes later, he arrived, and I could see that he had pulled off his jacket and tie and pulled out his tails from his pants. He looked so different and casual from his usual office look that I felt mesmerized by watching him as he came over.
He looks so goddamn sexy, I thought, and at some point, I was sure I physically started to drool because a weird expression came over his face.
“What is it?” he asked and I quickly came back to my senses. I had probably been staring at him as though he were something to eat.
“Um… nothing,” I said. “Uh, I went ahead to check for ingredients, and it turns out you have all of them.”
“Of course I do,” he said, just as I realized that I had forgotten to clarify this with Sophie. I didn't bother making any commentary on this or asking him any questions because I was sure to expose myself, so I shut the hell up.
“Ready?” I asked, and he nodded just as he headed over to the refrigerator. I watched his eyes go down my body as he retrieved a bottle of water and twisted its cap open.
“You were told to make yourself at home,” he said. “You can't be comfortable in those heels, right?”
He was right; they were killing me, but I figured I didn't have the right to complain since I was doing my best to look my best for him, especially tonight.
“I'm fine,” I said. However, he didn't listen to me. He reached into a lower drawer and then retrieved a pair of house slippers. They looked so comfortable that I didn't even think to feign politeness and reject them.
“Thank you,” I said and instantly replaced them with my torturous shoes. Instantly, I felt much shorter, lighter, and at ease, so I sent him a smile in gratitude.
“You can let your hair down as well,” he said. “Pull out your blouse, whatever you need. Feel comfortable and grab whatever you want from the pantry or the wine rack.”
I nodded as he spoke but didn't actively move to do any of this. He, on the other hand, came over to the counter to inspect everything that I had just brought out.
“You know how to make oil pasta?” he asked as he looked at me, and for a moment, I was quite startled at the proximity.
“Sure,” I said, momentarily losing my brain cells.
“Really?” he asked, and I realized then what I had just said.
“Oh no, I don't. Sorry, I wasn't thinking. What I wanted to say was that I checked the internet for the recipe when you went upstairs, so I got out all the ingredients listed as needed.”
“That's good,” he commented with a nod and then went over to wash his hands. I waited until he was done, and then I did the same, and throughout all this, my heart started to race. The room was airy and cool, but it was noticeably more difficult to breathe. I loved it, though. I loved my nerves frayed around him,and I loved the excitement that was bubbling in the pit of my stomach.
Earlier on, I was certain that I had been exhausted and hungry, but now I felt none of that. His scent permeated the space, and I just loved how he took the lead even here, as well, as though he were about to teach me.
“Help me dice,” he asked then, and I was more than ready. I was assigned my chores, and provided with a knife and chopping board, and we stood side by side. It was silent, and I didn't mind. I loved it because it increased our awareness of the other, but pretty soon he turned to me curiously, and I looked back.
“Want me to put on some music?” he asked, and I was a bit surprised at that.
