About That Night

Still, no matter how angry he looked, I just couldn't look away. And I also couldn't believe that my stupid body was tingling, just from seeing him again.

Though I wondered what the hell he was doing here, until Bill introduced him. "I'm sure most of you know the head of our company, Sebastian Thomas. And now Mr. Thomas would like to say a few words."

I listened as Sebastian looked around the room and thanked everyone for a great first quarter, and said something or other about keeping up the good work, while my mind reeled.

While I was wondering how on earth I had managed to hook up with the top guy in the company, I thought about how much I had been enjoying my new job, though it had only lasted a few weeks. Before I foolishly decided to get naked with the boss.

When he'd finished talking, and everyone got up to leave, I grabbed my tablet and picked up my purse and started heading out with Bruce.

Then I froze when I heard Sebastian's deep voice right behind me. "Miss Ryan, would you mind hanging back for a minute?"

I turned and looked at him, and since I couldn't think of anything to say, I just nodded my head as everyone else filed out, till the door finally closed behind them.

Then there was just the two of us, well, along with my poor heart that felt like it was trying to beat right out of my chest. I don't think I'd ever felt as nervous, wondering what I should say.

"Why did you leave?" he came right out and asked, knocking me off balance, while I was trying to think of some way to explain myself. Though I couldn't even think of a way to make sense of the fact that I'd been crazy enough to hop in bed with him almost as soon as we'd met.

And he probably wouldn't believe me if I told him that I'd honestly never even considered doing anything like that, at least before him.

Licking my lips, that had suddenly gone dry, I looked up into his eyes. "I left because I thought you wanted me to leave."

"And what on earth would make you think that?" he said, looking more confused now than annoyed.

Too nervous to even look at him, I focused on his tie, that I realized was a perfect match for his striking blue eyes, as I tried to explain. "Well, you were in the shower for quite a while, and I started thinking as the water kept running, that you were probably hoping I'd take the hint, and be gone before you got out."

"Are you kidding me? After the incredible night we shared, you really thought I'd want you gone?"

I finally looked up at his face. "Well, you were in there for so long, I didn't know what else to think."

He pointed at his hair. "That's because I was trying to wash out the stupid black hair dye that I'd used to try and make myself more look like Dracula, because my hair's pretty light. It took forever to get it out, though the box claimed that it wasn't supposed to be permanent."

I smiled, checking out his hair. "I was thinking that your hair looks a lot lighter now than I remembered."

He finally smiled as he told me, "I was also giving myself a close shave, so my face would be nice and smooth, hoping you'd be awake by the time I came back out. But I wasn't too happy to see that you'd left without even saying goodbye."

I wondered if he thought that he hadn't got his money's worth, and that's why he was angry that I'd left. But he had to have noticed that I never touched the money.

"When I saw the stack of bills you'd left on the night stand, I um... assumed you were paying me for the night we'd shared."

For a second, he looked confused, till what I said hit him, and his eyes went big. And I noticed he really did look shocked that I'd think that.

"Is that what you thought? Alexa, that's not what it was for. The other girls had been paid for coming to the party. And because the two of us were together all night, I realized that you were never paid. You were still asleep so I left it there for you, before I went in for my shower. I wondered why you didn't take the money when you left."

I chuckled, rolling my eyes, as I thought about my long walk home. "And I could have used some of it to pay for a cab."

"Why? How did you get home?"

I winced. "I walked."

"You walked all the way home, without any shoes?" He sounds incredulous, and I couldn't really blame him, since the whole thing was my own fault.

"How did you know that I was barefoot?"

"I ran downstairs looking for you, and I couldn't see you anywhere. I looked all over the house. And I kept asking everyone if they'd seen you. A few hours later, Nigel, my butler, discovered that one of the gardeners had noticed a woman in a little red costume walking down beside the driveway, barefoot, carrying her shoes." He ran a hand through his hair, looking frustrated. "I just wish someone would have told me sooner, so I could have at least driven you home."

"Well, I made it home okay. And I'm uh... sorry I misjudged you."

"And I'm sorry we got our wires crossed, because I really didn't want you to leave."

"So, I'm guessing you were the one who hired us for the party?"

He nodded. "I spoke to your friend Kendra at reception, and asked her if she remembered the name of the talent agency that I used last year. She recalled that I'd hired a few models and actresses and paid them a thousand dollars each. Because my assistant was off sick, she'd done the money transfer for me. But she suggested, before I call the agency that she knew a few ladies that worked in the office who would probably be happy to make the same money, just to dress up and go to the party.

"I always invite our top clients to these things, as sort of a thank you for doing business with us. And they really seem to enjoy having a few young ladies milling around, rather than having to spend the evening talking shop with the other clients."

Feeling more than a little embarrassed about how fast the two of us connected, I dropped my gaze to the floor, so I wouldn't have to look at him when I confessed. "Um, about that night. I want you to know that I've never done anything like that before."

He grinned. "You mean, spending the night with me?"

I smirked, and finally looked up at his eyes. "Amongst other things, yes."

I was so relieved to see him smiling, and looking so much more relaxed than when he first came in, I couldn't help but smile back.

"Well, I was really glad that you stayed and spent the night. But I was really disappointed when I came out of the bathroom and saw that you were gone."

"I was glad I stayed, too. And I'm sorry about taking off like that."

He sighed. "Well, I guess there's only one thing to do now."

"I'm guessing you're going to fire me?"

"And why would I do that?"

"Because I slept with the boss and made a mess of everything."

He chuckled. "Well, the boss was quite happy with the night we shared. And what I was going to suggest is that we could go out for dinner and take some time to get to know each other."

"Really?"

He reached out and took my hands in his. "Yes, really. Because I would love to get to know you better, Alexa."

"I guess we did kind of rush things."

"Well, I could lie and say I'm sorry, and that maybe we should have waited. But considering I had the best night with you I've ever had, I don't regret a single thing we did, even if everything did happen pretty fast."

"I probably shouldn't be admitting this, but I don't have any regrets, either."

Smiling, he kissed the end of my nose. "Then that makes two of us."

"I guess I should be getting back to work," I said, though I hated to go, now that we'd sorted everything out.

"Are you free tonight?"

"Tonight?" I couldn't believe he was already asking me out.

He nodded. "There's a little Mexican place just around the corner from here, that's really good."

"Okay."

He grinned. "Then it's a date. I'll be waiting for you down in the lobby after work."

True to his word, he was leaning against the wall, smirking at me as I got off the elevator.

"I hope you're hungry," he said, motioning for me, to lead the way outside. "Because the foods incredible and the portions are huge."

He wasn't joking. When they put our plates in front of us, I looked at him and blinked. "You've got to be kidding. I don't eat this much in a week."

"Then just eat what you can."

I had a bite and I couldn't believe how tasty it was. "Wow, this is amazing."

"I know, right? Best Mexican food in the city."

We chatted over dinner, and discovered that neither of us had any siblings. When he mentioned that his parents lived overseas, I kind of glossed over the fact that I'd never met my father, and didn't even know his name. Though I did tell him that my mom died when I was a kid.

But I didn't say too much, because I didn't want to get into any family drama, especially on a first 'date.'

Sebastian just nodded, and murmured, "Sorry to hear that." I guess taking it all in, as the waitress boxed up most of my dinner for me.

Even though I couldn't finish half of what was on my plate, Sebastian still decided to order dessert. Seems like I wasn't the only one with a sweet tooth.

But everything was so good, I was glad he did.

"I know one thing, I'll be back," I said smiling as I savored the warm churros, the delicious tres leches cake and caramel flan that we shared with a steaming mug of Mexican coffee.

Feeling a little awkward about showing him where I lived, I said, "Thanks for dinner. It was really good. But I don't want to take you out of your way, so I'll just make my own way home."

"No. I'll drive you," he said, looking a little surprised, I guess that I'd want to venture home on my own, especially at night.

I felt like a nervous wreck, as I pointed the way back to my place. When I told him to stop out in front of the restaurant, when he looked up and saw the bright red neon sign that read, "China House," he looked confused. "Do you live near here?"

I winced as I nodded and admitted, "Yes. I live upstairs."

"Oh, okay," he said, tipping his head to look up at my apartment window.

We eyed each other for a moment, sitting in his car, till he leaned in close and made me laugh when he whispered close to my lips, "I'm not sure if you're the type to kiss on a first date, but I would really love to kiss you goodnight."

I thought it was funny, and kind of cute, too, since we'd already done a lot more than share a kiss.

Capturing his face in my hands, I touched my lips to his, and when he groaned and nearly pulled me into his lap, I slipped my tongue between his lips and we nearly kissed each other silly.

When we finally came up for air, thinking I might as well get it over with, I blew out a breath and asked, "So, would you like to come up for a coffee?"

He turned off the car, grinned and said, "Sure."

When we got upstairs, though I barely noticed it anymore, now that he was with me, I could really smell the food cooking downstairs. Probably because I could tell from the way he was sniffing the air, that he could smell it, too.

I just shrugged. "Well, at least it always smells good, 'cause I can smell everything they're cooking from up here."

I could almost see the wheels going around in his head when he glanced around and realized that the room we were standing in, along with my tiny kitchen area and bathroom made up my entire apartment.

Before he said anything I thought I should explain. "Rents are so high, this was all I could afford when I first moved here. But I really like my landlady, so I actually don't mind it. I know this must seem tiny compared to where you live." I shrugged. "But it's home for me."

"To be honest, I've always thought the house was a little too big to be considered a home, even back when my family was living there with me. Which is why I mostly live in my suite. I've got an office, a small kitchen, and everything I need, so I don't have to rattle around downstairs in the house if I don't want to."

I couldn't help but smile thinking about where he lived, or at least his suite. "I like the apartment you have upstairs. It's kind of cozy."

He nodded, smiling back. "I think so."

Once I made the coffee, I gestured at my bed. "We might as well sit down and have this." I noticed he was kind enough not to act like it was weird when we sat side by side and I pulled over my little coffee table, so we had somewhere to put our coffee.

When we'd finished our coffee, Sebastian got up and carried our cups into my dinky little kitchen. I thought it was sweet that he even washed them and put them in the draining board.

Then he came back and sat beside me on my bed, giving me an odd little smile. Not sure what he was up to, I liked it when he slipped his arm around me, and pulled me down beside him. Looking up at the ceiling, he said, "I just wanted to see what you look at every night as you fall asleep."

I looked up with him and quietly chuckled. "Well, it's a lot lower than the twenty-foot ceilings in your place. And its not exactly pretty, since it's peeling a bit and needs painting, but that's my view."

He pushed down on the mattress, testing it. "Well, your bed's pretty comfortable."

"And small."

Turning his head, he kissed the end of my nose and gave me a cautious smile. "You know I've got plenty of room at my place."

I shook my head and touched a finger to his lips, so he wouldn't finish what he was about to say. "I know it must seem strange to you, but I honestly don't mind living here. My land lady, Mrs. Chan, is so sweet and she kind of looks out for me."

"Well, I'm glad she does."

Sebastian wrapped his arm around me, and as we both closed our eyes, and I snuggled into his side. He brushed one last kiss to my forehead just as we began to drift off. But even as I was starting to fall asleep, I was so happy to be tucked in close with him again, even if all we were going to do was sleep.

In the morning, I noticed he must have pulled my down comforter over us to keep us warm, because we were tucked in nice and cozy, with his arms wrapped around me.

As I watched him sit up, I loved seeing him stretch his arms over his head, flexing his muscles.

When he noticed I was awake, he smiled and said, "Good morning, gorgeous."

"So, how did you sleep?" I asked, because my bed was so tiny compared to his, I wondered if he'd been hanging onto the side all night just to keep from falling out.

"Actually, I had a great night's sleep. Probably because I knew you were curled up beside me." He took a whiff of whatever was cooking downstairs and rolled his eyes. "I think I'd be starving all the time, if I lived up here. Because I'm getting hungry just from smelling whatever she's cooking."

"She does typical breakfast stuff, like bacon and eggs. But her egg foo young is to die for, just loaded with crunchy bean sprouts and sauteed mushrooms. And she makes incredible dim sum, too. She has a dim sum chef from Hong Kong who works with her. People come from all over the city because everyone knows hers is the best."

"Be right back," he said, reaching for his shoes.

Watching him go, I laughed, hoping he didn't get too much, because he sounded pretty hungry.

While he was gone, I ran in and grabbed a quick shower and brushed my teeth and threw on some jeans and a sweater.

When he finally came back, I couldn't believe how many bags he was juggling. "I got a little everything," he said, dropping it all on the table, that I just hoped would support it.

"Yeah, it looks like it." Then I cringed, when I realized, knowing Mrs. Chan, that they probably made some small talk while she was putting it all together. "I hope you didn't tell her that you'd stayed up here with me."

"I didn't have much choice. I swear that woman was trained by the FBI, the way she grilled me. As soon as I stepped in the door, she asked me if that was my Mercedes parked out in front. Then she asked if I was staying up here with you. I just told her that I was your friend. But she wanted to know why I wasn't at work, and if I had a job. When I assured her that I did have a job, she looked me in the eye and pointedly told me that 'You're a very nice girl.' I guess just to be sure that my intentions were honorable."

"She's always asking why I don't have a boyfriend, so she must have been pretty happy when you told her we were friends. And now she's probably assuming that we're friends with benefits." Of course, he flashed me a naughty smile when I said that.

"Well, I think she must have decided that I was okay, because she kept adding stuff to the bag, and I'm sure she only charged me for half of it. So, when she wasn't looking, I topped up the tip jar."

"That's why I don't eat there much, because she never lets me pay."

"Well, you're in luck. Because I think I got everything on the menu, so you can try it all."

"From the looks of it, I'd say you did." As he started to unpack what looked like a mountain of food onto my little coffee table, I wondered where we going to put it all.

Still, it was a lot fun feeding each other with chopsticks. I don't know how we didn't choke, the way we kept laughing as we ate.

Until suddenly it hit me, and I took a look at the time, dropped my chopsticks and shot to my feet, when I remembered that was supposed to be at work. "Oh, shit!" I grabbed my purse and pulled out my wallet, hoping I had enough money for a cab. "I've got to go. I'm late for work. And knowing Bruce he'll be having a fit, because I'm never late."

Sebastian calmly held up a finger and pulled out his phone, while I was scrambling around trying to find my shoes.

When I realized who he was talking to, I tried to muffle my laugh when I heard him say, "Hey, Bruce, it's Sebastian Thomas. I met Alexa on my way into the office this morning, and I thought I'd let you know that I've got her working on a project with me today." He nodded as he listened to whatever Bruce was saying. "Yeah, she should be back in with you tomorrow. I'll talk to you later."

He hung up with Bruce, shrugged his shoulders, and handed me back my chopsticks.

Shaking my head at him, I sat back down and plucked a plump, juicy, shrimp dumpling from one of the boxes. I smirked, as we both started eating again. "Guess there's some perks to being the boss, huh?"

He chuckled. "Yeah, I can lie my ass off and get away with it." Totally ignoring the fact that he just straight up lied to my boss so the two of us could take a day off work to play hooky together, he pointed at the box of fluffy white barbecue pork buns. "Alexa, you've got to try the char siu bao, they've got to be the best I've ever had."

I speared one with my chopsticks, peeled off the paper on the bottom, and took a bite. "Wow! You're right, they're really good."

"And just so you know, I wasn't lying to Bruce when I said that I could use your help today."

I swallowed what I was eating, and asked, "Why, what do you need me to do?"

He gestured at all boxes on the table and chuckled. "I need you to help me all eat this, 'cause I'm starting to think that I might have gone a little overboard."

"Ya, think?" I laughed and grabbed another pork bun. And with my eyes on his, I made a point of moaning and licking my lips, savoring every morsel that I ate.

Sebestian rolled his eyes, shaking his head, but I could tell he was trying to keep a straight face, when he reached for the last one and said, "Now I know two things that make you moan like that. And I'm just glad I measure up to these buns."

Teasing him, I lashed out my tongue and smiled at the way his eyes flared as he watched me lick out the filling. I chuckled, enjoying how uncomfortable he looked, since I knew that he was trying to behave. "Oh, believe me," I told him, "you more than measure up."

After we'd demolished as much as we could, we both looked at each other, put down our chopsticks and laughed, when we decided it was time to stash the rest in my fridge, while we could still walk.