Free About Last Night by Belle Aurora Page A

and sitting on the bus this morning, I could definitely see men noticing my new ‘pop.’ When I felt eyes on me and caught a thirty-something-year-old man in a suit watching me, a blush lit my face. I dipped my chin to hide the furious pink of my cheeks and neck.
    I still felt eyes on me though, and I felt them there from stop to stop. Curiosity got the better of me. I peeked up to find Mr. Suit smiling at me, and although my heart was racing, I smiled back, albeit nervously.
    That was when he grinned, and something about that grin made my stomach flip. Mr. Suit looked a little like Quinn, only rather than being an explosion of perfect chaos, Mr. Suit had blue eyes matching the color of his tie, and his longish brown hair had been styled in an attractive business-do.
    I liked it. So when I stood at the same time he did, and got off at the same stop as him, then almost walked into him as we made our way to the same building, my nerves had built up to the boiling point. I suddenly turned to face him as he held the door open for me, and then blurted out, “Are you following me?”
    His chuckle washed over me, causing my skin to break out into goose bumps. “If I didn’t have work, I probably would be. But no.” His eyes narrowed teasingly. “I could ask you the same question.”
    My cheeks heated so much that I thought they might melt. “I’m sorry. I guess I’m a little paranoid. This is my first day at Addison Limited.”
    He blinked and his smile faltered for a second, but his eyes remained devoid. “Addison Limited? That’s level three. I’ll walk you up; it can be a little confusing if you don’t know your way around.”
    I started to decline then thought better of it. I didn’t want to be late on my first day because I pulled up my big girl panties so high that I couldn’t see someone trying to do me a favor. Instead, I smiled through a sigh. “Thank you. The last thing I need right now is to be late. A first impression lasts, you know.”
    He looked down at me, his brow creasing slightly as he muttered thoughtfully, “It sure does.”
    We stepped into the elevator, and as he pressed the button, he held his hand out and uttered, “I’m Nicholas.”
    Thankful for his help, I took his hand, shook it, and smiled. “Mia. Mia Bridgeton.”
    He let go of my hand and we both looked straight ahead. Nicholas stated, “Pretty name for a pretty woman.”
    My eyes widened. I wasn’t sure how to respond to that. I was sure a ‘thank you’ would make him assume I was shallow and thought I was pretty, but if I said ‘oh, I’m not pretty,’ then he’d think I was fishing for compliments. So rather than respond, I simply smiled and swallowed hard.
    The silence was deafening, even though Nicholas looked rather comfortable in it. I was so grateful when the doors opened that I stepped out of the elevator and into the reception area of Addison Ltd, turning to thank him and let him on his way. I was surprised when the woman at reception stood, looking wide-eyed at Nicholas. She sputtered, “M-Mr. Dietrich! I didn’t see your name in the book today.”
    Nicholas smiled at her, but it was cold. When he muttered a flat, “That’s one of the perks of owning a business, Janet. You can come and go as you please,” my brain channeled Terry and yelled, ‘Shut up !’
    Then I wanted to shout, ‘But you can’t own a successful business! You can’t be rich! You take the bus !’ but, of course, I didn’t. Instead, I did the best thing I could think of, which was keep my mouth shut.
    Janet, also playing it smart, uttered a soft, “Of course, sir.”
    Nicholas walked over to the door and held it open, waiting for me to walk through. I did, my feet carrying me quickly as I clutched my satchel for dear life. I followed him as he walked, nearly stepping on his heels every few steps, until he led me to a large office at the end of the hall. “Come on in, Mia.”
    He closed the door behind us then sat, motioning for me to