19

CARLY

 

My phone makes a text alert.

Ally “Wtf? Did Aiden really just stop Austin from taking you out tonight?”

She obviously heard Austin tell me he had already made plans with his brother that he’d forgotten about. And she doesn’t want us to get any more attention for talking.

Me: “Looks like it.”

Ally: “Holy fucking shit!”

Me: “Yep. Steakhouse back on?”

Ally: “Absolutely. I’ll go tell Meryl.”

Meryl is working on the third floor. She’s supposed to get off work at 3:30.

Austin came back in after that whatever it was in Aiden’s office looking sheepish.

“Sorry, Carly. I forgot I had something with my brother tonight. Can’t do dinner after all.” He then looked genuinely remorseful.

But, how weird was that?

“No problem.”  Talk about relieved!

He smiled. He didn’t tell me we’d reschedule. I looked at him a beat too long before saying anything else, so he looked like he’d been about to make some lame excuse that’ll sound like he’ll call me when really, he won’t, because his brother just put a stop to it. I saved him the trouble.

“I’m really not ready to date, anyway. I just got out of a two-year relationship just over a week ago.”

“Oh.” He looked uncomfortable.

“I’m sort of relieved. No offence. I’m flattered. You seem like a real… uh… catch. It’s just too…um…soon for me.” I smiled at him.

He smiled back. “Not a problem. Friends then. For now.” He winked and walked off.

For now?

I have a strong feeling Austin is way less than 100% wholesome.

 

***

 

Aiden wasn’t just an asshole the few times I’d dealt with him that afternoon. He was an asshole supreme. I could hear him on the phone ripping someone a new asshole from what I’m guessing was our New York or maybe our Miami office.

And then he yelled at Blake, the intern that works with Stacy about the competitive analysis not being detailed enough. He was so horrible to Blake that Blake, a fresh-faced recent college grad, looked on the verge of tears coming out of Aiden’s office!

And then a woman turned up and was in his office and his door not only got slammed, his blinds got closed by that woman.

I only caught a glimpse of her going in and a slightly better look at her coming out five minutes later. I’m guessing it was his mother, a very attractive (though obviously had quite a bit of plastic surgery) woman with blonde hair and blue eyes who then went into Mr. C’s office.

Aiden’s office blinds were down the rest of the afternoon. And it was kind of a relief because I felt like I had actual privacy for a change.

Meryl worked until five, so she came home with us in the cab. I’ve told the girls I’m going to go to the gym in the building and work out before we go for dinner. I haven’t had a decent workout since I got here, and I want to check it out.

The lobby is empty of Seth. When I get up to the apartment I change into shorts and a crop top as well as sneakers.

I grab my keys and phone and head down to P1 for the gym.

 

***

 

The workout room is awesome. There’s also an indoor pool here. How did I survive almost a week here without knowing about this? There’s a hot tub and a sauna, too.

I do twenty minutes on the elliptical and then after I’ve gotten started on the weight machines, the lights suddenly go out.

I jolt. I’m doing chest presses and I have the weights suspended so I carefully put it back into place and reach around the dark floor until I find my phone. I press the button and it lights up and I let out a breath.

“Got ‘cha’” I hear in the dark and I gasp. The lights go on and Seth the security guard is in the doorway.

I’m gasping. I’m reeling. He nearly gave me a heart attack.

“Omigod.”

He’s laughing. His eyes then slowly peruse the entirety of me and the look on his face makes my blood run cold. I suddenly feel very vulnerable down here.

“Havin’ a good workout?” he asks.

“Uh, I was, until you scared the crap outta me.” I’m annoyed and not hiding it, but I’m also feeling my heart gallop in my chest as I really don’t like the look on his face. Nor, the fact that I’m in the bowels of the building with him between me and the doorway.

Everything strikes me as just wrong right now.

“You all sweaty?” he jerks his chin up and then he licks his lips.

I hear something in the distance, and Seth turns to look out into the hallway. That’s when I hear Ally’s voice.

“There’s a freaking pool down here?”

Oh, thank God.

He looks annoyed for a split second, but then winks at me. “Later.” He slips out of the doorway.

Ally and Meryl are both in workout clothes and now they’re in the room with me.

“Heyyyy,” Ally says.

I let out a big breath and reach for my bottle of water.

And then I fill them in on that, that… whatever it was.

They both agree it was creepy and we decide to come down here in pairs from now on.

After my workout is cut short, we all hang out with our feet in the pool, and decide we’ll come down for a swim together on the weekend.

***

 

I get back up to the apartment and head into the bathroom, strip, then turn the water on for the shower. Or, I try. No water comes out.

Hm.

I need a shower, and this shower seems to be broken. I look at the soaker tub. I really don’t want to sit in a bath when I’m all sweaty and I don’t have much time. Should I go down to Ally and Meryl’s to get a shower? They have one full bathroom and one half bathroom so that’s probably a bad idea as we all have to get ready to go out. I have two and a half bathrooms, two of them with showers. But, one is in Aiden’s room.

Hm.

Darn.

What to do?

He’s not here. I could be in and out in ten minutes, right?

Fuck it.

I wrap myself in a towel and grab extra clean towels and my shower essentials and I go in.

His bed is unmade. Satin sheets all rumpled, his comforter half hanging off the bed. His room is messy. Clothes on the floor, closet wide open with some stuff hanging, loads of stuff on the floor, two suitcases that are sort of exploding on the floor in there, and a mess of shoes. Like… more shoes than I even own.

I step into the bathroom. There’s an overflowing hamper and two towels on the floor, likely from that morning. His shaving stuff is on the vanity and the sink is filled with stubble, dried shaving foam, and toothpaste.

What. A. Slob.

I lock the door and test the doorknob to make sure it worked. Last thing I need is him walking in on me in here.

A quick test and I see that his shower works. And it’s the freaking bomb. It has multiple heads pointing from several directions.

I brought my bodywash, bath puff, my shampoo, conditioner, and my razor so I look for places to line up my bottles, so they’ll be in reaching distance. There’s a shelf on the wall with a bottle of men’s head to toe hair and bodywash.

I put my bodywash beside it and my hand touches something jelly-like. There’s a … is that… no.

I blink at it, making sure my eyes aren’t playing tricks on me.

A head honcho? Flesh light? Elastic Lassie. It has many names and I’ve only ever seen them online before but, yep, this is definitely one of those. It’s a clear jelly-like flashlight-shape with a distinctive vagina-looking jelly top opening.

Oh shit. I cringe and back up.

And then I envision him using it. Pumping it on his dick. I can’t envision his actual dick, since I’ve never seen it, but I’ve seen a lot of the rest of him. The sexy v of his hips. His thighs. His bulging muscles that’d ripple as he pumped his man meat.

Whoa. I’m doing the opposite of cringing now.

He would totally freak if he found out I was in here.  Totally. I’ve invaded his privacy.

I can’t abandon my plan, though. I have to meet the girls in the lobby in twenty-five minutes. I’m going to have to make this a super-fast shower and make sure there’s no sign I was here, run to my room, dry my hair super-fast, and get moving.