I have a cold compress on my forehead and a glass of white wine on my coffee table, and a NASA astrophysicist is on TV talking about black holes.

It’s finally Monday night, and I had a very busy first day at my job.

Natasha was right. Mr. Bradshaw is the nicest guy. Certainly the nicest boss I’ve ever had.

He’s also very theatrical. Between the meeting he held in his office before lunch and his constant barking to get so-and-so on the phone, and his random shouting to ask how to spell random words, he approaches every action like it is a matter of great importance.

And for him, it is. I’m sure I’ll grow into having that attitude eventually.

But for now, I’m just exhausted and want to put my feet up and relax.

I’m about to turn the TV off when I hear a knock at the door. I recognize the knock. It’s like when you can hear someone’s footsteps coming and you know who it is, from the weight and force they use in each step.

I know that knock to be Drew’s. My heart beats just a little bit quicker when I hear it.

I’m already in my pajamas and practically in bed. The cold compress is helping my eyes feel less strained after a day of staring at a computer screen in my contact lenses, and it’s blocking out the sunlight in the apartment.

Even though it’s already past 7:00, it’s still light outside. I wonder if I forgot to pay my rent this month. Today’s the 4th, but there’s a 5-day grace period, not that I need it. I know I paid my rent on time, so I don’t know why Drew could be wrapping at my door this evening.

“Hello? You in there?” his deep voice booms from the hallway.

“Yeah! Coming!”

I throw the compress on the table and make my way over the to door. I check my appearance quickly in the mirror. I look tired and a little bit grey. But Drew’s sort of acting in place of my landlord now, and I figure that I have an obligation to open the door.

“Hello.”

Drew has his hand on the doorframe and is leaning forward slightly. He’s wearing an old white tank top and jeans, and his scent is divine. It’s like a fresh glass of water on a scorching hot day, mixed with a high-end, masculine cologne with notes of tobacco and lavender.

“Hi,” I respond, tucking my hair behind my ears and shifting from one foot to the other.

“Aren’t you going to invite me in? I don’t usually stand at a girl’s doorway for this long. Coming or going.”

I move aside.

“How rude of me. So, are you here to collect the rent? The check is in the mail. I promise,” I say, putting a hand over my heart.

“You seem like the kind of girl who would pay your rent on time. But don’t worry. I won’t tell Rich if you need to pay a little late this month. Maybe you and I could even work out some kind of arrangement,” he says as he strides into my apartment.

“I’m perfectly capable of paying my rent,” I say, walking over to the coffee table where I have my glass of wine and a half-empty bottle. This guy has some nerve, but he’s too hot to kick out right away.

“You want a glass?”

“No. I’m okay. I’m at work right now, you know. You don’t want me to get in trouble, do you?”

“How silly of me.”

I put the bottle down on the counter and gulp down the last sip of what remains in my glass. It’s probably a good thing that he doesn’t want any wine. Another glass and I might not be able to help jumping his bones.

“You wear glasses,” he says, crossing his arms across his chest and stroking his chin.

“Yeah. So?”

“I don’t usually see many girls in glasses. I mean, if they stay over, sometimes they’ll have their glasses on in the morning. Sometimes I think of seeing a girl in her glasses, a girl who doesn’t usually wear them, as an intimate thing.”

My cheeks get red at the idea of Drew counting me among the one night stands he’s had.

“I can’t believe you let me see you in your glasses so soon. I didn’t think you were that kind of girl.”

He takes a few steps toward me, green eyes flashing with mischief and his honey-sweet lips looking like soft clouds of flesh. Warm spreads through my stomach and between my legs.

I can barely breathe with him standing over me. I take a few steps back, until my back is against my kitchen counter.

“What...what kind of girl do you think I am?”

“I thought I already knew. After you brutally rejected me on Friday, I thought you weren’t the kind of girl who would let a stranger into her apartment. But since you’ve invited me in, now I know that you probably want me to carry you into the bedroom right now. Hold your hands down at your sides as you part your knees for me. As I slide my tongue between your legs. That what you want, baby?”

I suddenly feel myself panting as he puts his hands against the wall on either side of me, locking me in. I duck under one of his arms and run to my room.

“We can go to a bar!” I blurt out, shutting the door behind me. I’m not sure why I say it, but I need to get out of the apartment. Even if he has to go with me.

“You’re asking me out? Isn’t that a little bit presumptuous? And after I’ve seen you in your glasses?” he says from outside, in the hallway.

“I mean, if you don’t want to drink on the job, if we go out to a bar, you wouldn’t technically be at work.”

“I can’t argue with that logic. I like the way you think.”