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3.

"Good morning, Troy." Gabi greeted with a happy smile, holding two paper coffee cups; passing one to him. "This is for you…"

"You got me coffee?" He looked bewildered.

"White, cream, one sugar. Is that ok?" She asked.

"Yeah, but…" He frowned.

"I'm not buttering you up if that's what you think." She said outright.

"Okay, well that's good. I'm not sure I fancy my chances against this boss guy of yours…" He mused, pulling into the road.

"He's just…clingy." She described, going quiet and looking out of the window again.

"So…how come you have a long day working 'til 7?" He asked conversationally, winding through traffic, earning a few honks.

She shrugged. "I was trying to prove I'm good enough for promotion, obviously that's not going to matter now…"

"So, why don't you let me take you out tonight, for a drink, for real?" He asked, arching a brow as he shot her a sideways look.

Gabi could think of a few 'why nots' but none of them matched up to her fierce curiosity about her new chauffeur.

"Okay." She agreed.

"Not for show, not for your boss, just you and me?" He checked.

"Yup." She nodded in agreement right as he pulled up on third avenue.

"Okay, see you after work, what time do you finish?" He asked.

"I'll make my own way home; just get me tonight at eight." She instructed.

Troy pulled up in his own car, an Audi that he had saved months for, and waited for Gabi to show. He kind of thought she might bail on him and change her mind but no, there she was; sashaying down the path in skinny jeans with calf boots and a long vest top in black with a little fringed waistcoat.

He got out to open her door and he smiled, tucking his hands into his pockets as he perused her.

"You look great." He complimented, noting the difference of her curly hair. "Your hair looks nice." He added awkwardly.

"You know…" She said, looking him up and down. "You look so different out of your work clothes…"

He had chosen his own skinny jeans and converse, with a t-shirt and jacket over the top to try and add some formality.

"Erm, thanks?" He guessed cutely.

She smiled and slid into his car.

"Not the day car…" She commented.

"Nope." He grinned, driving them to the bar.

"It's…nice." She complimented.

He slid his gaze sideways, feeling for one moment, a flash of distrust.

"Looks good for lover boy, huh?" He wondered.

Gabi felt the shame wash her cheeks at his accusation and she didn't blame him. She still punished herself for ever confiding in him, but it was too late to go back now.

"I thought tonight was about us?" She returned confidently, her feline eyes flicking up to him.

He didn't comment, just parked the car for valet and came around to help her out.

"The lady's choice…Mario's…" He narrated of the swish bar in town. It was about as far from her work place as they could get but she had been there before, several times, with clients and with friends.

"You'll like it…" She smiled, leading him in as he politely let her go first, leaning on the bar to order as the noisy, dark room swallowed them.

"What are you having?" He asked, a little loud.

"Martini!" She called back, drawing a derisive grin from him.

"Oh, please…" He rolled his eyes.

"What?" She asked back, innocently.

"You should try a dirty margarita; you don't know what you're missing…" He grinned.

"Fine, I'll have one of those, then." She agreed easily.

He ordered their drinks and they gravitated to a small perch table, resting their drinks and meeting each other's gaze shyly.

"So…" Troy began awkwardly, rubbing his thumb across his lower lip.

"So." Gabi returned, waiting.

"What is it you do, exactly?" He wondered.

She smiled as she felt comfort wash over her with the subject matter he had chosen to discuss and she detailed her job easily, pausing as his smile curled upward on his handsome face.

His blue eyes were laughing and his clean-shaven face afforded a striking view. Several women had already thrown looks his way and she felt something like jealousy streak through her.

"What's funny?" She asked, tipping her head so her curls trailed down one arm.

"No, nothing…" He mused, pursing his lips and sipping his drink to hide his amusement.

"Seriously, Troy." She pursued.

"I…I just don't know how you do it…eight hours a day in the same place…with all those suits." He shrugged.

"I want to be an editor. It kinda comes with the territory." She shrugged. "Anyway, you're stuck in a car the whole day…" She turned the topic back to him.

"Yeah but I meet all kinds…and travel all places…it's…educational." He described with that warm smile she was beginning to like.

"Did you always want to drive?" She wondered conversationally, drawing one of his eye squints.

"Not much of an ambition, huh?" He asked.

"I didn't mean…" She frowned.

"I know." He flashed a grin. "Chill, princess."

He licked his lips as he thought about his answer and finally formed words that would make sense to a stranger.

"I had ambition, once, to be something more. But you know, I guess I screwed up and this is the best I can hope for." He pressed his lips in.

"Screwed up how?" She wondered, intrigued.

His blue eyes flicked to hers under dark lashes, testing if he could trust her. She gasped at the intensity of his stare, feeling somehow excited at his next words.

"Embezzlement." He quipped, lifting his brows for her response.

He drained his drink, waiting for the inevitable let down.

"Oh." She said, confused. "You were a businessman, then?"

He was surprised at her continuous interest but he humoured her.

"Yep. Architect. Wanted to make my own business, filtered funds from the company I worked for to set up my own brand." He said lightly, contrasting the seriousness of his crime.

"You got caught." She realised.

He nodded, rolled his eyes around the room. "Did some time, too." He added.

Her brown eyes met his without judgement, just pure fascination at his ease to share such information of himself.

"I'm guessing this is a test," she smiled slowly.

"Nope." He shrugged guardedly. "Just no point me hiding it because you will find out sooner or later and trust me, the reaction I usually get is not all that pretty."

She licked her lips and met his gaze. "I was arrested when I was sixteen for indecent exposure." She offered, flushing as his gaze swept down her body.

"I'd hardly call that indecent." He suggested of her figure.

She pursed her mouth patiently. "For streaking at a fur show in protest." She added.

He chuckled, genuinely amused and even a little touched at her admission.

"You sure don't seem like the usual business woman." He shook his head.

She shrugged, seemingly complimented by his words because she smiled. "Thank you."

"Hey, wanna dance?" He wondered, holding out his hand.

"Sure." She took it and moved to the beat opposite him, surprised at his ability to groove.

"Wow, you're good!" She called, impressed.

"I learnt it inside." He smiled back, making her giggle.

"I'm sure!" She returned good naturedly.

"Hey, some guy over there is checking you out…" He frowned, clocking an older man, in his mid forties, staring right at Gabi's backside from the side of the dance floor.

She flicked her head round then flicked it back as quickly, her colour draining.

"Oh my god it's him!" She said and a trickling fear ran down her body.

Troy felt a worming realisation work up his body at the very same moment and he cocked his head bemusedly.

"You knew he was gonna be here?" He asked, almost hurt.

"No!" She argued, meeting his eyes.

He squinted at her and pressed his lips in.

"It was your choice to come here."

"I didn't know, I swear!" She begged, now frightened at being left with her boss if he walked out on her.

"I should have known…" He tensed before he shouldered by her and headed for the door.

"Should have known it was too good to be true…" He muttered to himself toward the doorway, Gabi catching the words as she agilely avoided her boss and followed him.

"Don't you dare do that!" She said to him as he hit the cold air and she tumbled out of the club in fast pursuit.

He paused, his breath coming out in clouds of white smoke as he smiled lopsidedly into the parking lot and lifted his eyes to the heavens.

"Just go back to your neat little life, princess." He suggested, digging his hands into his pockets.

"You mean I don't even get a ride home?" She accused. "I thought you were a gentleman?"

He turned to her then, took in her stance, her clear emotions, wondering how she could really give a crap when they barely knew each other.

"You coulda been straight with me, lady. I probably would have done it, too." He mused.

"I was being straight with you. I told you he was following me…" She explained.

And then it clicked. The cold fear in her eyes showed that she was telling the truth. He really had shown up there uninvited. But where did that leave them?

He sighed, closed his eyes and regretted his words before he even spoke them.

"Do you want a ride home?" He asked.

"Yes, please." She answered, coming closer to him.

He nodded and turned, heading the way back to the car, helping her in before driving them back to her apartment, the air thick with their silence.

"Troy…" She hedged nervously, twisting her fingers in her lap.

"Mm?" He frowned, his dark brows furrowing together.

"Would you come in for a coffee?" She pleaded and it amused him how she asked the question.

He tipped his head and twisted in his seat. "Does he come to your apartment?"

"No…I mean, I don't know…sometimes…sometimes I hear people outside. Sometimes he's left a note on my door…" She hedged.

"Jeez, he really is stalking you…" He realised quickly.

"I have friends who can come by…but…" She paused, meeting his blue eyes.

"They're not big, strong guys like me?" He asked amusedly.

"Exactly." She mused sadly.

"A guy could get an ego or a confidence crisis with you…" He commented, twisting his key to kill his engine.

"I want you to come in for coffee, Troy. If you being there makes me feel safe, too, then it's a bonus." She assured.

He sighed. "Okay, let's go"