Chapter 10

Jennie

"So, this is my home," I say, stepping into the loft. I pull my purse off my shoulder and take my laptop from Lisa, setting them on the bench next to my door. I traded my heels for comfortable walking shoes before leaving the office, and kick those off, using my foot to push them under the bench.

Lisa takes her shoes off as well and moves close behind me, looking around. A fat orange cat trots over, meowing when he sees us.

"This is Lego." I pick him up and he instantly starts purring. "The half-cat."

Smiling, Lisa holds out her hand for Lego to sniff. Deciding Lisa isn't a threat, Lego rubs his face on Lisa's fingers. "I can see why you don't want to give him up."

"He's a lover. I wasn't sure how the other cats would react to him, but they get along fine." I walk inside, letting Lego jump out of my arms. "They're all from the same litter. Someone a few floors down found them in the alley and as soon as I saw them, I couldn't resist."

A little voice in my head is yelling at me to stop talking about cats.

"They're easy to take care of and keep me company."

Why can't I stop talking?

"And I don't have to worry about them throughout the day."

Lego runs into the kitchen and starts meowing, signaling the others to come join him.

"I always feed them when I get home."

A dark gray and black tabby winds around my ankles, almost tripping me.

"Leo," I say, bending over to pick him up. He darts forward, jumping onto the large island counter. The living space in the loft is open, with the living room, kitchen, and dining area all melding together. The entire building was renovated not all that long ago, given a crisp, modern appearance that's a little bit too contemporary for my liking. My décor is mostly bohemian, and the clash of styles works in a weird way.

It's home, and I love it.

All too aware of Lisa's eyes on me, I get a can of cat food from the pantry and dish it up, feeling very much like a crazy cat lady as I carry the bowls from the counter to the floor, trying not to trip over the four loudly meowing cats snaking around my feet.

When I turn back around, Lisa is standing next to the floor-to-ceiling window in the living room, looking out at the city below. She took off her suit jacket and button-up shirt, leaving just her undershirt on. I run my eyes over her, taking in every inch of her tall body. It's untucked, hanging unevenly over her belt. I can't help but notice the nice curve of her ass and the bulge from her cock behind her dress pants.

My lips part and I remember how it felt, just for that short moment, pressed against me as we stood in the kitchen as the storm raged around us. Through her pants, I could tell her cock was big.

Her touch was deliberate, meant to get under my skin, but she knew what she was doing. My nerves tingle as I think about it and some of that annoyance comes back. Good. I need to hold onto it, or my resolve will crumble.

Lisa runs a hand through her hair, messing it up, and angles her body toward mine. I shift my gaze from her crotch to her face at the last second, but it might have been too late.

"I'm going to get changed. You can watch TV or whatever." I whirl around and take off so fast I walk right into the counter. Trying to internalize my pain, I press my hand over my hip where it hit the corner and hurry into my room.

I shut my door and lean against it, hand flying to my chest like that will slow my pounding heart. Get it together. Pushing off the door, I pull the hair tie from my ponytail and go into the bathroom, giving myself a hard look-over.

I wear makeup to work most days, nothing crazy, just a little bit of foundation and mascara to make me look put together. I grab my makeup bag and hesitate, not wanting to look like I tried too hard.

This isn't a date.

Deciding to do my makeup after I agonize about it some more, I plug in my curling iron and quickly run my brush through my hair. While it heats up, I strip out of my clothes and trade my comfy t-shirt bra for an uncomfortable pushup, topping it with a low-cut shirt and tight black pants.

I curl my hair in record time and go with light eyeliner and red lipstick. Just enough to make it look like I tried, but not that I'm trying too hard.

I think?

Maybe?

I roll my eyes at myself and unplug the curling iron. Grabbing a pair of heels, I go back into the living room and find Lisa lying on the couch. Lego is curled up on her chest, and Lisa's eyes are shut.

"Lisa?" I say quietly. Her breathing is slow and rhythmic. She did say she was running on hardly any sleep. Frodo's voice gets my attention; Lisa had turned on Lord of the Rings. Smiling, I pull the blanket off the back of the couch and spread it over Lisa.

"Morning, sunshine."

Lisa sits up, blinking. "Shit. I fell asleep." She stretches her arms up over her head, and the hem of her shirt goes up an inch or so, showing off her fit abdomen. My eyes go right to the little trail of hair leading to her big cock. "How long was I out?"

"The movie isn't over yet, so not that long."

"You should have woken me up."

"Nah." I wave my hand in the air. "It was much more fun to draw all over your face in Sharpie while you were sleeping."

Her eyes narrow ever so slightly. "You wouldn't."

I lean in. "Oh, I would. But I didn't. Not this time. You looked a little too helpless. I knew you were tired."

"I'd say I'm surprised I fell asleep, but I'm not."

"That's why I didn't want to wake you up. I haven't worked a hundred-hour week at the office, but I've pulled some long nights and know how awful it is when you're running on no sleep."

"I'm used to it."

"That doesn't mean it's good for you. We can order takeout and you can go back to sleep if you want."

"And stay the night here?"

"Don't get any ideas, Dr. Manoban. Your ass will be sleeping on the couch again."

"The couch? This place is too big to only have one bedroom."

"True, but that doesn't mean you can sleep in it."

She rolls her neck. "You'd really make me sleep on the couch over a comfortable bed?"

"No, I wouldn't. But I don't have another comfy bed. The second bedroom is set up—"

"For the cats?" Her perfect lips curve into a smartass smirk.

"As a home office." I cross my arms, wondering if I'd be able to slip the cat-tree into the closet before she walks past. I twirl a curl around my finger. "Want me to order Chinese?"

"No, I said I wanted to take you out."

"So you do want this to be a date."

"Would it be a bad thing if it was?"

My body is saying no, it wouldn't be bad. It's begging and pleading for me to go, reminding me just how long it's been since I felt the touch of someone. But my heart…it's screaming even louder, telling me yes, it would be a very bad thing.

"I don't know."

Lisa stands, and her cock is right at my eye level. I turn my head up, meeting her eyes.

"What do you have to lose?" she asks.

Everything.

"Fine. Let's go on a date."

"Don't tell Jinwoo."

I roll my eyes and let out a sharp breath. Of course she has to bring up my brother. "I send selfies from all my dates to my brothers."

"Really?"

"Yes, for their approval," I say seriously before shaking my head. "You know what's kind of crazy?"

"What?"

"I'm my own person and I'm able to function without telling my brothers everything." I put my hands on the arms of the lounge chair and stand up. "I'm going to get changed."

"Again?"

"I'm wearing my pajamas. I changed after you passed out on the couch."

"Oh." She looks me over. "You look good. I didn't even notice."

I will not blush. I will not blush. I will not—dammit. "Well, I think everyone else will notice my pants have little dancing elephants on them. And I'm not wearing a bra."

"I did notice that."

"Pig." I cross my arms over my chest.

"That's making it worse, Jennie."

A quick look down tells me crossing my arms just pushed my tits together so they're almost spilling out of my tank top.

"I'll be right back." I clamp my hands over my breasts to cover my nipples and do my best not to run away. Deciding not to go with the sexy outfit I'd previously picked out, I pull a blue dress over my head. I discovered a while ago a cute yet comfy dress can make it look like you put more effort into your outfit than you actually did. Dresses seem to have that effect, fancying-up your appearance simply by not being pants.

"I still think you looked good in the pajamas," Lisa says when I emerge from the bedroom. "But I do like this too."

"Thanks." She put her button-up back on and has the sleeves rolled up. I don't know why that look is so damn sexy, but it is. "The professional look works for you."

"I prefer my scrubs with a stethoscope hanging around my neck so everyone knows I'm a doctor. But, unfortunately, I didn't bring them."

"You're going to have to pretend to be a lowly peasant like the rest of us."

"If that's what it takes to get you to go on a date with me, I'm willing to take one for the team." She moves to the door and puts on her shoes. "Shall we?"

"Hang on, I need to get my selfie to send to Jinwoo." I put my arm around her, doing the cheesiest pose I can think of, and snap a picture. "And now to caption it…" I pretend like I'm writing a text message. "Lisa is taking me on a hot date tonight. Don't worry, we'll use protection." I flick my eyes to her, smiling. "Sent."

"Hilarious, Jennie. We both know Jinwoo would try to kill me if he thought I was hooking up with you."

"He would kill you."

"He'd try." Lisa hands me my purse. "I could take him."

"Yeah, probably." I punch in the code on my alarm and open the door. "I guess we better not tell him then."

"Now this one is serious," I say, tipping my head up to look at Lisa. We're slowly making our way along the Riverwalk after getting dinner and drinks. I might be a little buzzed. Whether it's from the alcohol or the electricity humming between Lisa and I, there's no way to tell.

"I'm ready." Lisa takes my hand, lacing her fingers through mine.

"You're alone in the car and 'Living on a Prayer' comes on. What do you do?"

"I turn that shit up and belt it out. Which I'd do even if I wasn't alone, just to warn you." She pulls my hand back, bringing me to her. The wind picks up, and I shiver. Lisa lets go of my hand to wrap her arms around me. The feeling she gives me can only be described as butterflies, and I haven't experienced anything like this in years.

"Did I pass the test?"

"Yes," I tell her. "But things are about to get more intense. "What if 'Shake it Off' comes on next?"

"I'm alone?"

"Totally alone. On a country road."

"Hmmm." Her hands slide up and down my back. I shiver again, but not from the cold. "That song is catchy. I'll be singing and dancing."

I laugh, throwing my head back so the wind doesn't blow my hair into her face. "Do you even know the words?"

"No. I know what song you're talking about. I think. Maybe? I don't want to fail your test."

Hooking my arms around her shoulders, I shuffle closer until my hips brush hers. "There was no test. Mostly because I wasn't keeping score."

"You put me through all that for nothing?"

"Guilty. What are you going to do about it?"

In a sudden and swift movement, she scoops me up and turns to the river.

"Lisa," I squeal, clinging to her tighter. "Don't you dare!" We both laugh and her hands linger over my body as she sets me back down. We stand there, close together, both of our hearts pounding. The wind blows my hair again and Lisa gathers it in one hand, moving it to the side of my neck.

"Have you decided yet?" Her deep voice cuts through the night. She looks into my eyes when she talks and the confidence is sexy on her. It's not over the top. It's not hyped up to over-compensate for something. It's completely genuine and is doing bad things to me right now.

Bad things that would feel so good.

"On what?"

"On whether you want this to be a date or not."

I bite my lip. "You have to answer one more question first."

"If your question is if I put out on the first date, I have been known to."

Laughing, I bring my hands down from her shoulders, splaying my fingers on her chest. An attractive womanman who can make me laugh…I need to run far, far away. Because as much as I want this to continue, I know it won't.

It can't.

"That's kind of along the lines of my question."

She wiggles her eyebrows. "I like where this is going. What's your question?"

"If this is our first date, will you take me out on a second?"