And this was my career. I needed to suck it up. "I'll send you the next article in a few hours." I walked out of her office.
Chapter 24
I sat down on my bed and pulled my computer onto my lap. My first article, Give Him a Taste, had been sexy and full of details about our one night stand. The second article wasn't nearly as fun to write. Step two was "Remain Unattached." Which was actually inaccurate because it was definitely all about pretending for me. I wrote about the importance of not sleeping in the same bed as him. Spending the night was basically a confession that you were in love. I remembered how strong the desire to kiss him in his sleep was. This was the painful article. This was the article that made it seem like I was going to fail at playing with a player. Hopefully the readers would like that. Because at this rate I was definitely going to fail.
Step three, "Flip the Switch," would be a little more fun. It was about flipping the switch on Rory and trying to be sexy. I started writing that one as soon as the one titled step two was done and emailed over to Judy. This article was about being fun and flirty, while still acting like all I wanted was friendship. I wrote about befriending his next one night stand and being his wingman in a bar. And I went into great detail about our shower together. I bit my lip as I remembered how sexy he looked with beads of water dripping down his six pack. Maybe Connor was right. It did seem like I had a wild side.
The front door closing made me jump. I heard some pots and pans clinking in the kitchen. Rory must have been making himself dinner. I didn't have any ideas left. I had played all my cards. After giving him head in the kitchen, I expected him to at least lie in order to have sex again. All I could do was look as sexy as possible for another fake date.
I hooked on my best pushup bra and pulled on the new dress I had bought on the way home from the office. It was black lace with a tan slip underneath. But the color of the slip matched my skin, so it basically looked like the lace was see-through. There was a deep V neckline and virtually no back. The lacy fabric ended right below my ass. The dress was way too tight to wear underwear. I thought about the girl that had played strip poker with us. Rory had apparently thought that going commando was very sexy. I looked in the mirror.
I pulled on the new black, platform stilettos I had bought with the dress. I could barely walk, but if Rory asked me to stay, then I wouldn't be wearing them for long. Well, maybe I'd be wearing them, but I'd be flat on my back so it wouldn't really matter how tall they were. This was definitely the sexiest outfit I had ever worn.
I turned on the YouTube tutorial I had found earlier. I had stumbled upon Phoenix's Fashions and knew that if I could pull off the look she had in the video, I wouldn't have any problem getting Rory to commit. I'd have to give her vlog a shout out in my article if this went well. I put on the inappropriate amount of eyeliner, mascara, and black eye shadow that she recommended and looked in the mirror again. Everything about the way I looked screamed slut. Hopefully it would make Rory realize what I was going to do tonight on my fake date if he didn't stop me.
I pushed my breasts together once more before opening the door. The kitchen smelled amazing. It was definitely something Italian. The aromas of garlic and parmesan made my stomach rumble. Rory had his back to me, and was stirring something at the stove. He was wearing a pair of jeans with a blazer. Why was he so dressed up? I looked over at the kitchen counter. There were two place settings and several candles lit. It looked so romantic.
That's why he didn't want more. He already had more with someone else. I blinked hard. My tears were imminent, but I couldn't cry. I was wearing too much eye makeup. I turned around to run back into my room.
"Keira."
I winced and pretended to close the door to my room when I was actually reopening it.
"Hi, Rory," I said and put on a fake smile. "It smells really good in here." I walked into the kitchen and leaned on the counter. Don't cry. Hold it together for just one more minute.
"I hope so."
"What's the special occasion?" I looked over at the table setting for two.
Rory poured a glass of wine and handed it to me. "I was just in the mood for more."
The way he said it made me gulp. That's what I had said I wanted instead of a one night stand. It was vague, and I didn't actually know what it meant, but more was what I wanted too. Is all of this really for me? I took a big sip of my wine. I didn't want to jump to any conclusions. I needed him to say it.
Instead, he took a sip of wine from his own glass and turned back to the stove.
I stood there awkwardly until I finished my glass of wine. It was hard not to admire his ass in those jeans. And he was wearing his usual v-neck t-shirt under his blazer. I could see every muscle in his chest. He looked so sexy. But it didn't seem like he was being sexy for me. I set my glass down on the counter next to him. Maybe he just meant he was hungry for more food than he usually had. "I have to get going. I'm going to be late."
"I think you should skip your date." His fingers brushed against my wrist. "Stay here tonight."
"What did you want to do?"
He lowered his eyebrows slightly. "You."
Holy shit.
"Wine, dinner, dessert." He locked eyes with me when he said dessert. "I think that counts as a date, right?" He lifted up my glass and poured me some more wine.
"Yes," I said breathlessly.
He grabbed a pan off the stove and walked over to the counter. He put pasta down on each plate and then the sauce, which is what I thought smelled so wonderful.
"Let me just make a call," I said. I pulled out my cell and scrolled through my contact list. Instead of clicking on anyone, I held the phone to my ear. After a few seconds I said, "Hey, Brian. I'm really sorry, but I have to cancel tonight." I paused for effect. "Something important." I looked up at Rory.
He smiled at me.
"Sorry again. Bye, Brian." I pretended to hang up. I put my cell back in my purse and dropped my purse on the counter. I walked over to Rory and he pulled out one of the chairs for me. This had to be a dream. How had this really worked so well?
Rory grabbed something out of the oven and kicked the oven closed with his foot. My mouth started watering. It wasn't the sauce that smelled so good. It was the chicken. He put a piece on each of our plates and sat down next to me.
"Rory, this looks so good."
He smiled at me as I took a bite.
"Oh my God. This is literally the best thing that's ever been in my mouth."
He laughed. "You mean one of the best." He raised his left eyebrow.
I swallowed hard. Is he referring to his cock? If he was, he wasn't wrong.
"So, just four?" he asked as he twirled some pasta around his fork.
"Yeah, four."
"Four is a pretty good number."
"It is a pretty good number."
"Maybe it should stay there then."
He's asking me out. I took another bite of chicken. No, he's asking me not to sleep with anyone else. Is there a difference? "What is your number?"
"More than four." He smiled at me.
"You've slept with more than four women since you've moved in."