"Ah! I-I'm sorry!"
She stepped back, then quickly walked around him and down the hall. She hadn't even looked up. He watched the way her hips swayed lightly as she walked toward the elevator. He cursed to himself as he felt his cock harden and strain against his jeans. His little Aurora had turned into a very curvy, very sexy woman while he was away.
4
Aurora pressed the button on the elevator for the main floor and cursed as the doors slowly closed. She took a sip of the hot chocolate disguised as coffee in her thermos and tapped her foot as she waited. She felt sorry for bumping into her neighbor. It seemed like he had a bad day yesterday. She kept hearing loud noises and him yelling every now and then. She hadn't remembered him being so tall though. Or muscular. Her thought was interrupted as the elevator dinged and the doors began to open on the first floor. She squeezed through before they had time to fully open and rushed outside. Harper was already waiting in her car at the curb, her long red fingernails tapping impatiently on the steering wheel.
"I'm so sorry!" Aurora threw open the door and quickly took her seat.
"What the hell, Rory?" Harper was speeding off before she could even get her seat belt on.
"I know, I'm sorry. I was up later than usual making cookies for my brother." She had gotten her seat belt on and was setting her plastic bag on the floor.
"Is he still dating that model?" Harper sounded a little hopeful.
"Yes, Harper." Aurora giggled. "You'll be the first I tell if he ever breaks up with her."
"I hope he does." She sighed heavily, she'd had a crush on Caleb since the first time she saw him. "So, do I get a cookie?" She changed the subject as they got closer to work.
"Sure, I think I was able to make a dozen."
"Only a dozen?" Harper laughed. "Were you eating the dough again?" Her laugh turned into a snort as they pulled into the parking lot.
"Yes." She pouted softly, everyone knew she had a huge sweet tooth. "Here's your cookie. Eat it before Tristan sees, you know he'll scold us."
"Give me, give me!" She snatched the cookie from Aurora. "You always make them so chewy and chocolatey!"
Aurora just giggled and grabbed her stuff as she got out of the car. Harper was licking off her fingers as she stepped out and locked the doors.
"I don't care what Tristan says, I can never stop eating your cookies." She laughed again. "Besides, aren't you going to get in trouble for drinking hot chocolate?" Harper grinned and gave a sideways glance.
"Ho-How did you know!"
"Honey, coffee doesn't smell like that." She snorted again.
Aurora groaned, if Harper knew then Tristan would, too. He was always on both of them about what they ate. Their lunches were always very healthy and had very few calories. He said men liked thin woman and if they didn't watch what they are they would gain too much. Aurora had always been extremely self-conscious of her body but couldn't seem to put the fork down or give up sweets. If it wasn't for Tristan making healthy lunches and getting her to walk more, she'd probably be 50 pounds heavier.
She wouldn't be considered over weight, but she didn't have a flat stomach either. It had a slight curve to it, which according to Ruby meant she was fat. Her breasts weren't huge but they were almost a C. Her butt was another story, it had always been big. It was probably the part of her she was the most self-conscious of. It also made shopping harder because she had to find clothes that didn't reveal too much and kept her covered while she moved around. The moment they walked in, Tristan was in front of them with his hands on his hips and his lips pursed together. His eyes on both of them, making them feel guilty. Before any of them said anything, Tristan was snatching away Aurora's cup.
"Hey!"
"Hot chocolate? You really think you could trick me?"
"It was worth a try." Aurora shrugged and looked down.
Harper started laughing, but the moment she did Tristan's glare turned to her.
"Oh, don't act like you're any better! I saw that cookie you ate!"
"Oh." Harper stopped her laughing and had the same guilty look as Aurora.
"Girls, come on! How are you two going to snag hot men when you keep cheating on your diet?"
"You're the one who put us on it." Harper scuffed, her voice low.
"You asked me to help you get men! Now come on, let's get to work." He rolled his eyes, then swiveled around and walked off to the back of the store.
"You got me in trouble, Rory!" Harper teased, lightly shoving her.
"Hey! You took it, you could have said no!" Aurora giggled as they both followed after Tristan.
Work went by as it normally did. Aurora had a few of her regulars come in and have her do their make-up. It always made Tristan jealous that she had so many who wanted her. She kept telling him his way was too over the top and most women didn't want that. He simply brushed her off by saying he was a very successful drag queen and knew what looked the best. She just giggled at him. For lunch, they all had salads that Tristan had made. Harper and Aurora gave each other the same look which sent them both into a fit of laughter. Tristan didn't find it funny and decided to go into a very detailed story of the guy he banged last night. Aurora's face exploded in color as she tried to cover her ears to block him out.
By the end of the day, Aurora's feet were killing her. She normally wore flats but Tristan insisted that she needed to learn how to walk in heels. He said it would make her short legs look longer and emphasize her butt more. She had told him that was the last thing she wanted to do, which he in return said she should be thankful for her voluptuous back side. Apparently, it was another thing he was jealous of. As they said goodbye, Tristan told the two about a party at some club he was performing at this Saturday, which was in two days. He said both of them had to go or he wouldn't be friends with them anymore, he loved to be over-dramatic like that. He also informed them that they needed new dresses and that he would be picking them out Saturday morning.
Harper and Aurora agreed to go but scolded him for not telling them sooner. They finished their goodbyes and each went their separate ways. Harper to her car, Tristan to his bike, and Aurora walked to her brother's, who was only a ten-minute walk from her work. Aurora looked up at the large building and sighed. Her brother lived in a much nicer location. Between his girlfriend’s modeling money and his money from being an IT consultant, they had a lot more money than her. Sometimes she wondered if she needed a man for help but decided that wasn't a solution. Caleb lived on the top floor, which was 5 levels up. She took the elevator and easily found the door to his apartment. She was hoping Ruby wasn't home yet, especially since she had cookies. Ruby hated it when Aurora brought treats over, she always said it was that type of food that made people fat. She opened the door, her tray of cookies in one hand as she pushed the door open and stepped inside. She shut the door but hadn't seen Caleb or Ruby.
"Caleb! I brought you cookies!" She said cheerfully, her hand reaching down to pull off her heels.
"I'll take those."
Aurora froze as she heard the deep voice. She knew it didn't belong to Caleb. The tray of cookies was lifted from her hand and she could hear the plastic bag and tin foil being taken off.
"Tho-Those aren't for you." She straightened her back and slowly tilted her head up to look at him.
Her eyes landed on those menacing green eyes and cocky grin that had haunted her dreams for so many years. Theo Stone was standing about a foot away from her. His hair much shorter and he grown a couple inches. He had always been strong but now it physically showed. His arms and legs thick with muscle, his chest well defined under his black t-shit. She swallowed hard.
"Consider it an apology for bumping into me this morning." His grin widened as he pulled a cookie from the tray and shoved the whole thing into his mouth.
"That, was you?" She spoke softly.
"Yep. I'm your new neighbor."
She looked down and took a few steps away from him. Sh
e felt a little light headed. This couldn't be. She had gotten away from him. Her life was starting to look up. She couldn't go back to the constant teasing and bullying. Another thought came to her. The last time she had seen him, he made her say she was his and kissed her. She felt her face turn a dark red, her heart thumping hard in her chest.
"Whoa, your face is so red." He chuckled, taking a large step toward her. "What are you thinking about?"
"I-I-" She trailed off, her voice completely lost.
She turned her back to him and rushed off to the bathroom. The door was closed but as she reached for the handle, Caleb came out.
"Oh, hey Rory. Did I hear you say cookies?"
"Yea, Theo has them." She glared at him, then pushed him out of the way. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I knew you wouldn't come if I told you. Besides, you promised me cookies and I'm deprived of sweets here." He shrugged as if it was no big deal.
"I could have brought them another time. You know how I feel about him."
"Aw, come on Rory. That was years ago, he was only playing around."
“Stop saying that! You have no idea what I went through.” She hissed and narrowed her eyes at him.
She quickly shut the door to the bathroom before he could say anything else. He never understood why she was afraid of Theo, he always looked at his teasing as harmless and playful. She leaded against the door, her heart pounding. She forced herself to take a few deep breaths before looking into the mirror. She didn't want to think of what he was going to make fun of her for. She turned the sink on and let the water warm up before washing the make-up off her face. Ruby usually had the best stuff to get it all off. She looked in the mirror again. Another sigh passing her lips.
He was back.
5
Aurora took a couple deeper breaths and finally calmed down a little. She cracked open the door and could hear Caleb and Theo talking. It sounded like Theo had been back for a while, making her want to smack Caleb for not at least warning her. She glanced down at her outfit, she hadn't even thought about it. It was so tight, Theo was no doubt going to make fun of her. For what, she wasn’t sure. Technically, it wasn’t him who made from of her weight all those years ago, and he had even apologized about it after school. She tried to tell herself that it had been 8 years, they weren't teenagers anymore. He probably didn't remember half the stuff he did or the deal he forced her to make. He might not even bully her. And if he did, she could stand up to him. That's exactly what she would do! She pumped herself up and left the bathroom.
"These cookies are even better than I remember." Theo spoke to Caleb, another cookie in his hand.
Aurora’s eyebrows crinkled in confusion. Theo never gave her compliments like that. He always had some sort of criticism to make about them which had always made her feel like she would never be good enough even with baking. It wasn’t until she got the courage to bake them for Harper that she realized she was actually really good at what she made.
"Don't I know it. I have to eat them all before Ruby gets home though." He finished his cookie and grabbed another.
"That chick needs to eat. How do you two even fuck?"
"She's a model, she has to stay that thin." Caleb laughed. "And we fuck like any other couple."
Aurora inwardly groaned, this was not a conversation she wanted to walk in on but she couldn't stand in the hallway forever.
"Rory, these are great!" Caleb called to her when she sheepishly walked in.
"Thanks. Sorry there aren't more. I think I ate most of the cookie dough." She blushed softly.
"Always a sweet tooth." Theo grinned, his full attention on her.
She felt all of her confidence from the bathroom drain from her body. She averted her eyes, her bangs helping to cover her face. She didn't understand how his eyes alone could have so much effect on her. And his smile was much different than she remembered, in fact she wasn’t sure he’d ever given her a kind smile. He was usually laughing about something he had said or done. She found her heart picking up its pace and wanted to scream at it.
"Oh yea, I wanted to invite you two for dinner on Friday. Catch up a little. We'll be making steak."
"Ruby actually allows that?" Theo laughed.
"Aw, come on Theo." Caleb laughed, too. "Can I count on you two being here?" He pleaded, giving Aurora puppy dog eyes when she hesitated.
"I'll be here." Theo looked down at Aurora.
"I can come over after work." She sighed heavily, finally caving in from the pressure they were both putting on her.
"Good, we'll eat at 6pm."
"I'll see you then, I have to get going." She turned, going to the door and slipping her heels back on.
"I'll drive you." Theo took a step over to her.
"No!" She spoke too soon, causing anger to flash in Theo's eyes. "I mean- I can walk."
"Aurora, I live right next to you." He growled lowly. "See ya, Caleb."
Theo placed his hand on her lower back and led her out. She felt her insides flip flop and her palms sweating lightly. He walked her to the elevator and pressed the button for the first floor.
"Honestly, I can walk but thank you."
"I'm not giving you a choice."
"What?" She turned her head up to look at him.
"I'm driving you. End of conversation."
"I'm a grown woman Theo-"
"I'm very aware of that." He smirked, letting his eyes trail up and down her body.
Her eyes widened as a dark blush crept across her face. She turned away from him, her lips pushed out in a small pout and she crossed her arms over her chest. She knew arguing with him wouldn't work, he always won because Theo Stone always got what he wanted. The elevator doors opened a few seconds later and he placed his hand back on her low back to led her outside. She felt her heart race again from the light touch, her mind cursing herself for being so affected by this guy. He removed his hand when they were standing in of his car which happened to be a dark red 2016 Dodge Viper GTS. Not only was it a very expensive car, but it was parked right in front. Her jaw dropped, her mind wondering what the hell he did for a living and why he would be in a crap apartment like hers.
"Pick up your jaw, babe, and get in." He smirked, opening her door for her.
She couldn't even find words to speak, her body moving into the seat as he commanded. He shut the door, she strapped on her seat belt and waited for him to get in. She watched as he pulled out a red pack of smokes, stuck one on his mouth, and lit in. She rolled her eyes, he still had his dirty habit. She could smell the scent of his cigarette when he got in but didn't say anything. She knew whatever she had to say wouldn't matter anyway. She also clearly remembered the way he acted last time she tried to do something about it. Sure, they weren't kids anymore and she couldn't get him in trouble but he didn't care what she thought.
"Why is Caleb calling you Rory?" He didn't look at her, his eyes focused on the road as he took off.
"That's what everyone calls me. It's my nickname, I guess." She leaned her head on the window, her eyes on the sidewalk and buildings they passed.
"I don't like it."
She peeked over at him, his face set in hard lines of disapproval as he sped down the road. Part of her wanted to scold him for driving so fast, but she knew that was a bad idea as well.
"I don't think anyone uses my full name anymore."
"I'm not calling you Rory."
"You're being silly." She sighed, turning her eyes from him and missing the slight smile that curved his lips
It took them about fifteen minutes to make it back to their apartment building. Again, there seemed to be a reserved spot for him right out front. As he turned the car off, she undid her seat belt and stepped out of the car. She slowly walked over to the elevator, her feet so sore she was struggling to walk in them.
"Why are you wearing those?"
"Wearing what?" She looked up at him to see one eyebrow raised.
> "Heels. It's obvious you don't normally wear them."
She flushed deeply and turned away from him. She didn't understand why she couldn't keep eye contact with him for even a full minute.
"I'm trying to work on my appearance for work."
He kept his eyes on her but didn't respond. Great, was that what he was going to make fun of her for? She had been working so hard on her image and really didn’t want him to rip her to shreds. The doors opened, letting her escape the small confines where his presence was consuming her.
His Favorite Toy Page 2