Victoria turned around, sheepish grin forming on her lips, and walked back.
Adrian was gone.
***
Adrian cut through the break room and made his way back to his office five floors up. He rarely had to visit the customer service floor and only did it this time because his floor’s break room was out of lemon-lime soda. So was theirs.
Impatient on the way down, he was in a much brighter mood on the way up—even without the drink. Victoria Montford was enough inducement for him to make the trek for the next couple of weeks, lemon-lime craving satisfied or not.
She was beyond adorable with her ponytail, shy smile, and large dark eyes. He hadn’t been flattering her when he said she’d had a nice voice. He would love to hear her sing to him again, preferably those of different notes and while she was naked beneath him in bed.
If she was like the women of his set, Adrian would’ve proposed getting to know her intimately that very night. But Victoria wasn’t. She was many interesting things wrapped in a small, curvaceous package but worldly she was not.
Fresh. Innocent. Sweet.
Adrian entered his office but instead of sitting back down, he paced in front of the enormous windows, eyes blind to the impressive city view glittering before him.
Impatience gnawed at him. It was much like the beginnings of his focused obsession every time he set his sights on a new goal.
Adrian was a man who trusted his instincts and his instincts demanded Victoria. It didn’t matter to him at all that she was part of the cleaning crew and obviously a different social circle than him.
What he felt in her presence, and the way he became a live wire when he touched her, closed off any room for doubt as far as Adrian was concerned.
Now that his course was fixed, next came the planning for how to approach winning over Victoria to his way. Planning came as easy to him as breathing and as such, his brilliant mind ran through and discarded several scenarios on how best to approach Ms. Montford.
Admittedly, he was taken aback when she didn’t betray any recognition of his name. It would’ve made things much easier if she had. They could’ve dispensed with the courtship and gotten on with the mating rituals deep into the night.
A wolfish smile appeared.
Challenges were what made life extraordinary and Adrian had yet to back down from one. Circle about and take a different tact—sure. Back down? Never.
Victoria Montford required a deft hand. She lacked guile but the intelligence shining brightly in her eyes proved she wouldn’t be one to fall for flattery. Appreciate it? Yes. But she was the kind of woman who hungered for more and Adrian was bound and determined to give it to her.
The fatigue rolled off his back as if it never was. Striding to his wide desk, Adrian picked up the phone and dialed his head of security.
“Micah? It’s me. Let me know when Victoria Montford from the cleaning crew leaves. No, there’s not a problem with her and absolutely do not detain her for questioning or contact her employer. Got it? Thanks.”
Adrian, always excellent at compartmentalization, placed the lovely Victoria in her personalized box and shifted gears to the present project at hand. Only he had to know that he pulled out her box often to replay the memories of the brief time he’d spent with her tonight.
Soon, Victoria. Sooner than you think.
***
Victoria spent her day off thinking about Adrian Hawthorne so much that her cheeks ached from smiling. Her roommates teased her about it, swearing that she had to finally, finally have found a boyfriend to be in that great of a mood.
She laughingly denied it. Even if she’d wanted to share about her encounter with a beautiful man like Adrian, Victoria would’ve kept it secret simply out of superstition. Better to keep quiet until…if…anything happened. Otherwise what was the point of explaining away the disappointment?
It was only after a long, hot shower that Victoria settled down long enough to pull out her planner and focus on the assignments for the upcoming week. An agile academic mind was the only reason how she’d been able to juggle so many balls in the air for so long.
If she didn’t get the material so quickly there was no realistic way Victoria could’ve made it work.
Speaking of work…I can’t wait until I go back on Monday.
She tapped her forehead and sternly reminded herself that Adrian Hawthorne was probably being polite and most likely wouldn’t make it a point to cross her path again. The wind went out of her sails a bit at that thought. It was nice to be paid attention to by such a handsome and obviously successful man.
Although, Victoria was pretty confident that if she’d met him at the bar and he was dressed down in jeans and a t-shirt she’d be just as smitten.
There was definitely something about Adrian that made all her nerve endings come alive. Being in his presence was like a shot of adrenaline. She couldn’t help but feel the urge to run, dance, and skip while being with him.
As the days passed she wondered if she’d merely imagined the connection she felt. Surely it couldn’t have been as great as she remembered it?
Victoria asked herself that question countless times as she delivered pitchers of beer and plates of hot wings to the packed tables in her section. Dodging overly-friendly hands and seeing how quickly she was reduced to a body in a skimpy uniform, did much to try to chip away at Adrian’s memory.
Besides, they’d only spent less than five minutes together. His hands couldn’t have been on her shoulders for more than ten seconds. His hand touched hers for a fraction of that time.
Still, the scent of his cologne haunted her senses, doing much to crowd out the smells of fried foods, sweat, and beer. Victoria worried her brow, wondering if perhaps her fixation was a sign that maybe she’d spent too much time working and studying and not enough socializing with the opposite sex.
Sex.
What would sex with Adrian be like?
That was a dangerous question to have considering she didn’t know him at all. It was even more dangerous because Adrian wasn’t even in her dating pool. Never mind the age difference or the fact that he worked at the building she cleaned, he hadn’t even asked her out on a date.
So why was Victoria even considering it as a topic of thought?
The more she tried not to think about it, the more it would sneak into her thoughts like a thief.
Would lovemaking with Adrian be like the movies—romantic and sweet? Or would it be like the videos her roommates passed via e-mail or laughingly pulled her into their room to watch on the computer—raw and impersonal?
Or better yet—romantic and raw. That would be the best kind.
Victoria enjoyed her time in the walk-in freezer whenever she had to pop in for a frozen bag of wings or fries. She truly needed to cool down from her carnal thoughts over Adrian.
She was as bad as a teenage girl with a crush on her teacher.
Still, Victoria had an extra bounce in her step when Monday came. She changed out of her revealing uniform and into the baggy coveralls faster than usual. Quick swipes of makeup remover, a splash of water to her face, an application of lip balm, and then she twisted her medium-length hair into a tight ponytail.
Victoria looked herself over in the mirror, satisfied that she looked bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. A chorus of goodbyes to the staff and then she was off to join the cleaning crew.
And hopefully see Adrian in the process.
THREE
Adrian hadn’t expected to feel disappointment in not seeing Victoria so acutely. When he didn’t see her the next night, he’d gotten Micah back on the line and asked him to find out her schedule.
Of course, this was after he’d had his people investigate her for good measure. While the thought originally crossed his mind that perhaps she was a clever social-climber who’d chosen working at his building all in the hopes of catching his attention, Adrian’s instincts were confident that was a stretch.
Victoria genuinely didn’t k
now who he was. For all she knew, he was just one of a hundred junior associates pegged for middle management. Once he got the report back on her he was even more convinced that she wasn’t even close to being the kind of woman who’d trade on her looks.
Adrian already had her short but insightful dossier memorized.
Mother deceased
Father deceased
Step-mother and two half-sisters currently living in the family home
On track to graduating with a bachelors in Accounting, minor in Business Information Systems, in the Spring
No police record
No tickets, outstanding or otherwise
No debt to include student loans
No medical issues
Currently living in an apartment with three other females
Currently employed as a cleaner and a waitress
Ms. Victoria Montford was a clean-cut, honest girl just as he suspected. Nothing in her background check raised a red flag for him. She was as safe a possible companion as any he’d had in recent memory.
But would that last once she realized the 24 carat fish she had on her hook?
Adrian hoped so. It would be rather insulting to his sense of self-worth to think he brought nothing to the table beyond his bank account. Completely at ease with women and his effect on them, Adrian knew Victoria had fallen hard into like with him as he had for her.
Now it was up to him to make sure she stayed that way for as long as they had left.
And as cynical as it was, Adrian recognized the countdown to their end had already started. It was inevitable considering he was never interested in anything long term. Hopefully, the hard-working and ambitious Ms. Montford would feel the same way.
He truly did hope so. He’d hate for their end to be bitter.
Adrian’s jaunty steps echoed in the stairwell as he made his way down to the Customer Service floor. Through security he knew Victoria had arrived promptly at ten and was due to be finished in less than five minutes.
His mouth broke into a grin when he spied her vacuuming away. Her jumpsuit, while utilitarian, did nothing to hide her delicious curves. Curves that were in no way hampered by her short stature. Adrian wondered what she looked like out of her uniform. He hoped to find out sooner than later.
Although she had her back turned to him and her earbuds in, Victoria suddenly straightened up as if she’d sensed his presence.
It was impossible really. She couldn’t hear anything over the vacuum’s dull roar, but nevertheless she turned around when he’d only taken a few steps towards her.
A strange sensation took root in Adrian’s chest. His stride faltered slightly but he made up for it in speed. It was imperative to reach Victoria, to find any excuse to touch her. She was just as lovely as he remembered, more so after an absence of four days. Memory just didn’t compare to the reality.
Victoria switched off the machine just as he reached her. Then she smiled. It was beautiful, full of sweetness and genuine pleasure.
Adrian felt regret punch him hard in the gut. The clock was ticking but strangely enough he wished he could stop it.
Just for a bit.
***
“Hello, Victoria.”
“Hi, Adrian.”
Victoria could barely hold back her happiness at seeing him again. Adrian had definitely sought her out and that made all the fatigue of her day slide away. Her gaze took him in, hungry for every detail just to see if he had been anywhere near as gorgeous as she remembered.
It was worse because he was even better looking than her memory gave him credit being.
The way Adrian fit his midnight blue suit, crisp white shirt, and black tie simply made Victoria’s mouth water. As before, only the stubble on his cheeks betrayed the length of his day. She’d never met anyone who looked so good after being up for so long.
“How are you, Victoria?”
“Good. Thanks.”
He gestured to the vacuum. “Almost done?”
Victoria nodded. She smiled, nervous and even more excited than she was the night she met him. There was so much she would’ve loved to say to him, but the words remained stuck awkwardly in her throat.
“Just a bit more until I’m finished.”
“I see.” Adrian thrust his hands into his pockets, projecting an easy image of quiet authority. “When you’re done, would you mind meeting me in the break room back there?”
Victoria’s instincts wanted to shout out “Yes!” without reservation. The other part of her, the supposedly smarter part, needed to keep her safety in mind. Her coworkers were spread out on the other floors and there was no one else around. Maybe it wasn’t that much different than now, but she wasn’t going to be closed into a small room with only two exits either.
Adrian picked up on her reticence. “Or we could meet in the lobby if you’d like.”
Victoria hesitated and then said, “We don’t have to go to the main lobby. The vestibule on this floor would work.”
“I know where that is.” He glanced at his watch. “Say in about ten minutes?”
“Sure.”
“Okay, see you then.” Adrian then touched her wrist before leaving her with another devastating smile.
Victoria watched him walk away, frozen in place until he rounded the corner. She then shook herself out of her stupor and then hauled tail to finish up her work, packed up her cart and vacuum, and took off to meet him after clocking out.
Belatedly conscious of her appearance, Victoria ducked into the bathroom. She never changed out of her work clothes because the hassle of being stopped by a security guard on her way out because he didn’t recognize her wasn’t worth it. But she could do some last-minute fiddling of her hair and since she was putting in the effort, Victoria dabbed a bit of color to her lips.
Satisfied, she practically skipped to the vestibule. Her steps slowed when she saw Adrian had beaten her there.
He immediately saw her and stood up. “I’m so glad you came, Victoria.”
***
She reminded him of a startled kitten. The delightful shyness he observed in her the first night came back and just like then, it completely tugged at his heart strings.
Adrian had found himself in unfamiliar territory and was a bit taken aback when she didn’t jump at the first venue he’d offered. The sexually adventurous women he’d been with recently would’ve taken the location as an invitation. Instead of being irritated at the unspoken implication that he could be a threat to her, Adrian was glad to see Victoria took care of herself.
Considering her jobs and the fact that she supported herself solely, it was probably naïve on his part to have assumed she wasn’t street smart.
He directed her to the chair in front of him. “You must be tired, Victoria. Please sit down.”
She nodded and came forward. Adrian caught the tremor that went through her frame and made note of it. He hoped it had to do with fatigue and not because she was nervous around him.
Adrian didn’t want her nervous. He wanted her open and receptive to being close to him. He wanted her to think about him as much as he thought about her.
Once she sat down, he gestured to the utilitarian coffee table between them. “I assumed you might be thirsty but I didn’t know what you’d like to drink.” Adrian basked in her grateful and delighted smile.
“Thank you. That was very thoughtful of you, Adrian. I appreciate it.”
He watched avidly as her slender fingers hovered over the bottled orange juice before taking the water. Adrian wondered why she didn’t take what she so obviously wanted and filed away the observation for later.
To keep Victoria from feeling self-conscious, he took the soda can and opened it. She took a quick sip of water and shifted in the chair.
Too nervous.
As much as Adrian wanted to cut to the chase and ask her out on a date, his instincts warned him that moving too fast would scare Victoria off. Whether it would be because of logic or morality, the end result would le
ave him unhappy and without her.
He redirected the focus of his original request. “You’re probably wondering why I asked you down here.”
“I am.” She blinked and then asked in a rush, “I’m not in trouble, am I?”
There went his protective sentiments again. He hated for her see them with the balance of power in his favor.
“Why would you be in trouble, Victoria? For the other night?”
“Yes. I know you said you didn’t mind but then again maybe…”
“No.” He leaned forward and linked his fingers together. “I know you don’t know me very well right now, Victoria, but I hope to get to where you trust that I only say the things I mean.” A dark thought entered his mind. “Has your supervisor or anyone on staff said otherwise to you?”
Victoria shook her head quickly. “No! I just…I…uh…” she continued to fumble for painfully long seconds before straightening up. “I just didn’t want to presume why you asked me to see you after work. That’s all.”
“Ah. I understand.” Which he did very well and it pleased him more than he could say. “I appreciate the kindness, Victoria, but in this case I hope your presumption matches up with mine.”
Her lush mouth rounded. Delight danced in her dark eyes, alluring as anything he’d ever seen.
“Maybe.”
“Just maybe?”
“I don’t know. What do you think I presume?”
As far as flirting went it was pretty basic, but Adrian would take it all the same.
“I was disappointed when I didn’t see you last Thursday or Friday.”
“I’m sorry about that. I forgot that I was off the next day. I mean…I remembered I was off, but when you said you’d see me the next day I responded automatically.”
Victoria’s face took on an adorable tint of color. Adrian could’ve covered her in kisses just to see if he could make her flame several shades darker.
“I understand. So you work here part-time?”
As I Hide: Adrian #1: Billionaire Grooms, Unexpected Brides Page 2