by Tiana Cole
“I want the best, Alicia.” He paused for moment, “It is okay if I call you Alicia, right?” He sounded so sincere she immediately smiled, and nodded her head. Alicia, sweetheart, baby. Whatever he wanted to call her was just find by her. Knock it off right now! she told the voice in her head that sounded suspiciously like Charlotte. She gestured for him to continue, afraid of what would come out if she opened her mouth.
“I want the best dating site. I want the site that everyone will be talking about forever because it’s so amazing, so ahead of its time, so…so awesome!”
“Okay, so we’ve got amazing, ahead of its time, and awesome,” Alicia said, reading back the list of words she had just written with the stylus on the tablet’s screen. He nodded his head and finally she looked up, meeting his gaze once more. But it was easier now. She smiled at him.
“That’s no problem at all. Here’s how were going to make it happen…” Alicia spoke for several minutes on how they build the website brick by brick based on the clients needs, their vision, and the latest technology.
One thing Alicia always prided herself on was having her finger on the pulse of what was new and what was hot in the programming world, and soon, she had Ayden as wrapped up in the vision of his future website as she was. The blood pumped faster through her veins when she thought of the the extreme amounts of complicated code just waiting for her to tackle. And what made it even more exciting was that Ayden was on board for it all. He knew he wanted to be the best dating and online website, but he had no idea how to go about making it happen.
Well, luckily for him, he had hired Alicia to take care of that. And she couldn’t wait to get started. Her passion was contagious and soon both of them were sitting shoulder to shoulder pouring over ideas and samples, talking through the different challenges that awaited them and the pitfalls that many other online dating platforms fell into.
After an hour of shooting ideas back and forth, Alicia was amazed at how relaxed she felt around him. He was still hot. Okay, hotter than hot. But his brain worked in ways that fascinated her. While she moved steadily from point A to point B to point C, he was all over the place, making connections that she didn’t see until he pointed them out to her.
She didn’t resent it, in fact, she was amazed at how far they’d come to developing the overall design in the first meeting they had ever had together.
“I can’t wait to get started on the site,” Alicia said as they finally started to wrap things up. He regretfully said he had another meeting to get to, and knowing what a successful business owner he was, she was sure he kept an insanely busy schedule.
“Me either. This was so great.” Ayden stood, and she soon followed, tucking away her notes from the meeting. “Listen, I still have so many ideas I want to go over with you that we didn’t have the time to today. Why don’t we meet again around say, seven o’clock?”
“Seven? Sure! There is this great template I want to show you for setting up the dating algorithms,” Alicia gushed, already thinking of the amazing programs she would create while working on the massive project.
“Great! Okay, seven o’clock. I know a great little place that’s not too far from here. Do you like sushi?”
“Uh, yeah. Sure,” Alicia answered distractedly, her mind still whirling with ideas generated by their meeting.
“Wonderful. I’ll text you the address, all right? See you at seven.” Ayden shook her hand one more time, still holding onto it longer than he should and she felt every inch of that touch from the top of her head to the tips of her toes.
“Okay, see you!” Alicia said, fighting the pang of regret as he slid his large, warm hand from hers and turned to walk out of the office. He turned to shoot her one more charming smile before leaving. Some time later, Alicia realized she was still standing there, staring towards the door Ayden had disappeared behind and gave herself a mental shake.
She turned back to her notes when his words finally registered. Sushi. Seven o’clock. That evening. He had asked her out to dinner and she hadn’t even realized it. But no, it wasn’t a date, right? Just work. Yeah, that’s all it was. Just business. Ugh, she hated sushi.
Chapter 3
“Can you believe that guy?”
It took a moment for Alicia to realize that Marcus had spoken, and as his words registered, she turned to see him glaring at the door she herself had just been staring at.
“I’m sorry, what was that?” Alicia turned to Marcus, her thoughts still miles away.
“That guy, Ayden. He was all over you!” She could see the redness in his face as his words shot out and she was taken aback at the virulence in his voice.
“I really don’t think so, Marcus.”
“No, I saw it. He was practically drooling on you.” Marcus took a step forward, as driven by the anger behind his words, but Alicia just shook her head.
“He really wasn’t. But either way, Marcus, it’s not really any of your business,” she said as gently as she could.
His head whipped towards her with a shocked look on his face. For a moment she felt as if she’d kicked a puppy, but then she recalled, it really was none of his business, and besides that, she had a business to run. “Okay Marcus, let’s just get back to work all right?”
She watched him as he walked back to his desk in a huff, but there was nothing she could do about it. She had been as tactful as she could be, he would just have to get over…whatever it was that had him in such a snit.
Alicia walked to her own large desk that was against the far wall and sat in the chair with a sigh. Adrenaline still pumped through her veins from the magical meeting she’d had with Ayden. It had been like working with someone she’d know for years instead of just a few short days, and the back and forth between them had been inspiring.
Already she could imagine new programs and designs just from hearing him talk about his vision and she couldn’t deny that she was looking forward to their dinner later that night. Just to hear more of his vision and the details of what he wanted for the site, of course. Not at all because she couldn’t wait to see that lopsided smile draw across his too handsome face or the way his ocean blue eyes lit up with an excitement that just fed her own when they stumbled upon something new together.
Her cell phone dinged, alerting her that she just received a text and Alicia glanced down, her heart beat racing again when she saw who it was from. Ayden. She read it, and then read it again just to make sure she had understood it the first time. Don’t worry about address. I’ll pick you up. See you at seven. Can’t wait.
Can’t wait. Alicia stared at the words as a chill tripped down her spine. Can’t wait. What does that mean?
***
Ayden sat nervously in the back seat, fiddling with the chrome watch strapped to his wrist. He was never nervous. Why was he nervous now? Uh, maybe it had something to do with the drop dead gorgeous, not to mention absolute genius, programmer who he would be hopefully be spending a lot more time with over the coming months.
Beauty and brains, she was the total package and had him eating out of her palm within moments of meeting her. He thought he’d done a pretty good job of keeping his reaction under wraps, but watching her passion and excitement had been completely contagious.
He glanced down at the clock on his phone. Five minutes after seven. Where was she? Not exactly known for his patience, he decided to give her a few more minutes before calling and pestering her. Maybe she had to finish up something at work or something. His resolution lasted all of ten seconds before he had her number drawn up and hit the dial button.
“Hello?” Her sultry voice melted over him like warm honey. It took him a moment to find his own.
“Hey, Alicia. It’s Ayden.”
“I know.”
“Right, of course.” He rolled his eyes at himself. Get it together, man, he mentally reprimanded before focusing back on the conversation, “I just wanted to let you know that I’m here. I’m parked right out front of your office.”
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“Really?” Alicia said, and it was then that he could here the echo of her from just outside the vehicle. “I don’t see you. All I see is a big, black limo.”
Ayden couldn’t contain the giant grin as he leaned over and slowly rolled down the window. “Your carriage awaits.”
Alicia turned to look at him, her dark chocolate eyes widening in surprise and then melting into mirth as she shook her head at him and climbed in.
“I should have known.” She was still shaking her head. “You said you were going to pick me up. And you show up in a limo.”
“Well, I always say if you’re going to ride somewhere, ride in style.”
“Really?”
“No, actually, I just made that up, but I thought it sounded pretty good.” Something in his chest tightened as the sound of her tinkling laughter filled the inside of the limo.
Soon after they were on their way. It was just a few short blocks to the Japanese restaurant he was taking her. It had some of the best sushi in LA, and that was saying something.
The ride was filled with Alicia’s laughter and it was infectious. He’d never met such a beautiful woman who was so down to earth. She wasn’t snobby or snotty at all, and that was something he ran into all too often in this business, especially in LA. It seemed like everyone was out to gain something for themselves, but Alicia just enjoyed the moment. It was like she wasn’t even aware of just how gorgeous she truly was.
They stopped in front of the exclusive restaurant and the driver was there immediately opening up her door. They stepped out into the warm LA evening and were ushered inside by a man in an impeccably tailored black suit.
“Wow, this place is nice,” Alicia said softly, and he was pretty sure she hadn’t meant to say it out loud but he responded any ways.
“It’s actually the best sushi in the city, hands down.” He smiled at the hostess and she greeted him with a grin of her own before directing them to the aged wooden bench seats positioned in private alcoves that dotted the small space. It was one of the reasons he had chosen this place, besides the excellent food. He wanted a chance to be alone with her. To really get to know her without someone like her sour-faced employee glaring at him the whole time.
The décor was subdued and the lights romantically dim as the server came to offer them the menu and hot tea to start the meal. He barely glanced at the page in front of him, he already knew what he was going to order, but he looked over at Alicia and noticed a furrow between her brows and a focused look in her eye as she perused the restaurant’s offerings.
Ayden took the opportunity to drink her in. Her lithe body had unexpected curves enunciated by the tight fitting black dress she wore. The low lighting mixed with the flickering flame of the small lantern on their table gave a luminance to her black velvet skin that desperately wanted to reach out and see if it was as soft as it looked. Her features were serious as she concentrated on the menu, still unaware of his perusal.
She swept a stay lock of bright purple-tinted hair back behind her ear and he was instantly as charmed by the action as he was by the woman herself. He had never met someone so easy in her own skin, or so comfortable to be around.
“So, what are you going to get?” she asked, raising her eyes and they collided with his with all the force of a full speeding train. “Ayden?” she asked again when he was silent for too long. He gave himself a shake, trying to get a hold of his wayward thoughts.
“Oh, I always get the chef’s special. It’s the best.”
“Okay, um. I guess that sounds good.” He was too busy trying to get himself under control that he missed the trepidation in her voice. It wasn’t long before the server was back and taking their order, both of them getting the chef’s special, and just moments later when their first dish was brought out.
“For the first course, you’ve got a miso octopus and raw scallop squid ink salad topped with white tuna belly, a raw quail’s egg and tobiko. Enjoy.”
Ayden immediately dove into the small plate, but noticed after a few bites that Alicia was just sitting there staring at it as if she expected the whole thing to just get up and walk off of the table.
“Is everything alright?” Ayden asked, shooting her a questioning look. She glanced up at his form across the intimate table and noticed a distinctly green tinge to her face.
“Uh, yeah. Sure. Totally,” she said hastily, obviously trying not to look back down at the plate.
“Are you sure?” he asked again, still staring at her. She cracked a little bit under that look and finally shrugged.
“Okay, so sushi might not be my favorite thing. Something about eating raw fish makes me…uncomfortable,” Alicia finished, but he was sure she was about to say something else instead of uncomfortable and he shot her a small smile.
“Hey, it’s okay. It’s not everybody’s thing.” He looked down at his food for a minute, racking his brain. “What do you like?” he finally asked.
She shrugged again, looking distinctly embarrassed. “Honestly, I pretty much live on pizza and beer. Or an occasional take out.”
Ayden couldn’t help but laugh. “That sounds exactly like my college days.”
“Yeah, pretty much. I guess I just never grew out of it.”
“You know what, pizza sounds amazing. Let’s get out of here and go find a slice.” Ayden was already gesturing for the check before Alicia had realized what he’d said.
“Wait a minute, it’s okay, really. I can totally eat this…raw octopus thing.” She poked at it gingerly with one chopstick, certain now that it was actually moving on its own. Ayden didn’t even respond, he could see in her eyes that she wouldn’t enjoy the meal here, and this was all about making sure she enjoyed ever moment with him.
Quickly, he took care of the bill and they were back in the limo a few minutes later, headed downtown towards a pizza joint that Alicia swore by. It wasn’t exactly the romantic evening he’d had in mind, but he couldn’t deny that the thought of pizza had his stomach grumbling in anticipation, but sitting next to Alicia had his mouth watering for a taste.
***
They strode into Gino’s and Alicia couldn’t help but look over at Ayden to see if he was disappointed that he had to trade in a fancy meal for a slice of pizza and whatever was on tap. But as they slid into the corner booth, her regular spot, Ayden looked anything but. He was grinning right along with her as the surly cook, Gino himself, yelled to her from behind the kitchen counter.
“Ya want your usual, sweetheart?” Gino, who was about as wide as he was tall, shouted across the room.
“Sweetheart, huh?” Ayden said under his breath, and it had her giggling at the thought.
“Yeah, Gino, you know what I like,” she yelled back breathlessly when the laughter finally subsided. The waitress brought over two bottles of beer, and proceeded to show Alicia her new baby photos of her six-month-old, Jordan. Yes, she came to this place often enough that she knew almost every detail of the employees lives, but that was part of why she loved it.
Finally, they were left sitting alone, and Alicia found herself tongue tied. What could she even say? So she fell back on the one thing she was always sure of. Work.
“Tell me more about your vision for the website and online platform?” And that was all it took to have Ayden caught up once more in his dreams for the future of his business. They went back and forth for almost three hours, finishing the entire pizza and a few beers a piece until finally, Gino himself came over and told them it was almost closing time.
Bashfully, Alicia stood, looking at the time on her cell phone and gasping.
“Oh my god, I didn’t even realize what time it is!”
“What, got a hot date or something?”
Alicia laughed at his joke, and shook her head. “A hot date with a computer screen and some complex code.”
“Ouch, that sounds rough,” Ayden said with a mock wince.
“No it doesn’t, it sounds exciting,” she defended with another laugh. Ayde
n just shrugged again,
“To each their own.” Ayden shot her a lopsided smile, softening his words together they made their way back to the limo still parked outside. After insisting he drop her off at her home she reluctantly gave the driver her address and a few moments later, they were off. Her mind was so full of code and programming that she didn’t even notice when they pulled up her driveway. Not until Ayden was at her door, opening it for her and helping her out with a hand. It felt so natural, to reach out and take it. To slide her palm against his and walk the rest of the short distance still holding hands until they were standing on her front steps.
Alicia was so distracted that it took her a moment to realize they were still standing there moments later, and she glanced up at Ayden, surprised to catch the heavy laden look glimmering in his deep blue eyes. As if in slow motion, she watched him lean towards her, inch by incremental inch. She knew what was coming and felt the thought of it alone ricochet through her. He was going to kiss her. Oh god, Ayden Ross was going to kiss her.
Heat, fire, and desire all crashed across her body, setting of fireworks wherever they collided, but on top of all that was the practical side. The side of her that said over and over, like a bright red flashing warning bell, don’t mix business and pleasure, no business and pleasure. Just before his lips touched hers, she took a small step back, disappointment filling her as the heat receded and all that was left was that damn practical voice.
“I, uh, I don’t date clients, Ayden.” She looked everywhere but his eyes, not sure what else to say as an uncomfortable tension bubbled up between them. Ayden instantly dispelled it with a charming smile, and instead of kissing her on the lips he brushed a soft, chaste peck on her check and stepped back, giving her a little more room to breathe, to think.