With an opportunity of a lifetime to make her entrepreneurial dreams come true, Thea finds it getting increasingly harder to hide her attraction to her boss, Aiden Steele - not knowing that the man under all the cold layers has a secret worth millio...
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Freshly waxed and pampered, I swiped the card at salon, feeling giddy with excitement that a three-digit payment went through in the first fucking go. No matter how many times this happened, I was literally over the moon every time the screen showed 'Transaction successful'.
Basile had been an excellent esthetician and Ada was a walking marvel with my hair, making me feel like a fucking goddess at the end of my second appointment. I'd taken their consultation to figure out what make up would suit me best and made a note to visit a store for that soon. With promises to only ever come to them the next time I needed anything, I walked out of the mall they were based in, skipping happily to the subway station. I wanted figure out the routes from Aiden's building to Steele Park ahead of time. I knew the train that went from the mall to Aiden's apartment complex so I boarded it as it came, holding the pole with my free hand while the other was busy finding a playlist.
One reminded me too much of the ex I never fully got over, one reminded me of my dad and there was one filled with ridiculously sad songs that I listened for the explicit purpose of making me sad on any normal day. I wondered briefly why I would do that to myself, by the memes online had ensured me that I was not alone in this. It was comforting. I resorted to checking my social media, which had been ridiculously empty of late.
Well, I did have that one picture Ada took after my hair were styled...
Fuck it, I decided to post it, at least people would know I was alive. It wasn't my best picture ever, no, I'd peaked at age seven and life had been downhill ever since. But it would do. I obsessed over the caption the whole ride before just writing 'golden' and leaving it at that. I guessed that's what the cool kids were doing these days.
I knew I'd come back to about 20 something likes and one random comment from my nephews, but that was enough. I didn't need Insta Fame.
I got off at the stop nearest to Aiden's home, now my home too. Shit, this was too real. From the stop, I found my way to the apartment complex. The doorman recognized me and opened the barrier, but I shook my head. Instead, I stood by him to chat, and just so I could figure out some hints of where I could travel to if I wanted to make it to work on time. He was nice enough to tell me what my morning commute would be like, and quite fortunately, it didn't sound too chaotic. There was a train straight from here to Steele Park, and while coming back, I could do better than the subway by taking a cab.
I was considering taking the train to Steele Park as well when the guard, whose name I'd learnt was Lucas straightened up, stepping past me to check the car pulling into the complex. I recognized that car at the same time Lucas did, and he rushed to open the barrier for Aiden's car. Aiden didn't move forward though, lowering his windows with the touch of a button and staring at me, "What are you doing here?"
"Figuring out my travel plans."
He was confused but he didn't say anything, instead telling me to meet him upstairs. "You know the way."
