Nicco

Ch. 6: The Little Black Dress

ARIA

Thank God it's Friday.

The past few weeks at Jackson & James have flown by in a blur of emails, financial reports, spreadsheets, and meetings. I've been working my ass off trying to balance my boss' demands with the company's demands. Their demands, of course, are at odds with one another. I'm surprised that I haven't sprouted a gray hair or two from the stress of it all. At this point, I've become nothing more than a tightly wound-up ball of efficiency.

Anxiously, I check the time.

4 pm.

Happy hour with Ted Manning starts in exactly one hour.

I clean up my workstation and duck into the restroom to touch up my makeup and remove my blazer for tonight's event. The black cocktail dress I'm wearing underneath is basically a knock-off of the Givenchy dress that Audrey Hepburn wore in Breakfast At Tiffany's. Except this one is knee-length. I got it on sale last summer. It's sophisticated and sexy but not too sophisticated and sexy. It makes me look older. More womanly, less girlish. Perfect for an after-hours corporate gathering.

Once I'm satisfied with my reflection, I head toward Nicco's office to remind him to get ready. Just in case he "forgets" about our engagement and sneaks away to start his weekend early.

My boss glances up from his laptop when I enter his office, looking gorgeous without even trying. It's annoying. His dark hair is perfectly disheveled, there's a light stubble on his jaw, and his green, green eyes, as always, are in a mesmerizing league of their own.

I wonder how it might feel to run my fingers through his thick hair, to grip his scalp, tightly, while he kisses me between my—

No, bitch.

Stop.

I catch myself and ignore the flush that warms my skin.

Completely oblivious about the filth on my mind, Nicco grins when he sees me, and I die a little more inside. "Were you afraid that I would try to ditch happy hour?"

"Maybe," I admit with a sheepish murmur.

His gaze locks onto me even more intently, drifting up and down my body. "Your dress is..."

Under Nicco's scrutiny, my stupid pulse skips a beat. "What about it?"

Green eyes darken. "Understated. Yet powerful. It is perfection."

I exhale slowly, not realizing that I've been holding my breath.

"I will not be able to look away from you tonight. I cannot wait to watch you bring everyone to their knees."

His compliment is so over-the-top, but I eat it up, anyway. I smile a pleased smile. "Thank you."

"Prego."

Our gazes linger for a second too long. Something in the air feels different, thicker, more magnetic, I don't know what to make of it, but it feels unprofessional as hell.

The way my boss is looking at me, all riveted and intense, feels as though he might be having some naughty thoughts of his own as well?

Immediately, I wipe this possibility from my brain. Nothing good will come from this line of thinking. Better get back to business.

I cough. "Ready to go?"

He nods, once, and the spell is broken. "Let me call my driver."

"I'll take the Tube and meet you there."

He shoots me a puzzled look. "Why would you take public transportation when I have Bentley? Just ride with me."

Oh, shit!