Work Before You Fuck (Before You Fuck #2) (3 page)

At 6:15, I raced into the studio’s bathroom to put on a body conscious faint white lace mini-dress with black accents around the neckline. I was pairing it with plain black pumps and an oversized black bag. I looked at myself in the mirror, turning to check out my butt. It looked good because the dress stopped mid-thigh. The pumps gave me inches and made my legs look longer.

I pursed my lips in the mirror and refreshed my lipstick and eye make-up. My hand shook slightly as it worked around my face. Oh man, I was nervous. I guess I was hoping that he liked me. It had been so long since I had felt that way about a guy, if ever. I didn’t want to blow the deal, either.

I gave myself one last look in the mirror. I loved how I looked in the dress, but I made sure to cover up with a coat. If things were cool between us, the coat could stay on all night. If things warmed up, I could whip off the coat.

 *Ding dong*

It was seven and he was right on time. I buzzed him in and when I opened the door, I saw him making his way up the stairs. Adrian didn’t see me yet. I saw him put his hand through his hair, like he was nervous too. I felt my stomach lurch because just in that moment he turned around and looked at me. I could see his eyes get wide upon glimpsing me.

“Hi Adrian,” I said, as he walked up to me with arms open, taking me in.

“Kai, you look incredible.”

“I hope the dress is not too much. I wasn’t sure where we were going.”

“Oh my, you are a wonder in that dress. It’s perfect. We’re going to eat at the Gramercy Tavern.”

My heart jumped at his comment.
I’m a wonder. Wow.

Adrian couldn’t have known that my family was in the restaurant business, but hearing I would be going to the Gramercy Tavern made me a little woozy. It was a name that even my parents would recognize. The place was fancy, but stately in a way that could mean that this really was a business meeting, just over food.
Strictly business.

Adrian got the elevator for me and as he pushed the numbers and the door closed, I got the urge to grab his hand to hold it. It was a weird impulse and I did not give into it. But it did feel very much like a date.
I’m so going overboard in my own head.

We exited the elevator and Adrian’s driver was there with his car. Adrian waved off the drive and opened the door for me personally. It was getting darker by now and I shivered a little as we got into the car.

“Are you cold?” Adrian asked, “I can ask Jorge to turn up the heat.”

“That would be great,” I said.

The buildings zoomed by for a few blocks and then we got caught in traffic.

“I’m normally not traveling by car so it’s a different perspective,” I said looking out the window, “I walk or take the subway.”

“Where do you live?” Adrian asked me.

“I live in Park Slope, which is just a quick subway ride to work,” I said, “Do you live in Manhattan?”

“Yes, I do, but once work is done on Fox Hunt, I’d like to be there as much as possible. I’m getting a little tired of the city. I’ve been working in Manhattan for twenty years.”

“I’ve lived in New York City my whole life so it does feel like home, but I can relate to wanting a change of scenery. I went to Cornell for my bachelor’s degree and I really got used to the rural feel. Moving back to the city felt natural, but I want to travel,” I said. Adrian’s ears perked up to that comment.

“Where would you like to go?” Adrian asked.

“Well, I haven’t traveled internationally as much as I would have liked, but I’d like to go anywhere in Europe. Of course one day I’d like to take a heritage trip to China,” I said.

Adrian looked at me, but paused before his next comment.

“We can start by having you come out to Fox Hunt and getting a feel for the place and why I like it so much. It’s my refuge,” Adrian said, staring into my eyes, “How about next weekend?”

“I’ll have to check my calendar and get back to you,” I said.

“Of course,” Adrian said, looking out the window, “It looks like we made it.” The car stopped and Jorge came around to open the door for me and then Adrian.

We quickly shuffled into the restaurant and the maître d’ motioned us to follow him to our reserved table. It was off to one side and partially-secluded. We would be able to talk without really being heard by other patrons. The maitre d’ held out my chair and I brushed my dress underneath me.

“I’m so looking forward to this,” I said, letting down my guard.

“Me too,” Adrian replied, “It’s been some time since I’ve been here, but I thought it would be a great place to take you so we could talk design.”

I nodded. Of course, just design not romance.

“What do you recommend here?” I asked.

“Why don’t I order for the both of us?” Adrian said with a wink.

“Sounds wonderful, thank you,” I said, handing him my menu. Our hands touched and I felt electricity shoot up my spine.
I was attracted to my client: how in the world could this work out?

I couldn’t talk after we touched hands, but that was okay because he was reading the menu. I decide to reach out to take a sip from my water glass. My hand shook slightly as I brought it to my mouth.

He’s got to know that I think he’s hot. He could easily just seduce me and then leave me. Then our company loses the contract, too. I’m such a small fish to him.
Could I just fuck him and move on and be okay?
After I thought about it, I realized that I just didn’t operate that way. I couldn’t fuck him and just shrug it off.

“What are you thinking about? Your face looks so serious,” Adrian asked and I almost jumped out of my skin.

“Oh, lots of stuff,” I said, “Why don’t we talk about you and what you like about design?”

 “Design? It’s not something I think about on a regular basis. I feel like I have a good eye about what’s good and what’s bad, but I don’t think I know enough to do anything myself. That’s where you come in. How did you get into designing?”

“I went to Cornell, like I said before, but I have typical Chinese parents who expected me to be pre-med. Science didn’t speak to me as much as I thought it would. Cornell has a world class hospitality school and I jumped right in. It’s more than just making things ‘pretty.’ Good design can change people’s lives for the better,” I said to him, “Working at Watermark is a way for me to find out more about design. If I’m going to be perfectly frank, I’d like to have my own design business and really apply my design to hospitals and other public spaces to help people feel better and healthier.”

“I guess you are kind of ‘pre-med’ then,” Adrian said with a smile.

“You’re right. It will all come full circle one day, Adrian,” I said his name and he smiled widely, “Is it okay that I call you that? If it feels personal to use your name, I can stop.”

“Well, I’ll just have to say your name too, Kai,” he said and I couldn’t help myself from blushing. The way he said my name was like the vowels just rolled out of his mouth.

The food arrived and we both marveled at the Kobe steak served NY strip-style. It came on one plate with two forks. I quietly tasted the first morsel. Flavors exploded in my mouth and I couldn’t help myself – I gasped.

“Everything okay over there?” Adrian asked.

“This is unbelievable. I couldn’t stop myself from gasping. Thank you again for bringing me here,” I said staring deeply in his eyes.

“You’re very welcome.”

The night continued with me marveling at the exquisite flavor combinations and yet the delicate nature of the food.

After Adrian paid for dinner, we stepped outside into the crisp night air. I shivered and pulled my jacket around myself. His driver was waiting and pulled up.

“Adrian, I just want to thank you for this wonderful night,” I said while facing him. My heart was beating in my chest.

“Kai, it was a pleasure,” Adrian said, motioning to his car, “Can I talk you home?”

I hesitated because as much as I wanted to fuck this man, I didn’t want to screw this up, both professionally and personally. Also I didn’t really want to ride the subway.

“You don’t want to take the subway, right?” Adrian asked.

“No, I really don’t want to. Not in this dress! I’d love to get a ride home.” I stepped into the car and I sat down. Adrian followed and sat next to me.

It felt a little awkward. We’d done a lot of talking already. It felt like the next step was a kiss. I wanted him to kiss me. I decided to put that vibe out there.

Just then Adrian turned to me. He took my hand in his and squeezed it. I looked up in his eyes and I looked at him. His eyes were tender and open with trust. “Thank you, my hand is kind of cold.”

He took his other hand and lifted it to my face, brushing some wayward hair off my cheek. Then he leaned in and softly kissed my lips. His lips were soft and warm. It felt like my whole body set itself on fire. He pulled back, looked at my face, and then went in for another kiss.

I lifted my hand up to his face, I could feel his stubble, rough on my hand. Adrian’s face felt strong and big. Then we leaned back in our seats, the stress of the first kiss over. We both smiled.

“Well, that was unexpected,” I said.

“I hope it was enjoyable?” Adrian replied. I laughed

“It was very nice!” I said, pausing for a moment. “I’m not sure how to proceed because I know kissing your client could be…troublesome.”

“I hope that we’ll do more than kiss,” Adrian said, “I mean, at some point in the future.”

“You’re so polite,” I said, “I want you to think about if you want to pursue a romantic relationship with me or if you would like me to design your home.”

“Kai, why can’t we do both?” Adrian asked, leaning in for another kiss. I kissed him back with more passion than before because it was obvious that he liked me. His tongue entered my mouth and seconds later I nibbled on his lip. It was delicious.

“Okay, Adrian, I’m game,” I said, as we pulled up to my apartment.

I looked over at him with eyes wide open, “I just don’t want to screw this up.”

“Of course,” he said, getting out to open my door for me. I stepped out and he looked me up and down, as if with new eyes. “Did I tell you that you look amazing in that dress?”

“Yes. Thank you Adrian.”

“I’d like your cell number, Kai.”

I got out my business card and scribbled it on the back.

Adrian leaned down to me, putting his hand on the small of my back and bending me back just a bit to kiss me again. His kiss was delicious, but it was over before I knew it.

“Bye for now, Kai.”

“Bye, Adrian,” I said, releasing his hand. Then I floated up the stairs of my apartment.

Chapter Six

The next day I got ready for work with a smile on my face. It was obvious that Adrian liked me. I just felt happy. Now we just had to figure out how to make this work, both personally and professionally. I knew he was scheduled to come in for a business meeting in two days at the office. The project manager was going to attend the meeting as well as my boss, the creative director of the agency. Adrian’s house remodel would have been a medium-sized project for my employer. But it had been given the higher priority status as a larger corporate project because of two reasons.

First, the high profile nature of the client, I mean Adrian. He was well-known in the real estate business. Adrian was well-connected so if his design was given any media attention, our agency would get additional referrals by word of mouth. Another reason it was a priority was that Adrian was going to spend millions of dollars to have it done right. Other clients would not have spent the kind of money Adrian was.

I got dressed for work thinking about Adrian. I couldn’t explain why I liked him. I felt magnetically attracted to him. He was almost twice my age. I didn’t think I had “daddy issues.” No, I was sure I didn’t find him attractive because he was like a father figure. I had my own dad for one and Adrian was much younger than my own father. He couldn’t have looked any differently, too. Adrian with his toned physique and his brown hair. He was probably in his early forties.

I popped some toast in my toaster and I wondered to myself:
Would I fuck him on our second date?
My body did not want to put any brakes on. My body wanted to feel his warmth next to mine. I wanted to feel his hands caressing my body. It had been a long time since I’d fucked anyone. I was so out of practice.

I nibbled my toast as I googled “Adrian Moretz” once again. I’d done a preliminary search before to find out about his workplace, but I needed to know about his love life. I found a post on gawker.com about him. The post was dated two years ago. I clicked on it with butterflies in my stomach:

“Adrian Moretz, 41, a NYC real estate mogul, was spotted out with model Molly Meguser, 28, at the Met for a fundraising gala at $2,500 per plate. Mr. Moretz, top dog at Moretz Luxury Properties, recently made a deal of the lifetime with the sale of the Triumph Properties holdings to the tune of $45 million dollars. Molly has been dating Adrian for at least five years, but no sign of engagement. Adrian is a notorious ladies man, but Molly has been able to keep him satisfied. Dude, you’re hot and filthy rich, but so is Molly – put a ring on it!”

Whoa.
I kept scrolling and found a follow-up article dated six months earlier:

“Molly and Adrian are DUNZO. The cute couple broke up after rumors of cheating. We’re super bummed they broke up because they had been a stable couple and would have had adorable kids. Sources claim Molly was screwing a male ballet dancer in the city. Adrian has not been spotted with other women, but recently took a trip to Asia to expand his portfolio in international real estate.” 

Wow, Adrian must have been devastated to learn that she was sleeping with another man. She was significantly younger than him, but since I’m 23 and he’s 43 now…the age difference is twenty years. Hmm, he was such a gentleman last night, but maybe he just wants to fuck me and discard me.

Am I okay with that?

I mulled that question over in my head as I took the subway to work. I imagined talking off his shirt and running my hands along his back. Then I thought about grabbing his tight ass and placing his dick in my mouth.