[Excerpt]:
"Does it bother you?" He asked, after an incisive moment of silence.
"Does...what bother me?" I immediately returned, unable to decipher the objective behind the closed-ended question.
"The way I stare. At you." He pondered, as his dark...
It had been nearly a week since first meeting Caleb at his gym facility. Given that it would be fairly awkward seeing him again before he'd officially asked me out for coffee, I avoided going anywhere near his gym altogether. Perhaps I was overthinking it a bit, but I didn't want to seem like I was forcing something out of nothing or that I was overly desperate to go out with him.
Thankfully, I had another pending distraction.
All week, I had been consumed by the proposal Frank and I were currently drafting to counter the selling of Milton Co. Enterprise to Kirks & Marsh. We intended to present our full report briefings at the upcoming Friday board meeting, where the future of Milton Co. as a non-privatized entity was sure to be a centered discussion.
I'd admittedly spent most of the early afternoon typing up the semi-finalized proposal, until my phone vibrated. After recognizing the familiar contact name that flashed across the screen, I briefly debated on whether to accept or completely ignore the call. Eventually, my hand hesitantly slid across the tempered device, willfully choosing to answer.
"Sasha! How are you, babe?" A high-pitched voice rang loudly through the speaker phone, causing me to jerk the phone away from my ear.
"I'm actually a bit busy right now. Do you mind if I call you back later, Coco?" I lazily sighed, rubbing out the tense knots in my back that had begun to form from my unmoved position on the couch.
Coco was one of my best friends, who I'd met during my second year at Princeton. Despite how much I enjoyed hanging out with her, I never knew what to expect when she called my phone at the most random of hours. She had an unchecked history of forcing me to act as her wing-woman to the club or accompany her to random high-profile events with her bougie, self-absorbed friends.
"Sasha, we are going out tonight. And I'm sorry, but I am not taking no for an answer." She persisted through the phone, ignoring my unwelcoming tone.
"Coco...I don't know. I'm not trying to be around a bunch of people I don't care to know or even like. It can be a lot sometimes." I paused, effectively emitting a sigh. "If I were to say yes, which I won't, where would we even be going?"
"Patricia invited me out to dinner at some new upscale restaurant downtown. I accepted her offer, but on the condition that I could bring a plus one. Apparently, she also invited some rich guy she met at the gala event that she really likes. She thinks a casual dinner with friends might help loosen him up a bit. He's bringing some of his friends too. Pleeassseee come."
"Fine. I kind of need a break, anyways." I caved.
"I was hoping you'd stay that because I'm actually inside your building right now..."
"You are so annoying!" I chuckled and made my way to the elevator.
~~~
Two hours later and we were nearly ready.
Coco never failed to amaze me in the aesthetics department, which was befitting, since she was a beauty entrepreneur with a newly launched cosmetics and fashion line. After much coercion and persuasive pleas, Coco had convinced me to wear a black maxi dress with a deep plunge at my bosom, showcasing my already large breasts. I paired the simple dress with black and gold heels, and opted to go for a sophisticated look by styling my hair into a low sleek bun with two of my front strands pulled out.
Heeding to Coco's fashion friendly advice to be more risky, I went full commando beneath my dress. Considering the material of my outfit was very thin, anything worn underneath the garment would make the dress appear unflattering to the eye.
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