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Chapter 5

Her breath hitched and she froze in her seat. Noah, the man she spent most of the week fantasizing about was now in front of her awaiting a response. She took a moment to shamelessly admire him. He was wearing a black tailored suit, which sculpted his body perfectly. He was tall, about 6'4 and well-toned. From his suit and the beautiful details of his face, Noah appeared to be so well put together making Naomi internally groan.

"Of course," Naomi stood up awkwardly, and extended a hand out to him. She shook her head mentally at the momentary memory loss. She was a professional. He was her client and she was going to set the pace of this meeting. She had to push her attraction. Why did this one man make her so damn nervous?

Noah returned the gesture. When their hands made contact, a tingle shot through her body and she yanked it back. Trying to cover up her abrupt action she added,

"So nice to meet you, Mr. Alexander," Naomi started. "I'm Ms.R-"

"Riley," he finished. "Yes, I've heard a lot of great things about you." He vaguely interrupted, a subtle smile stretching over his face.

They studied each other. Naomi felt his eyes trail down her body as if he was taking her presence in. His gaze didn't make her feel uncomfortable or abashed. She liked the fact that it was him, checking her out. Instead, she straightened her posture and cleared her throat. She shyly turned to Erica and Aaron. She could still feel his eyes on her.

"Yes, uh, we were just getting to know each other. This is Erica and Aaron, they are my clients as well."

She pointed to each of them. Noah took the opportunity to give them both a friendly handshake.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both."

His smile was charming and radiant. Butterflies swarmed in her belly as she watched his lips.

After they exchanged greetings, the four of them sat back down at the table. Naomi gathered herself as she positioned herself in front of them. Their attention zoomed in on her.

"Before we get into the chaos of tonight, I want to take a moment to say how honored I am to be each of your match-maker. I hope to make this process as smooth as possible and hopefully I can fulfill your requests in what you want in a future relationship."

She kept eye contact with them, making sure to switch between every set of eyes but she unknowingly found herself lingering on Noah. His stare was so intent and he hung onto her every word.

"Now I assigned your dates tonight by your interests and hobbies. This is one of our simplest ways for match-making. This first time around is about conversation. Get to know your potential partner and ask many questions."

She reached into her bag and handled a few sheets of paper. Scanning each page, she read each of their names and dates for tonight. She decided to start with Erica.

Erica politely nodded. Naomi noticed her that her gaze continued to flicker over to Aaron. While Aaron tried to steal quick glances over to her without Naomi noticing. But she figured it out and immediately had an idea to match them up together tonight. Just to see if they actually had any chemistry.

She spoke again.

"And your first date this evening will be...Aaron."

She watched Erica and Aaron's head flick up instantly. A puzzled expression shared among their faces.

"Okay..." Erica added, unsure whether to question Naomi or not. While Aaron's face remained still and emotionless.

"You two should be great together."