That was an understatement. But I couldn't tell her. Amy accepted my strangeness but I doubted that other people would be as understanding. It was, after all, more than a little weird to spend your evening watching a stranger bang another stranger.
I assured her that I was alright, just a bit tired and she accepted my explanation, though I could tell that she didn't believe me. Was I that obvious?
I was utterly exhausted when I pulled into the small parking lot in front of my apartment building that evening. I looked around myself before I got off my scooter, almost expecting Adrian to wait for me. But this late at night he was probably already giving out his panty-dropping smiles to lure the next woman into his bedroom. When I saw that I was alone, I grabbed Bruno and rushed into the building and upstairs into my apartment.
I took a quick shower – I really couldn’t afford more – and got into my pajamas. All the worries and anxiety were taking a toll on me. Barefooted I walked toward my bedroom window and grabbed the curtains to pull them shut.
I froze and my eyes widened in shock at what I saw. Adrian was standing in his window. His arms were crossed in front of his chest and he was smiling his cocky smile at me. He was fully dressed for once – a white shirt hugging his body and dark pants – and there wasn't a woman in his bedroom. I didn't know what to do.
A part of me wanted to hide. Forever. But another part wanted to go over to his apartment and be the woman in his bedroom tonight.
And then? A little voice taunted. He'd kick you out afterward and you'd be nothing but another one of his conquests. He’ll forget you in no time, and you? You will feel like shit. Do you want that?
No. Yes. I didn’t know. I wanted him. But I wanted more than just sex. I knew it was naïve and stupid of me. I didn't even know him.
I frowned, angry at myself for my stupid dreams. He still hadn’t taken his eyes off me and his smile seemed to be getting wider with every second I spent standing in the window like an idiot. With a jerk I pulled the curtains shut. I needed to stop thinking of him. It would only get me hurt.
***
The next morning I was even more tired than the day before. When would I ever get a full night of sleep again? If I kept it up, Jack would fire my lazy ass. I kept my tired gaze on the floor, Bruno's leash in my right hand, as I scuffled after him. I wanted to head out to the park to write later, but right now I was too tired to even think straight, much less write coherent sentences. Not the best condition to write a literary masterpiece. Although, when you read the rejections from publishers and agents that I’d gotten so far, my writing was useless drivel even if I was wide awake. The next literary masterpiece probably didn’t lie in my future either way. Sobered by that depressing thought, I decided to make a detour to my favorite Starbucks as a pick-me-up. I was broke but I really needed something to brighten my day.
I halted when black trouser legs came into my field of vision. Slowly my eyes drifted upwards but then froze somewhere around the hips. I knew that body, even in its dressed state. My breath caught in my throat and I was sure I'd have a heart attack any moment. It probably would have made things easier for me. I didn't need to see the face to know to whom these legs, these hips, this body belonged: Adrian Black.
Chapter Eight
I lifted my gaze ever so slightly, so that it was focused on his chest. He was wearing another suit, black with pinstripes, a white shirt and a burgundy tie. I felt myself blush when I realized that the moment I'd dreaded had finally come. I was busted. My fingers around Bruno’s leash tightened painfully.
I was glad for the hood that kept my blush hidden from his view. From the corner of my eye, I saw his familiar cocky smile – his default modus seemed to be cocky – and my face heated even more. I glanced down at Bruno who was busy scratching at a spot in the grass and I wondered briefly if I should just run. Adrian looked fit, and I hadn’t seen a gym in months, so he would probably catch up with me before I’d even rounded the corner. And it would take too much time to bend down and grab Bruno anyway. Maybe I should just leave him here. He was sniffing the ground and wouldn't even notice that I was gone. I could pick him up later – after Adrian was gone. Unless he took Bruno with him. As ransom. Hysterical laughter worked its way up my throat but I swallowed it. I would not lose my shit in front of Adrian.
“Good morning,” Adrian greeted me and it was the first time I heard his voice, and it was heavenly. Soft and manly, and deliciously sexy.
Everything in my body screamed at me to look up into his face, see the expression there, but my cheeks were already burning up as it was. Fuck, why did I have to be such an idiot? I should have never started spying on Adrian having sex.