Carter led me across the restaurant. His pace was quick, but I managed to keep up, regardless of the fact that I wasn't used to walking in heels. A few of the restaurant's patrons glanced up as we walked by, but I kind of liked it. I enjoyed the fact that Carter had his hand in mind and that people could see it. It made me feel like I was actually his girlfriend. Whether or not that was the case might have been a different story, though. “Where are we going?” I asked when we didn't go near the front door. “You said you couldn't wait,” he said. “Neither can I.” We walked into an area near the restrooms. On either side were overstuffed leather couches and tables. It appeared to be a lounging area. I'd never seen anything like that next to a restroom before. I assumed it was there so that the men could sit and chat, while their women took their sweet time in the bathroom. Luckily, that room was empty so we didn't get any strange looks as Carter pulled me into th

It was still early in the evening. The sun was just starting to go down and the sky was turning to fire above the tall buildings. I got into my car, which was parked on the street, and watched as Carter's limo drove away. Even though I was driving home alone to my empty apartment, it didn't matter. I was on cloud nine. In that moment, I had everything I could have ever wanted. My sexual desires had been relieved and I'd shown Carter once again that I would be better as his girlfriend than as his employee. Oh, and I also ate a pretty good meal too. My plan was to head home, maybe eat some ice cream, definitely watch some of my favorite reality shows and then eventually go to bed. It was going to be the perfect end to the perfect evening. I drove across town with the windows down and the radio turned off. The sound of the wind was all that I could hear as it rustled through my hair. It felt like I was on the brink of something great in my life. It was the same sensatio

My arms were overflowing with shopping bags. It was all I could do to juggle them and at the same time, reach into the front pocket of my jeans to pull out the key to my apartment. I pushed the door open with my butt and walked inside, setting the bags down onto the kitchen counter. I'd gone on a serious shopping spree. Most of my money was spent at the grocery store, but I'd also made a special stop at the mall. I'd bought some new underwear and shirts to wear to work. It felt like such a simple thing, but it showed I was changing. I had planned on wearing my shapeless, boring clothes until the day I died. But, I didn't want to with Carter around. I wanted to tempt him, just a little. I wanted him to take the risk with me. To choose me. The groceries were still on the counter and I began putting them away. I'd bought all sorts of goodies, including my favorite Rocky Road ice cream. It was a guilty pleasure, but one that I refused to sacrifice. In add

Two weeks later...   Everything almost felt the same as it did my first day of work at Winthrow Financial. Carter would greet me in the morning, tell me what work I needed to get done for that day and then disappear into his office. Occasionally, we went over stocks, although now that I was figuring them out, we discussed them less. I missed the way he used to quiz me, trying to push me. If he actually did have feelings for me, he was doing a very good job of hiding them. It seemed that this time, he was serious about what he had said. He wasn't going to mix business and pleasure. It stung a bit. It was tough when I finally realized he had no intention of being my boyfriend. However, I hadn't done anything to try to change it. I hadn't attempted to cross the line at all. Each day, Monday through Friday, I simply swallowed my emotion and went to work. Besides, I now had bigger concerns that stock tips. My period was late.

“This must be the place,” I whispered, as I pulled into the dirt parking lot outside of The Rose Wild. I hadn't been this far away from downtown New York since I'd moved there. It was a thirty minute drive through traffic to get to this bar, but luckily the GPS on my phone had given me accurate directions. The parking lot was packed. I drove around, looking for a spot, wondering if I'd be able to find one somewhere in the sea of lifted pickup trucks that surrounded me. Everywhere I looked were men in cowboy hats and cowboy boots. Most of them were wearing tight jeans and flannel. Their giant shiny belt buckles reflected my headlights as I drove past. Where in the hell am I? I thought, shaking my head. It felt like I'd landed on a different planet, or at the very least, a different state. In Iowa, I was used to this kind of scene. I'd grown up with it. Cowboys, red necks, good old boys. Whatever you wanted to call them. It was nor