Page 51 of Loving the CEO

He opened the car door for me, and as I got inside, I noticed him glancing down my cleavage.

Holy shit. The man truly is checking me out.

My skin turned to goose bumps, and Leo’s gaze skated up my arms as they appeared. I prayed for a gust of wind to explain the sudden ripple in my skin, but no such luck. He didn't say anything, though, just went around to the driver’s side, climbed in, and closed the door.

I suddenly got even more nervous. Pretend or not, Leo and I were going to dinner.

"So, I need some pointers here. How are we going to play this? Act as if we don't know each other, or...?"

I fiddled with my thumbs. Leo glanced down into my lap and then held his hand out, palm up. I gave him my left hand, and he interlaced our fingers, rubbing his thumb on my palm.

"Let’s keep it as real as possible. Why don't we pretend that you and I are going for a real date."

I laughed nervously.

He frowned. "That makes you uncomfortable?"

"No, but it's bizarre," I confessed. "And you know me anyway. Not sure how it’s going to help me... you know."

"If we pretend we don't know each other, everything is going to be completely fake. I don't think it would help you at all. Tell me why you're nervous." He let go of my hand.

I licked my lips, trying to think about where to start.

"First, I don't know if I dressed appropriately. I mean, this is a little black dress, but—"

"I told you before, you look fucking sexy. I meant it." He looked straight at me. "That was my honest reaction."

I sucked in a breath.Holy shit.

I decided to be completely honest with him. "I was overthinking everything today. If this dress was appropriate, if it made sense to apply lotion to my thighs. For a real date, I would apply it everywhere. But it's not like you're going to touch me on my inner thighs, so..."

"Fuck." He froze, gripping the wheel tight.

"What?"

"Fucking hell, Tory. I'm a red-blooded man!"

I put a hand over my mouth, realizing what I’d just said. "Sorry. That was too much information."

I looked out the window as my cheeks went up in flames.

A few seconds later, the sexual tension was unbearable. I needed to break it somehow, so I turned to him.

"At least we have the awkward part of the first date down already."

He began to laugh, but his voice was throatier than usual.

Desperate for a neutral topic, I said, "Tell me about your day."

He spoke about a new residential area that he'd discovered uptown and how several houses were gold mines that he couldn't wait to flip. I listened to him with rapt attention.

"I love that you're so passionate about your work," I said.

Leo glanced at me. "Aren't you?"

"I likemy job, but you sort of transform when you talk about it. You know, when you first told me that you went to work in Whitley Industries, I almost felt like you did it out of some sort of obligation."

He gripped the wheel even tighter. "It’s true in a sense. Maddox and Nick were already thinking about going into the family business. Our grandparents were adamant that there was a place for us there, and that it would bring us closer as a family. Mom was very happy that our grandparents were embracing us. I felt like I would be letting everyone down if I turned my back on the family business. But I was also excited about getting into real estate. I’m so damn proud to be part of the Whitley legacy."

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