Page 50 of Loving the CEO

Tory: Thanks. Mission accomplished.

Then the dots appeared, indicating he was preparing to send another message. I waited with bated breath.

Leo: I can't wait to see you tonight, beautiful. It’s going to be great.

Tory: Is it okay if I wear a dress? Or should I pick up something super fancy?

Leo: Whatever you want. You’ve got great taste, and as we already established, you’re fucking beautiful no matter what you wear.

Yeah, he was definitely flirting, and I enjoyed it far too much.

***

As the afternoon rolled by, I got progressively more nervous. I could barely focus on my work, so at four o’clock, I closed my laptop. I’d planned to work until five, but I couldn't even complete the simplest tasks. Instead, I headed to my room to prepare for my date with Leo.

Your pretend date, Tory. Don't forget that.

It wouldn’t do well to accidentally swoon while he pretend-flirted with me. Although I was well on my way to swooning already, what with the note and the flowers.

He hadn't been exaggerating—he really was good at this.

I started by packing my bag for tomorrow morning. The flight was at the crack of dawn, and who knew how long dinner would take.

After I zipped up the bag, I started getting ready for my date. I took out a few outfits, laying them on the bed. I hadn't brought many fancy clothes with me, but I did have a few that could work. Option A was a short black dress. Option B was a jumpsuit.

Nah, I couldn’t wear a jumpsuit on a first date. It screamed trying too hard.

Putting the black dress on, I assessed myself in the mirror, just to check if it was a good idea. I loved it. This was definitely going to make Leo pay attention to my legs. But did I actually want that?

God, this was so confusing. I couldn't understand why I was so nervous. I should have asked for more details about this coaching thing.

I took off the dress and went to take a shower, making sure to apply lotion after so my skin would be smooth. I stopped before putting it on my legs. There was no way Leo was going to actually touch me, so it didn't matter, right? Then I decided to go ahead and lather it on anyway because I was doing it for myself—I liked to feel good in my own skin.

I dressed quickly so I could start styling my hair and put on makeup. It was a good thing that I’d started an hour earlier, because I put the finishing touches on just as Leo arrived. This was my superpower—making sure I was late no matter how much time I had to prepare.

"I'm coming!" I called, then put on my heels before throwing a small bag over my shoulder.

It was warmer outside, so I only took a very flimsy jacket with me that I carried on my arm as I descended the steps.

Leo was typing on his phone and didn't look up until I was at the foot of the stairs in front of him. He was wearing a suit, and I couldn’t stop staring.

"I'm ready!" I announced when I finally managed to rein myself in.

He looked up, and his Adam's apple bobbled up and down. "You look fucking sexy."

I gasped. "Leo! That’s a bit straightforward, don't you think?"

He tilted his head to the floor for a few seconds, and I thought I heard him take in a deep breath.

Is he bracing himself? Oh, he's good at playing this.

"You're right.” He cleared his throat. “Tory, you look amazing tonight. I look forward to our evening together."

I smiled. "You're so charming. So do I."

He gestured for me to walk in front of him and put a hand on my back. I had a V neckline both in the front and the back, so his hand was splayed wide on my bare skin. My skin instantly turned hot where he touched me.

We went out just a few weeks ago. Why did this feel so different, though?

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