Eternal Flame (Mature 18+)

Chapter 11

Her dress wasn't in the slut neighborhood but it was tight and showed off all her delicious curves. It was cinched in at her breasts, waist, and hips and flared out at the bottom, showing off her shapely legs. It was a pretty spring-timey dress, and it was blue, his favorite color. She hoped he liked it. Judging by the way he was looking at her, she imagined he did. She didn't want to get too beside herself. This man was hard to figure out and aside from giving her the eye now and again, he didn't give any hints as to how he really felt about her. She couldn't help wondering if another woman was blocking him from giving in to his attraction to her.

Playing with her hands, Kristen looked down at the floor and prayed they'd hurry up and get to the top floor. She wanted to jump his bones something awful. She could still feel his eyes on her. She looked up at the doors again and saw him quickly look away. When she looked away, she could feel the heat of his gaze again and looked up at him once more. He looked away again. She looked at him again and her eyes caught his and held.

Kristen started shaking and couldn't stop. Fuck!

"You okay?" he asked her. His voice was deep, smooth, and husky. Lawd have mercy!

"Um... Yeah. Yeah." She giggled lightly. "I have a little slight vertigo problem. I'm fine. It's the height. It'll pass."

"You might not want to look out the windows when we get up to my apartment then."

"You have a lot of windows?"

"Yes. Lots of them, all 180 degree panoramic views. And a terrace. That's why I picked it."

She smiled at his reflection in the mirror. "I can't wait to see it."

He didn't return her smile, just kept looking at her. She wished he would stop doing that.

Kristen sighed with relief when the doors finally opened and stood to the side to let him pass. They walked down a long hallway with artwork on the walls and finally stopped at the last door on the right. Roman shuffled in his pockets for his keys. He produced a gold medium-sized key, put it in the door, and opened it. He stood back so Kristen could enter then walked in and closed the door softly behind them.

Kristen was immediately blown away. Roman's place was as beautiful as the building that housed it. It was extremely spacious with tall ceilings and moderately decorated in beiges, browns, and blacks. It had curtainless floor to ceiling windows and was flooded with natural light.

"You want a tour?" he offered noticing the excited look on her face.

"A tour?" she almost shrieked. "Sure!"

She looked over at him and grinned widely at him, showing off two deep dimples. Roman visibly inhaled and exhaled as she beamed, a troubled expression on his face.

"You okay?" she asked.

He nodded slowly. "I'm fine. Come on."

Roman's apartment honestly belonged in an issue of Architectural Digest. He was a bachelor but his apartment was anything but a man cave or bachelor pad. The entire residence smelled citrusy clean but it wasn't an overwhelming smell. It wasn't a scent Kristen thought a man would pick. She imagined like most rich people Roman probably had a maid come in daily to keep it tidy and smelling fresh.

There were hardwood floors in the living area and kitchen and carpet throughout the rest of residence. There was a large U-shaped couch in the living area and a separate sitting area with two leather wingback chairs and an avant-garde wooden table. There was also a wall entertainment unit, a keyboard on a stand against the wall by the kitchen and a piano by the terrace. There was a dining area that sat ten and Kristen wondered why a bachelor would need all that space; then remembered he was from a big family and felt it made sense.