As it turns out, Mr Morgan's favourite colour was red, and I had absolutely charmed his pants off with my smile. I might have overdone it slightly when I made a whole show of Aiden helping me take my jacket off, but Mr Morgan was eating it all up. I wondered how he either had an insatiable sexual appetite or he just hadn't had sex in years but forced my mind to come straight to business. I took notes diligently when Aiden spoke, but anytime Morgan opened his mouth, my pen could catch a break. He'd speak for long, make at least one stupid remark per turn and then end up with two words worth of relevant content.

The meeting was mind-numbingly slow, and I found myself looking through the menu for a drink to order for the second time. I wasn't allowed to drink while on the job, but Aiden was kind enough to get me a glass of wine even when I'd asked for some fruity drink. He wasn't nice in the ways that showed, but Aiden cared and you'd have to see his littlest actions to find out how he showed it. I took a sip of my drink as Morgan narrated a tale about some yachting party, staring at Aiden as he appeared mildly interested. I knew it was all a farce and that the story was all going over Aiden's head.

I had stared at his profile all week long and I was ready to write a thesis. His shoulders were always appearing relaxed, you couldn't make them stiffen no matter what. It was his ears, lips and eyes that gave him away most of the time. Like at this moment, his ears were resting softly on his face, relaxed and not paying attention to whatever was being said, it was all simply background chatter. His eyes were staring straight ahead, looking Morgan in the eye, but not really focusing. To an outsider, it wouldn't be obvious that Aiden had tuned out. Anyone could see Aiden was listening with rapt attention. But while Aiden zoned out, it was my job to pay attention. So, I tried to remember any and every name in his story and see if I could come up with a follow-up question whenever he stopped. He laughed, and I forced a half-smile, Aiden's expression mirroring mine. The joke was horribly sexist, but oh well.

"So did you go back then to check on the poor guy?" I asked, flipping my hair over my shoulder like Hailey. God, I really hoped it was working, because I didn't want to look like a fool.

Morgan, or rather Moron was as dense as a brick apparently, because he launched into another story. The evening was setting in by this time, and winds were picking up. My bare back was not supporting me at all and I shivered slightly, the action not going unnoticed by Aiden. He gave me a slight nod, before sitting straighter in his seat. Morgan stopped his tale mid-sentence, saying, "Never mind, let's continue this some other time. Shall we work on business then?"

They went over the terms of the negotiation, and while Morgan was an asshole, I had to credit him for driving a hard bargain. Even as I noted his offers, I was doing the math in my head, eyebrows rising. He really was trying to undercut Aiden by a lot. If Aiden took up his offer, he'd be missing out on a lot of profits. We'd discussed the lowest deals we'd be willing to take, and Morgan was cutting it in half. Aiden was relentless though. He kept pushing back with sharp remarks and quips that made Morgan reconsider his offer. I noticed Aiden hadn't put his offer on the table yet. Smart fucker.

With every cent that Morgan raised, I could see his forehead beaded with sweat. He was clearly not happy to part with all that money, but it was necessary for him to secure this deal, even more so than Aiden. Eventually, Aiden's frustrations took over him, and he stood up, "I'll be back in a moment." With a tight smile, he walked away, asking a passing by hostess where the restrooms were.

"Your boss is relentless, isn't he?" Morgan smiled at me, and another shiver came over me.

"He knows the value of his business," I responded, taking my jacket and putting a hand in, ready to swing it over my back when Morgan cleared his throat, "Why don't you leave it off, darling? The meeting is incredibly dull, you can see, give the men something to be excited about."

I pulled it on faster, "I'm cold." To make a point, I even closed the top two buttons, hiding my collarbones from view. I really was feeling cold. And no man at GAP had ever been this blatantly asshole-ish.

"Is there any way he'd drive lower than he's offering?" Morgan changed tactics, now discussing business.

Ha! Suck a fat one, Morgan. I won't tell you what our lowest offering is.

"I think you need to fairly assess Mr Steele's contribution to this deal." I smiled wryly, keeping my face as neutral as possible.

Morgan laughed, his hand falling on my chair, "You're so naïve baby doll, nothing's ever fair in business." With each word, his hand inched closer to my legs. Oh my god.

Oh my god, please no.

Dry panic rose through me, and in a bid to get away from him, I raised my right leg over my left, putting some distance between his wandering hands and my body.

"Oh, you're a tough cookie to crack, aren't you?" he smiled, my chest deflating as I realized I'd given him a challenge instead of telling him to back off.

I looked around as discreetly as I could, hoping my panic was not showing on my face. Aiden wasn't back yet. What the fuck. At this point, I would have rather been inside the men's restroom rather than be alone with him. 

How long does it take to pee?

"I tell you what, I'll double whatever pay he's giving you," I doubted he had any extent of what Aiden was paying me, "if you just happen to let me know what the sweet spot for this deal is. The lowest he's willing to go."

"Double of my salary?" I clarified, just hoping to keep the conversation going till Aiden came back.

"Yes, double of your paycheck. Just to tell me the number."

"It's very unfortunate that your money cannot buy loyalty, Mr Morgan," I said, even though I'd literally pay to see him cough up a hundred thousand dollars.

"I can assure you I'd also be better in bed than him if that's how he's keeping a beauty like you. Tonight, if you will?" Sick fuck.

My tone turned acid, "No thank you, Mr Morgan."

First of all, Aiden literally looked like he knew his way around the bedroom very well. I'd seen the man shirtless, and I knew he'd be every woman's wet dream incarnate. What does a potbellied man have against him? Secondly, once again, any skill I might have possessed was discredited immediately, my only talent belonging between my legs. It wasn't even a talent as much as it was just an organ of my body. And thirdly, how the fuck was he so comfortable propositioning someone literally half his age? I was young enough to be his daughter!

"Oh, come on, I can hook you up with the best there is to offer in life." With every word, his hand inched over to me, touching my leg. Disgust seeped in from his touch. "Tell me, have you ever been touched by Mr Steele?"

I stood up like lightning, not knowing how else to keep this man away from me. When Aiden returned, he tilted his head, asking me by just his expression why I was standing.

"Pu-puppies." I managed to stutter, "I saw some- I saw puppies across the street. I want to go see them."

Get the hint, please.

Aiden's face hardened. His jaw squared and he stood up just as soon as he'd sat down, "We'll be leaving anyway. I don't think Mr Morgan fully realizes the scale of our operations at Steele Enterprises. This has been a waste of time."

While I grabbed my bag, Aiden was kind enough to collect my notes and pen, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw him pocketing my phone as well. Good. We'd be out of here soon. I marched ahead, feeling Aiden walk right behind me and a rushed Morgan asking him what changed his mind. The valet brought Aiden's car forward and much to my surprise, Aiden opened the door for me and ensured I was seated properly before handing me the notes and pen. We were on the streets quickly, dangerously pushing the speed limits. Aiden's fists were clenched around the steering and gearstick tight enough that I wondered if his skin would burst.

We weren't even heading the right way, we should have taken the right turn ten minutes ago, but I was still taking my time to process what Morgan had said to me. It still sent shivers through me. I sunk lower in my seat, buttoning my up jacket under the seatbelt. It required a lot of blinking and clearing my sight, but I persevered. The car was warm but my skin was chilly still, goosebumps refusing to settle. God, how was that man not disgusted with himself?

I didn't notice Aiden calling my name till he placed a hand on my shoulder gingerly, shaking me out of my thoughts. We'd parked on the streets, not near Steele Park or home, strangely in a place, I couldn't recognize in the city.

"I remembered you haven't eaten anything, where would you like me to take you?"

I shook my head, "It's alright, I can eat something at home."

"It's the least I can do for putting you in that situation," he looked at me with concern, "That, and never doing any business with that sleazebag."

"I'm never wearing a dress to work." I sniffled, my feelings overpowering me, but I tried to rein my tears in. Aiden didn't strike me as the comforting type.

"You can wear potato sacks if you want. No dress code for you." Aiden offered. That wasn't what I wanted to hear, but it wasn't what I had expected either, making me snort. Well, if I was worried about making unattractive noises in front of Aiden, I certainly wasn't now. Because the snort turned into a sniffle, which quickly turned into full-blown crying and I was a ridiculous mess in every sense.

"He's old enough to be my father! He's worse than those twins in Tangled, I swear." I was blabbering without making any sense now, but Aiden only kept his hand on my shoulder, offering me support in the form of nods and the occasional pats. "I literally felt like Matilda in front of Trunchbull, just without the powers, I guess and I really just..." my breathing became laboured, making me stop in my words, sobbing into my hands now.

"Should we go home?" he asked, and I was quick to nod. I didn't want to be alone though. I could call Kylie, even though she'd have a million questions about my new home as well that I didn't want to answer. If I called anyone back home, they'd automatically know something was up. Next thing I know, I'd be worrying about accommodating five very concerned individuals in my home along with four kids. That wasn't a headache I was willing to tackle at the moment.

Alone it is.

Aiden parked the car in the basement, taking us in the elevator at the far back, "It's the service elevator, so none of the residents uses it. I doubt you'd want to meet anyone right now." He was right. I'd taken my shoes off and was holding them in my hands, my mascara was waterproof but not fucking tsunami proof, so I was pretty sure it was leaking under my eyes and the crying must have made my face puffy.

When the elevator doors opened for us, we had come to the other end of the hallway. I stumbled on my way out, making Aiden grip my arm tightly. He dropped me right at my doorstep, and I wondered what the correct etiquette would be for this situation. Should I invite him in?

Aiden cleared the confusion by saying, "I'll send Josie to make dinner for you. Rest well." He turned on his heel to walk away before turning back and adding, "Let me know if I can... help."

I didn't know what to say, so I thanked him and watched him walk away into his own house. He didn't stop for a second glance. Josie let herself in after some time, seeing me laying on the couch, still in that ugly ass outfit. Compassion was all over her face as she helped me out of those ugly clothes and get in the shower.

She was kind enough to help me dry my hair afterwards and get into a night suit. I'd picked out a full-sleeved shirt and pyjamas, not liking the idea of anything more revealing. Josie had made fries and a cheesy chicken bake, which I ate in record time while staring at the black screen of the TV. I had thought of watching something mind-numbing, but I didn't have the energy to do anything. Maybe I should just go to sleep.

The doorbell rang at a little past 10, scaring me slightly. I wondered who it would be, because no one was on my approved visitor's list yet, and everyone who came in the building had to get a confirmation from the security. To my surprise, I saw Lydia at the doorstep, a bottle of what looked like wine in her hands and a huge bag of chips.

"Surprise!" she smiled, letting herself in. She immediately busied herself in the kitchen finding bowls and glasses and I assisted her, asking her politely just what the hell she was doing here.

"Mr Steele called me. He thought you could use some company. And I brought distractions."

We settled on the couch, a glass of wine in hand and chips in a large bowl between us. I told her about my experience between sips of wine and she taught me how to string together some pretty terrible insults. It was comical, to say the least, and there may have been some wine spilt on my shirt when we decided it was late and we needed to get to work the next morning. Despite my insistence to stay in the guest room, Lydia left the way she came.

"Text me when you reach," I told her as she was getting in the elevator. She nodded drowsily, and I was unsure if sending her home right now was a good idea. But I received a text twenty minutes later that she was safe and sound, I could fall asleep in peace.

Almost. 

I literally forgot I had to update. You can blame my master's classes for that.