“I can’t wait for tonight,” Aiden said from behind me and I jumped as I felt his hand lightly tapping my ass.

“Hey!” I turned around and glared at him. “What was that for?”

“I was just answering your question,” He said and ran ahead of me. My heart thudded as I realized that tonight might involve a lot more than just talking.

***

Seduction is like a dance. You have to move in time, at the right moment, and just let yourself go. I stared at my reflection in the mirror. I looked sexy. Or as sexy as I could look without having a professional stylist and makeup artist at my beck and call. No one can ever say I’m a quitter. Nope, not me. When Aiden asked me if I wanted to get dinner, I thought I was going to faint. And I mean that quite literally. My body felt weak and my heart was racing. I could hear the humming of birds in my ear and everything in my world was bright and wonderful. All because Aiden asked me to dinner. I know, I’m a bit of a sad case, but that’s what it’s like when a guy you like asks you out. It’s magical. Absolutely magical.

I grabbed my handbag as the clock on the wall turned to eight and then I stopped for a few seconds to make sure I was ready.

Red heels. Check.

Sexy underwear. Check.

Handcuffs. Check.

Aiden waiting for me naked in his large king-sized bed with nothing but a sexy smile on his face. I hoped that would be a check real soon. Like tonight soon. I was so excited I could barely contain myself. I checked my handbag to make sure I had my box of condoms (I wasn’t going to let protection be the one thing that prevented me from getting down and dirty tonight). I had my red lipstick that matched my heels perfectly. I had some strawberry lipgloss. I had a small bottle of Vera Wang’s Princess perfume because it made me smell divine. I was going to spray myself with it again once I got to the restaurant because the scent never seemed to last long. I had a pack of Altoids mints because I wanted to make sure I had fresh breath and I knew a good blowjob trick with Altoids in your mouth. I also had my cellphone. Forty dollars in cash. My driver’s license, in case I got carded when ordering my cocktails. And I also had a small teddy bear that I always carried around with me. It was a bear that Aiden had given me when I was a little kid and he had won it at a fair. He probably didn’t even remember that he’d given me that prize, so many years ago, but I made sure to carry it with me everywhere. It was one of my prized possessions. Sometimes when I was in bed, late at night and feeling lonely, I would grab that teddy bear and squeeze it and kiss it and hold it close and imagine that somehow it was making me close to Aiden. It was a juvenile thing to do, but it was something that always comforted me.

“He’s here, Alice!” Liv screamed down the corridor. “I saw his car pull up.”

“How do I look?” I hurried out of my room in my short black dress and Liv whistled.

“Uhm, hotter than the Sahara Desert.”

“Hotter, huh?” I grinned and twirled around in my dress. “I feel pretty hot.”

“You’re more than pretty hot, you’re super-hot.” She laughed and came over to me. She poked her finger into my arm and screeched.

“What’s wrong?” I asked her with a confused frown.

“You’re so hot you just burned me.” She grinned and we both burst out laughing.

“You’re a goof,” I said. “It’s a good thing you’re not a man. You’d never get laid with pickup lines like that.”

“I think I’d make a good man,” she said with a smile. “I’d know exactly what to say to get the girls.”

“Uh huh.” I grinned, and she looked me up and down slowly and licked her lips.

“Man, girl, you look good enough to eat.” She paused and licked her lips again. “And I’m hungry, you wanna show me some sugar?”

“Oh my God, no, just no!” I started laughing again. “You will never get a woman with words like that. No to the no, to the hell, to the no.”

“Haha, that bad?” She grinned at me and then laughed. “Yeah, that was pretty bad. Thank God, I’m a woman and have Xander.”

“Yeah, you lucked out with Mr. Miracle Tongue.” I smiled. “Smooth with his words and his tongue.”

“Well, not always smooth with either.” She winked and I groaned.

“Liv!”

“What?” She laughed. “I’m being honest. He’s not always smooth. Sometimes he’s rough and bumpy.”

“Liv, TMI.” I groaned again and then froze as the doorbell rang. He was here. Aiden was finally here and I was going on what I thought was my first official date with him. I wanted to scream. “Liv, I think I’m going to faint,” I said, my throat suddenly dry.

“Why?” She looked concerned. “Do you need some water?”

“I’m going on a date with Aiden,” I groaned yet again as the doorbell rang another time. “Why is he so impatient?”

“Because he’s Aiden.” She rolled her eyes. “He has the patience of a dog.”

“I guess I’d better go and let him in.”

“Yeah, do that before he bangs the door down.” She made a face and then gave me a sweet smile. “You really do look gorgeous though, Alice. Aiden is lucky to be able to take you out.”

“Thanks, Liv,” I said and hurried to the front door. I opened it quickly to find Aiden standing there with his hand in the air. “You weren’t about to ring the doorbell again, were you?”