Looking up at him, she said, “That’s true, my poor bum would like some ice cream so that it can build more cushion.”

Tate took in a deep breath, his eyes getting darker as his voice dropped to a husky male voice of yumminess, “I think your bum has the perfect amount of cushion.”

“Do you now?” Audrey found herself asking while her finger twirled a stray piece of hair.

“Oh yeah.”

Nothing was said as heat burned between them. She wanted nothing more than to lean up as far as she could and hope that he would meet her for a hot lusty kiss. Her lips begged for his and with the way he was looking at her mouth, she was sure he was wanting the same thing.

But they were just friends!

Friends!

“We’re friends,” Audrey said, taking a step back, “baby,” she said pointing to him, then she pointed to herself, “old hag, I’ll see you tonight, Tate Ooooodder.”

She walked away then, reaching for the door just as he said, “We’re friends but when I look at you, I don’t see old hag, Audrey.”

Sparing him one last glance, Audrey saw the heat in his eyes. Seeing his want, made her body catch on fire and her girlie parts wet with want. But then reality set in and all her hot feelings went away. Tate may not see an Old Hag, but little did he know, Audrey basically was one.

~*~

Audrey’s day didn’t get better.

Worse was more like it.

The only thing keeping her from killing her employees with her stapler was knowing that she would be in front of her TV with a beer and popcorn and hopefully some ice cream, if Tate came. She wanted to be excited for seeing Tate too, but knowing that nothing could ever happen between them, made being around him hard. She wanted him, bad. But it didn’t matter. For his sake and hers, they were better as friends. She couldn’t ruin his life by being selfish; he deserved to find a woman who could give him everything he wanted. Audrey wasn’t that person.

With consumer reports and expense spread sheets by her side, Audrey sat clicking away on Facebook. She should have been working, but she hated this place. Hated the color of the orange that adorned the walls, hated the employees, hated everything. She was not made for customer service. What she was made to do was beyond her, but she knew it wasn’t a freaking desk job.

Audrey leaned on her hand, looking at her friend’s statuses when a knock came at the door causing Audrey to look up.

“Come in,” she said, shutting the page down in case it was someone important. Like her father.

It wasn’t though.

Taking in a deep trouble breath, Audrey looked up in the face of the last person she wanted to see right now.

Levi shut the door behind him, smiling down at her as he leaned against the door. Of course, he was looking gorgeous as ever in a dark blue button up shirt and khaki pants. His light grey tie hung loosely around his neck as his eyes stayed pinned to hers.

“Hey there, Cupcake,” he said in a low voice, “you’ve been ignoring me.”

Clearing her throat, Audrey asked, “What are you doing here?”

“I came to see you. Like I said, you’ve been ignoring me.”

“Well, there is a reason. You were quiet the ass the other morning,” Audrey said, not moving as Levi rocked back on his heels, his hands in his pockets as if he was nervous. Audrey knew better, but it still tugged at her heart to see some kind of emotion from him.

“You know I’m not the best person to deal with in the morning.”

Levi then took a step forward towards her desk, and Audrey didn’t move, even though she knew she should have. She stayed behind her desk, watching as he came around the desk, pulling her chair out so that she faced him. He gave her another lazy smile before squatting down and looking up at her.

“I have nothing to say to you, Levi,” she said so softly she wasn’t sure he heard her. Levi moved his hands up the back of her legs and Audrey froze. She knew she needed to make him stop but with the way he was looking at her, like he cared, like he might love her, had her frozen in place.

What if he did love her and all this stuff they had been dealing with was over. He wanted to come home! He wanted to be with her! Maybe she could get him to adopt!

“Don’t be like that, Cupcake, talk to me. Don’t you miss me?”

Audrey’s heart skipped a beat at the name he had for her. He used to always call her his little Cupcake when she would be busy in the kitchen, working hard to make something good for him. That was when baking was most fun, when she had someone to bake for. Levi didn’t eat sweets much but when he did, they would have a blast stuffing their faces. Those were the early days, when she mattered and when he was just with her, well, as far as she knew, anyways.

Moving away, she folded her arms across her chest, “Even if I do, it ain’t like you miss me. I saw you with her, Levi, y’all looked really happy.”

Levi shook his head, moving on his knees to get closer to her, “I don’t want her. It’s a convenience, Cupcake. You’re the one I think of all the time.”

“No I’m not,” Audrey scoffed.

Levi gave her a sweet shy smile, his eyes bright as he slid his hands down the back of her calves to the 5 inch coral suede Jimmy Choo heels that were killing her feet. He slowly slid her left shoe off, taking her aching feet in his hands. Moving his skilled fingers along her aching arches, Audrey was basically in heaven with the devil knocking on her heart.

“Remember how good I make you feel, Cupcake? Remember?” he whispered against her bare knee. Closing her eyes, and letting her head fall in the plush backing of her chair, she let out a long breath as he continued to move his fingers in just the right way to have her putty in his hands.