Ethan felt like a creep watching Aria eat, but it'd transported him back to the Aria he knew from Surreal. The one that didn't shove him away every chance she got, the one whose eyes sparkled when he said something funny and bit her bottom lip when he flirted.
This was the Aria that Ethan wanted to spend time with, and he planned to do just that with her.
Aria sat back and sighed heavily. "That was so good. Thank you."
Ethan nodded and gestured toward the folder for their new joint project. "And your ideas, Aria. I'm impressed."
A deep purple blush brushed her cheeks. "Thank you," she said, catching sight of the time. "I better get back to my desk. I have to start on Amy's work, or I'll have Mrs. Cook on my tail."
Ethan stood with Aria and helped clean up their mess. "You mentioned Marilyn creeping around?" Ethan asked, stuffing trash into the wastebasket.
Aria nodded. "I could just be paranoid, but—"
Ethan shook his head. "No, you aren't. Marilyn is going to be out to get me even more since I announced our expansion. She knows I'd never give her the CEO position here, so she'll try to tear me down however she can."
Aria frowned. "Should we not meet here at the office?"
Ethan thought about it. His own personal agenda might be to blame, but the thought of spending time with Aria outside of the office did funny things to his stomach. "Probably not. Why don't you come by tonight? I can wait around and pick you up around the corner like forbidden lovers," he said with a laugh. "Or send a car for you."
Aria shifted nervously. "Um, come by as in your house?"
Ethan lifted a brow at her. "Yes, unless there is something wrong with my house? I've been to yours, and I think it's time you come to mine."
"Okay. I should probably just drive over in my car after work, so Marilyn doesn't question you staying late."
Ethan laughed. "Oh, so my working late is uncommon, hmm?"
Aria chuckled. "If the shoe fits …"
"I can send a car for you—"
She shook her head and grabbed her purse from the floor. "No, I need a getaway in case you try to take advantage of me."
Ethan smiled slowly, loving the idea of taking advantage of Aria and knowing it'd be hard to keep his hands to himself. "Very smart of you, Aria, because if I feel tonight, like I feel today, that just might happen."
She swayed her hip to the side, pushing a brown curl from her heart-shaped face, and smirked. "I have a quick step—better be on your toes tonight, Mr. Devry."
He found himself taking a step forward and catching her small wrist in his big palm. "You're worth the chase, Aria Linetti."
The way her eyes dropped made Ethan feel she still hid something, but he didn't care. She'd cracked the door enough for him to wedge his boot inside.
The rest of the day went quickly, due to the vast amount of phone calls and emails. None of it bothered Ethan because he was on cloud nine. He'd ordered takeout from a fancy Italian restaurant close to his house. He hoped her taste for Italian was passed down to her since her last name was Italian.
The office was quiet when Ethan left; he walked through marketing on his way out to catch a glimpse at Aria. He heard talking, and thinking she was speaking to herself, he tiptoed in and listened.
Ethan soon realized the other voice was male, and not that familiar. His first thought was her ex-boyfriend, but then he caught a peek at Seth standing over her cubicle while she worked.
Ethan rolled his eyes.
"…you work a lot with Ethan, huh?" he asked.
Ethan leaned closer to hear better. Aria's hesitation mimicked his own. Why did Seth want to know about their relationship? Was it because he wanted Aria for himself? Or had Abe put him up to it?
"Not really," she said. "We have one project we're working on together, but that's it. Does Abe have you working late today? He left earlier."
Seth stood up and shoved his hands into the pockets of his slacks. "Nah, I just forgot something and came back up for it," he said, pulling out his keys and jiggling them. "Do you need a ride home?"
Ethan caught of glimpse of the top of Aria's head as she shook it. "No thank you. I have about an hour more of work to do for Amy, and then I'm heading home. I have my own vehicle. I don't ride the bus."
"Oh, okay, yeah. Well, see you tomorrow, Aria."
Seth stalked down the hallway, while Ethan ducked into an alcove and waited for him to pass. Once the elevator dinged and the doors shut, Ethan made his way down to Aria.
"Weird guy, right?" Ethan asked.
Aria snickered. "My date, everyone," she said sarcastically. "He seems curious about you, Ethan. Do you think Abe put him up to it?"
Ethan shrugged. "I don't know. I doubt it. It's conspicuous …"
Aria smirked. "Don't you have dinner to get ready?" she teased. "I have about an hour left of this and then I'm heading over. Can you shoot me your address?"
Ethan pulled out his phone and texted it to her.
Aria looked at her text with wide eyes.
Ethan lived in a nice part of town, in a penthouse that could be described as a bachelor pad. By the look on Aria's face, he felt it made her nervous. "Is something wrong with my address?"
She turned in her seat to look up at him. "I don't know," she said. "I'm assuming by this address that I'll be greeted by a doorman and possibly champagne in the lobby."
Ethan chuckled. "No, but if you want champagne, I can get some."
Aria's gaze shifted. "I'm not much of a drinker, Ethan."
He tilted his head. "You drank at Surreal that night. Am I'm not important enough for a glass or two?"
Aria glanced back down at her computer screen. "I'm a recovering alcoholic."
"Liar," Ethan laughed. "I'll take the hint," he said, backing away. "I'll see you soon. Don't be too long. I get lonely."
Ethan left Aria to finish her work, feeling antsy about the evening but enjoying the anticipation. It'd been long enough it seemed.
He made it down to the parking garage, noticing only a few cars left, and one in particular caught his attention because of the movement inside.
Ethan stalked toward his Jaguar, one hand in his pocket and the other pretending to scroll through his phone. Seth made eye contact with him as Ethan passed in front of his car.
Hadn't he left fifteen minutes prior? Was he waiting on Aria? On Ethan? He stopped abruptly, and walked over to Seth's window, tapping the glass a couple of times to gain his attention.
Seth dropped his phone into his lap and rolled down his window. "Yes. Yes, sir, Mr. Devry."
"Does Abe have you working late already?" he asked, leaning his elbow against the top of Seth's car.
He laughed nervously, which struck Ethan as odd. Sure, he was the CEO, and occasionally made people nervous, but this reminded him of a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "No. No. I just left my keys and chatted for a moment. I'm leaving now, sir. Will see you tomorrow."
Ethan stepped back and smiled, watching as Seth sped from the parking lot. Something about that kid rubbed him the wrong way, but he didn't have time to think about it.
Aria was on his mind, and he needed everything to come together perfectly for her because this was his chance to show her how badly he wanted it to work.