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to wake as well. Still, I felt a hell of a lot better
than I did the night before, thanks to Anderson.
    With leaden limbs, I rolled out of the
enormous bed. My legs seemed strong enough to support me again, and
though I was sore, there didn’t seem to be any lasting damage to
worry about. A smile spread across my face as I remembered my
makeshift pajamas. I buried my face in the sleeves of Anderson’s
big sweatshirt and took a deep breath, memorizing his smell. It was
a scent that was more enticing than any cologne, and I marveled at
its effect on me. Was I really getting turned on by the way this
guy smelled, too? Was that even possible?
    I padded to the bedroom door and cracked it
open, peering out into the cavernous penthouse apartment. Thick
rays of sunlight were dashed against the hardwood floors, splayed
out across the whole space. Wait a minute , I thought with
sudden panic, I was supposed to open Joe’s this morning . I
heard a clattering sound and hurried toward its source. As I
rounded the next corner, an enormous kitchen opened up before me.
Anderson was standing at the counter with a cup of coffee and the
morning paper. He spotted me in the doorway and smiled.
    “Good afternoon,” he grinned.
    “Afternoon?” I said in a hollow voice. “Oh,
shit...”
    “What is it?” he asked, “Did you have plans
for breakfast?”
    “I was supposed to be at work hours ago,” I
cried, “Joe’s going to fire me, for sure.”
    “I highly doubt that,” Anderson said calmly,
taking a sip of his coffee.
    “You don’t know what my boss is like,” I
said, “Think of the most vile, vindictive man on the face of the
earth, and then intensify his awfulness by ten. That’s Joe.”
    “I figured as much,” Anderson said, “That’s
why I was going to escort you to work and explain the situation to
him.”
    I stared at Anderson, uncomprehending. “You
want to...walk me to work?” I said, “Why would you...? You must
have more important things to do.”
    “Nope,” he said, “Not even one thing.”
    “I don’t understand,” I said, “You already
saved me from certain disaster. Are you going to be my personal
guardian angel from now on or something?”
    “I don’t think you want me as a guardian
angel,” he said, “But I can give it a shot, if you’d like.”
    I grinned back at him, baffled but
exhilarated. If this incredibly handsome and intriguing man wanted
to spend a little extra time with me, I wasn’t going to fight him
on it. That was one gift horse whose molars I had no interest in
examining.
    “I washed your clothes for you,” he said,
nodding to a pile of neatly folded laundry on the counter. “Or,
well, Gloria did.”
    “Gloria?” I said, my heart in a vice, “Is
that your...wife?”
    “Not exactly,” Anderson smiled.
    “Your girlfriend?” I asked with dread.
    “I haven’t got one of those,” Anderson said,
“Gloria is my laundress.”
    “Your...laundress,” I said flatly.
    “Yes,” said Anderson.
    “You have a laundress,” I said bemusedly.
    “I hope that’s not a deal breaker,” Anderson
joked.
    “Not at all,” I said, grabbing my things,
“I’ll be right back.”
    I hurried back toward the bedroom, struggling
to take in the elegance and style of Anderson’s apartment. Any
given item in the place probably cost more than what I made in a
month. How could someone be as well off as this but still seem so
down to earth? Anderson was growing more and more impossibly
perfect in my eyes with every moment we spent together. Most of the
guys I’d dated had seemed perfect at one point, but that perfection
never held up to scrutiny. But with Anderson...something told me
that in his case, “too good to be true” might just not be
applicable. Maybe, just maybe, he was good and true.
    Maybe you’re just delusional and
desperate , I thought to myself as I pulled on my clothes once
more. I blushed as I realized that Anderson had probably handled my
intimates when he’d had them