I stood up and buttoned my suit jacket, reminding myself that I was a badass. And a club owner now, too. I didn’t need to slink off through the back like some coward. I waltzed right up to the table and smiled at Lizzy.
“It was good to see you again,” I said politely, not caring that I interrupted their conversation. She smiled and nodded, and then I turned to the mysterious date. Finally, I could see his face. “Oh, nice to meet you by the way. I’m Damon.”
I hated the guy even more when I could see his face. He was handsome and all that, but he wasn’t me. And he looked too nice. Too innocent. Bland. Just awful. He politely introduced himself as “Jeff” – a name I had always disliked. And that was that. I strolled out of the place feeling sorry for Lizzy.
By the time I reached my car, I had to ask myself why the hell I was so bent out of shape about Lizzy’s date. Hadn’t I said she was so nice and innocent that she would have no place in my world? Maybe this Jeff guy was perfect for her, and I was the one who never called her. I was the one who walked out of her apartment. She had every right to go out on dates. I should have been happy for her.
I climbed in and started up the car, but when I looked up, I saw Jeff and Lizzy coming out of the restaurant. They walked to what I assumed was his car and hugged each other. I was scared of what might come next and thought I should look away, but Jeff simply got in his car and drove off. Lizzy looked around for a moment before walking to her own car.
He didn’t even drive her!? And now he was going to end the date so early while she was looking like that!? I couldn’t have it. His loss would be my gain. I got out of the car and marched over to Lizzy, catching her just before she opened her door with keys in hand.
10
Lizzy
I was already feeling like a queen after the upgrade to my look, but the look on Damon’s face when he stopped by the table during my “date” bumped me up to cloud nine. He was trying his best to be cordial, but I could see the jealousy raging underneath all the niceties. I was glad I followed Del and Angel’s advice for once. Turned out the only thing that felt almost as good as being underneath Damon in bed, was to get under his skin. For once, I felt like I had the upper hand.
And the feeling was only amplified when I saw him approaching me in the parking lot. It might have helped that Jeff offered to take me out for real if my plans to make Damon jealous didn’t work. I needed the reminder that I had options, but it didn’t change the fact that Damon was still the one I wanted if given the choice.
“I guess the date didn’t go so well,” Damon suggested as he approached my car.
I flipped my hair and smiled. “No, actually it was good. We might see each other again.”
I could see the subtle wounded expression fall across his face. “Oh,” he nodded. “Got it. I just thought since...he left and all…”
“He had to get back to work. He’s a doctor.”
“A doctor,” his eyes grew wide. “Well, you know what we like to say about doctors.”
“I don’t.”
“They’re fake richies. Paid by the hour and all,” he grinned. “In our line of work, we can pull in a million in a couple of hours. Work smarter, not harder.”
“Oh yes,” I rolled my eyes. “I seem to remember Nick saying something like that to Del once. Well, you know...doctors actually help people.”
“I help people,” he argued. “I help make people happy.”
“How’s that?”
“I’m about to open my own nightclub. It’s all happening pretty fast. But you know...good drinks and good times make people happy.”
It was hard not to laugh at how hard he was trying to impress me. The tables had definitely turned. But I was genuinely curious about how he had gone from expressing an interest in opening his own club the last time we talked to making it a reality. My lips parted to ask more, but he was ready to beat me to the punch.
“So, what are you up to now that your doctor is back to saving lives?” he asked.
I shrugged, acting as casual as possible. But inside my heart was leaping at the prospect of whatever might follow that question. “I’m off work, so...I don’t know. I hadn’t planned that far ahead. Anything is possible, I guess.”
He grinned ear to ear. “I like that attitude. If you’re not busy...maybe you’d wanna go around town with me for a bit? I’ve got some shopping to do. I need a new pair of shades. I could use a woman’s perspective.”
“From what I’ve heard, the last thing you need is another pair of shades,” I quipped. “But sure. I can hang out with you for a bit.”
He nodded for me to follow him back to his car, while I floated on my elation of just how much better my day had gone than expected. Who would have thought I could squeeze in all that self-care I so desperately needed...and now I was climbing into Damon’s Jaguar. I noted to myself that I needed to have days off more often.
He blasted music over the stereo as he drove downtown. I had never felt so cool. It reminded me of when I was in high school and I’d see the popular girls pull up in their boyfriend’s muscle cars. I couldn’t have dreamed of being in one of those seats back then, but apparently, I had come a long way.
Damon must not have been lying about his ability to make a million in a couple of hours on a good day. He spent money like it was true. We were loaded down with bags after the first two stops, but he didn’t even have to bother with them. He had an assistant meet up with us, and they took care of getting everything into the car and watching over it in parking.
I had never seen anyone blow so much money in real life. Shoes, watches, suits, ties, sunglasses, new sheets, art… It didn’t matter what it was. If Damon wanted it, he bought it. And he didn’t seem the least bit nervous about overspending. I had known he and the guys were loaded, but I never imagined what it would be like to witness them in action as they spent their money.
We stopped into a boutique with a little of everything for both men and women. I took the chance to browse through the women’s section while he surveyed the rest of the store. A blush pink dress with gold specks of glitter sewn into the fabric caught my eye. It was short and fitted, and I knew the color looked good with my hair and complexion. I knew it would only look that much better with the new cut and color.
“Try it on,” a deep sexy voice startled me from behind. It was none other than Damon’s.
I made a subtle brush of my fingers across the price tag, just enough to catch a glimpse of the numbers printed on it. My stomach dropped. It was a whole month’s worth of pay for me.
“I’d have nowhere to wear something like this,” I laughed nervously, not wanting to point out how very broke I was in comparison to him.
“You can wear it to the opening of my club if you don’t get a chance sooner. And since it’s my special occasion that warrants such a dress, I’m buying.”
“No,” I said immediately. “I couldn’t let you do that.”
“Oh but you could,” he answered coyly. Before I could say another word, he was waving over one of the employees and handing her the dress. “Get us a fitting room started with this. And uh…” His eyes darted around. “This too. And...this.” He started grabbing garments, bags, and shoes from every direction.