“Holy shit. Wow.”
I come toward him and see he’s eyeing me from head to toe.
“Honey, purple is your color.”
“Thank you, I love this dress.” The strapless number has a high slit along my thigh and tapers at my waist. When I saw it on the rack, I thought no way. The slit scared me and thought it would show too much . . . of everything. But it’s perfect and makes me feel sexy.
He reaches for my hands and then steps back a little. He lets out another low whistle. “Damn. How am I supposed to keep my hands off you?”
“Maybe you’re not supposed to?” I shrug a little. “Besides, look at you. You dress up nicely, and aside from our first date and the day you came into my office, I haven’t seen you wear anything but joggers, T-shirts, and sweatshirts.”
Alex laughs. “Yeah, I know. I’ll be better.”
I place my hand on his cheek. “I like you the way you are.”
He leans forward and kisses me. “There’s more of those for later,” he promises. Alex holds his arm out and I take it. Barrett holds the door for us and tells me I look beautiful. He then rushes to Alex’s car and holds the door again.
“Thank you,” I tell him as I get in.
The drive over to the hotel, where the fundraiser is, goes smoothly and the only traffic we encounter are the line of cars waiting for their passengers to get out. “Why are there people lined up?” I ask as we get closer to the front.
“This is a pretty big event for the museum. Lots of celebrities come out for it.”
“Oh, that’s nice of them.”
“Mhm . . . they’re here, you know.”
“Who?” I ask as I look at Alex.
“The DILFs you’re infatuated with,” he says with a smirk.
On the inside, I’m giddy and nervous. Maybe tonight I can at least say hi. On the outside, I touch the back of neck and tangle my fingers in his hair. “I’ve moved on. I prefer CILFs.”
Alex laughs and shakes his head. “As long as I’m the only center you know.”
“Being as I didn’t have a clue as to what a center was until I met you, you can bet your ass you’re the only one.”
“Phew,” he says. “When we pull up, the valet is going to open your door. I’ll come around and meet you.”
“Are you going to mean mug this one too?”
Alex groans. “No, I won’t, and I apologized.”
“You did.”
He leans over and kisses me, and then pulls forward. As soon as his door opens, camera flashes go off. This must be what the gals warned me about. The media is trying to get the money shot. My door opens, and Alex's hand is there for mine to grab.
“Fuck, you’re sexy and beautiful,” he says when I stand next to him. “Just hang onto my arm.”
“Okay.”
We take a few steps and then the sidewalk turns to carpet. Alex pauses for a moment and then we turn. On each side, red velvet ropes and gold pedestals keep the media back. They shout Alex’s name as we walk toward the entrance. They ask who his date is, but he ignores them. I startle when a photographer crouches in front of us.
“He’s with the venue. Smile.”
I do as Alex says, and once the cameraman is done, we head toward the stairs. Inside, I feel like I can finally breathe. “Is it always like this?”
“No, only a couple times a year, if that. This event is a huge fundraiser and draws a big crowd. That’s why there’s media outside. Last year, Denzel Washington, Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt—they all came. I’m not sure who’s on the guest list this year.”
“How did the Pioneers get involved?”
“All part of the charitable foundation,” he tells me.
We make our way into the grand ballroom. It looks exactly like something you’d see on television or the movies. There’s a jazz band on the stage. The dance floor is open and surrounded by round tables, each marked with a number. Honestly, I feel like I’m at a reception.
“So, what is this exactly?”
“A fundraiser,” he says. “Everyone in attendance has made a sizable contribution or they’ve added something to the silent auction.”
“What did you do?”
“Both,” he says. “I have a game-worn jersey up for auction, plus I donated. The Pioneers have tickets to this season’s Super Bowl, signed balls, stuff like that.”
“And the DILFs?” I need to know if I’m bidding on something.
Alex laughs. “I don’t know. We can go to the auction room and look.”
“No, it’s okay.”
“Sure, it is.” He laughs and gives his name to a man at the door, who repeats it into his headset. A woman approaches and takes us to our table. Autumn and Julius are already seated, together with two other couples whose names I don’t recognize.
“Alex!”
He turns in time for a woman to throw her arms around him. I step back to give them some room. Alex pries her off him and tries to put some distance between them but she doesn’t take the hint.
“Hi, Estelle. It’s nice to see you.”
“I’ve missed you, Alex. How come you don’t come around anymore?”
Alex and I make eye contact. If he’s trying to tell me something, I’m missing it.
“Uh.”
“I know. I know. Things don’t need to be awkward though.”
“Right. It was nice seeing you, Estelle.”
“Let’s sit and chat,” she says as she reaches for the chair next to her.
“This isn’t the time or place.”
For whatever reason, she turns and looks at me with nothing but snobbery and disgust on her face. Honestly, I’m taken back by her demeanor. “Alex, who’s this?”
“My girlfriend,” he says, taking me completely off guard. I do my best to maintain my composure, but I know I’m failing.
“Huh?” She scoffs loudly. “Does Maggie know?”
Alex cocks his head slightly. “What does it matter if she does, Estelle? Maggie and I aren’t together.”
Estelle’s head whips back to Alex. “You know you can never replace her.”
“Not trying to, Estelle.”
She steps toward me, shakes her head, and then walks away. I watch her until Alex touches my arm. “Ignore her.”
“Um . . . I’m not sure I can. What?”
“Seriously, ignore her,” Autumn adds. “I heard most of the conversation and saw the looks. She’s a snake. Always trying to cause issues for people.”
“Oh, okay.” What the fuck just happened? I close my eyes and take a couple calming breaths. If Autumn says to ignore that woman, I should. But I can’t help the anxiety creeping in or how fast my heart beats right now. The look she gave me . . . if they could kill I’d be begging for my life.
Alex leans into me and whispers, “She’s friends with Maggie. A lot of people are. My guess is she saw us come in together and figured she’d make a stink. Please don’t let her ruin our night.”
I nod against him. “Okay.”
He kisses me below my ear, and then my cheek and finally on my lips. When he pulls away, I look at him and ask, “Girlfriend, huh?”