“No, I insist – be rude. Be very rude.”
“I’ll go to the bathroom – I hate it when people take calls in the middle of the coffee shop.”
Bethany made an excited squeal as I hurried off to the restroom, stepping inside and shutting the door behind me. “What’s up?” I asked, leaning back against the door.
“Not much. Just seeing what you were up to.”
“Out getting coffee with my sister.”
“Having a girl’s night out?”
“Something like that.”
It was so good to hear his voice. I could listen to him talk in that deep, resonant voice for hours.
“You two have any big plans for the night?”
“First step was coffee, and now we’re planning the rest of the night.”
“Perfect. Because I’ve got an idea for you.”
“What’s that?”
“So, I know I promised to take you out for some dress-shopping tomorrow before the party, but something came up,” he said. “One of my doctors wants me to swing by his clinic and chat with him for a bit.”
“Oh, that’s no problem. I can find something on my own.”
“That’s what I’m thinking. But I still want it to be on me.”
“No, it’s totally fine. I’m working now, remember?”
“I insist. If you and your sister are looking for something to do, why don’t you head into Denver and do some shopping? There’re some great boutiques in town, and you two can grab some dinner after.”
“Duncan, that’s too much.”
“It’s my treat. I don’t like to break promises, especially if I can’t make up for them in some way. So consider this my way of making up for it.”
Not only was Duncan generous, he was also insistent. There was no point in trying to talk him out of it. Then again, he didn’t really have to twist my arm. More that I felt a little overwhelmed by such an offer.
“OK, how about this,” I countered. “You have to let me do something nice for you.”
“You’re already doing something nice for me – you’re letting me have the most beautiful woman in Colorado on my arm.”
I blushed and giggled. “Something else, smooth-talker. Let me make dinner for you some night soon. I’m not the best chef in the world, but I can make a mean chicken parm when I want.”
“Deal. Now, my name’s pretty well-known around Denver. Just go wherever you like and tell them to bill my office. No one should give you any trouble, but if they do you have my cell.”
There was something appealing about the idea of name-dropping a man like him and having it serve as the keys to the kingdom.
“Thanks so much,” I gushed. “My sister’s crazy-busy with her family, so this’ll be just what the doctor ordered.”
“Literally.”
I laughed. “OK, pun not intended. But thanks again.”
“It’s my pleasure. Have fun, and the only rule is that you don’t even look at prices,” he insisted. “And let’s plan on me picking you up around five tomorrow. We can have a drink at my place before we head out.”
“Perfect.”
“And I wouldn’t be upset in the slightest if you sent me some pictures of some of the choices tonight. In whatever state of dress you happen to be in.” He chuckled and added, “Please.”
I grinned as a shiver of desire ran through my body. “You got it.”
We hung up and I hurried back to the table. Bethany was practically jumping off her seat with eagerness. “Well?” she asked. “What’d Dr. McStud have to say?”
“Change of plans for tonight,” I announced. “We’re going to Denver.”
“What?”
I filled her in on all the details, letting her know we were about to have a hell of a night out, courtesy of Duncan. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
“Are you serious?” she asked, wide-eyed. “Then what the heck are we doing still in town? Let’s go!”
After getting a to-go cup for my coffee, we were off. We left White Pines, driving into Denver and heading downtown. We stopped in one boutique after another, and it took me some major effort to internalize Duncan’s rule of not looking at price tags.
“What about this one?” I asked, holding up a so-so dress that was reasonably priced.
“Annie, it’s on him, remember? And didn’t he tell you not to think about prices?”
“I know, I know. But I can’t help it.”
“Look at it this way,” she suggested. “You’re going to a fancy party tomorrow, right? And if you’re going to show up to a party like that with a guy like Duncan, then you can’t wear any old thing. You’ve got to find something special, for his sake and reputation.”
I grinned. “OK, that makes a certain amount of sense.”
Bethany plucked the dress out of my hands and put it back, turning her attention to some of the much nicer options the boutique offered.
“These are more your speed,” she said. “Like…ooh my God.” She took a dress off the rack, a gorgeous, powder blue one with shimmering lining and a plunging neckline. “This is it,” she insisted. “This is all you.”
I spotted the tag dangling off the arm, and my first instinct was to look. Bethany quickly grabbed it before I could and gave it a quick yank, taking it off.
“You’ll never know,” she said with a sly grin. “Now, go try it on.”
She handed me the dress along with a few other choices, and one of the clerks led me to the dressing room. Once the door was shut, some naughty ideas appeared in my mind. I slipped out of my clothes until I was down to nothing but my bra and panties. Then I took my phone out of the pocket of my jeans, snapped a few shots, and sent them to Duncan.
Getting started…got a lot to pick from.
The response came moments later.
Can’t wait to see your decision-making process in action.
The next hour or so was a flurry of dresses and sexy selfies. Duncan was clearly happy about each one, if his emojis and responses were anything to judge by.
After several, I realized the powder blue dress was the clear winner.
Got my dress, I texted him. But you’re going to have to wait for tomorrow for that reveal.
Wouldn’t have it any other way.
We paid for the dress, charging it to Duncan’s account, like he asked.
“And don’t tell her the price,” Bethany said to the clerk. “It’s a treat.”
The clerk smiled and nodded in assent as she packed the gown. After that, we did a little shoe and accessory shopping. By the time we were finished, we were both starving – shopping worked up a hell of an appetite.
Duncan
I hadn’t been as excited for a night in as long as I could remember. So of course, as I finished getting ready, taking one last look at myself in my full-length mirror to make sure my tux was on-point, I received a call from Andrew.
“What’s up?” I asked, setting the phone on the nightstand and putting it on speaker, a glass of cabernet in my hand.
“Big night tonight, huh?”