by Erica Hobbs
“This is nice,” she said when she got into the car. It was a Ferrari. Cherry Red. The guys on the team joked that I was trying to make up for something with it – they called it a cliché. What on earth was wrong with owning a Ferrari? Since when was good taste a bad thing?
“Thanks?” I said and started the engine with a bark. I pulled out of the parking lot and headed out of town. If we were going to talk at all, I wanted it to be somewhere obscure where there wouldn’t be pictures of us taken or something. I didn’t quite have the photographic entourage Jake did, but it wasn’t impossible. I didn’t want Amanda to be part of the picture at all as far as anyone else was concerned.
I pulled over in the parking lot of a diner, and once we were in, I chose a booth in the back. The woman who seated us chewed gum and never made eye contact. I wouldn’t have been surprised if she didn’t know who I was at all.
I ordered coffee for the both of us.
“This place is gross,” Amanda said.
“It’s anonymous.”
She didn’t touch the table. I leaned forward and looked at her, waiting for her to ask. She rolled her eyes and gave in. God, she was so predictable.
“How am I supposed to get him back, big shot?” She asked. She was irritated with me. Good.
“If Jake is distracted by a woman now and it’s only at an early stage, imagine what it would be like if things got serious and he lost her.”
Amanda shook her head. “Nice theory, but Jake doesn’t do serious.”
I shrugged. It was true, he didn’t do serious. But I hadn’t seen him go after a woman that rejected him all the time the way he’d gone after the blond that night at Lemon. Besides, he had even referred to her while talking with me. If I knew anything about Jake after spending all my years in high school envying and hating him, it was how he reacted around women. That, and the fact that his escapades were national news, but he’d managed to keep this one a secret.
“Let’s suppose he does,” I said. “If he gets heartbroken, his career will fall. He won’t just open up to anyone so what if he does and she leaves him? That might be just what I’m looking for.”
She frowned. “I don’t know what you’re on about. Besides, why would she leave him? He’s stinking rich and handsome, too.”
I rolled my eyes. The waitress returned with our coffee. I waited until she was gone.
“You never know what could happen. Or who…”
I waited for it to dawn on her. After a couple of seconds, she opened her mouth, and I could see her thinking it through.
“What if there was another woman?” She asked. Bingo.
“It would suck if the girl of his dreams left because of another woman getting into the picture.”
Her face lit up.
“You want me to ruin his relationship so that you can ruin his Football career?”
That had taken a while. Thank God she’d figured it out. I didn’t want to be the one to say the words first.
“I get what I want, you get what you want.”
She smiled. “It’s a horrible thing to do.”
I shrugged. “You said so yourself, I’m an asshole.”
She shrugged and sipped her coffee. She pulled a face.
“This isn’t exactly the kind of coffee I usually drink.”
“Yeah, whatever,” I said, not even touching mine. I’d just needed somewhere unlikely to be seen to talk about this.
“So, I’ll probe and find out what’s going on while we train. He’ll open up to me if I keep pushing, he doesn’t talk to people that much. You make sure you know who this girl is once I give you a name and you get in there. I don’t care what you do – I’m sure you know how to be a problem.”
Amanda looked offended, but she nodded. I didn’t care. This plan was about as beautiful as it could get.
Chapter 16
Alyssa
“So, when are you seeing him again?”
Tanya sat on the counter, her legs swinging. It was just before opening time, and she was actually on time for a change. I packed fresh paper into the printing machines, waiting for the computers to boot.
“When he asks me,” I said.
“What? You’re not going to initiate?”
I rolled my eyes. “No, I’m going to let the man do it. Am I the only woman left here who believes in waiting for a man to take charge?”
Tanya shrugged. “You don’t always get action that way.”
I chuckled. ‘Action’ from someone when I was the one who initiated it felt a little desperate. Besides, judging by what had happened after our dinner the last time I’d seen Jake, I didn’t need to initiate anything to get a bit of action.
Or a lot of it.
God, I still wasn’t sure how I felt about him. That night he’d been everything a guy should be – gallant, kind, sensitive. But he’d been an asshole the first time we’d met, and at Lemon, he’d been overly confident. Were they all sides of the same coin? I didn’t know. I didn’t know who Jake was well enough to be able to tell which side of him was real and which wasn’t.
And I was afraid that if I got to know him well enough to find out, it would be too late. Jake was dangerous. Something about him made me lose myself. At the moment, it was euphoria. Afterward, the potential lack of control I displayed scared me.
“Will you sleep with him this time?”
I blushed, ducking underneath the counter to find envelopes for the display. When I straightened out Tanya’s eyes were on me, eagerly seeking for an answer.
I hadn’t told her I’d already slept with him. I didn’t feel like divulging information, going into minute detail until the whole thing was so torn apart I wouldn’t recognize it. I didn’t want to talk about what I felt when I didn’t know what that was for myself yet. I didn’t want to admit it, but a large part of me liked being that close and raw and vulnerable with Jake.
I didn’t want to admit that maybe I couldn’t be an entirely open-minded player after all.
We opened the doors on the hour, and the first customer walked in. At a printing shop, there was always someone waiting.
***
Just after lunch, a messenger walked through the door with an obscene bouquet of flowers. Everyone turned and stared at him. He made his way to the counter and put the bouquet down. He was trying to balance it, struggling not to let it topple over. When it was positioned, he stepped to the side so I could see his face.
He had acne-ridden skin, and he was wearing glasses and an askew cap. His mouth revealed a silly grin when he saw Tanya.
“Delivery,” he said. Tanya stood next to me and eyed the flowers.
“I don’t think this is for me. The guys I deal with don’t have this kind of flare.” She looked at me pointedly. I gaped at the flowers, my mouth open. The bouquet was classy. Red roses, almost-black Calla Lilies – were they even in season? – and silver twirls molded from reeds. It looked very dramatic, very intense.
“Delivery for Alyssa Ryan,” the guy said and looked at Tanya again.
“That’s her,” Tanya said and nodded at me. She walked away to help a customer. I took the clipboard from the delivery guy and signed for the flowers.
“He must be some guy,” the delivery boy said when the paperwork was taken care of. “It’s the biggest romantic gesture I’ve delivered to date. In my line of work, I actually see it all you know.”
I thanked him, and he wandered out of the shop. The customers were staring. I was the center of attention, and I felt uncomfortable.
“Who’s it from?” Tanya asked when she’d finished up.
“Three guesses,” I said sarcastically. I didn’t have any people in my life who could a) afford this kind of bouquet and b) felt seriously enough about to send it.
“Is there a card?”
I reached up and found an envelope. It was silver with my name in Calligraphy on the front.
“Whatever you did at your boring dinner, you really made an impression.” Tanya reached out and dr
agged a finger down the envelope. The paper was thick and glossy. “So? Are you going to open it?”
I flushed and opened it, pulling out a card which had been embossed with some more silver.
‘Be my date?’
That was all it said, but when I turned it around, I saw more on the back.
‘This Friday. Instructions will follow.’
‘JN.'
I turned it over again and read the request. A request, not a demand. The back killed the sincerity a little, but it was there. A question, not an order. I shivered. This guy…
“Oh, my God!” Tanya was about as starstruck as I was. “You’re going to say yes, right? You must go. Even if it’s just so that I can live vicariously through you.”
I laughed. I was going. I couldn’t exactly say no to a gesture like this. The flowers were stunning, and the card was a nice touch. We got back to work. During lunch time, I took the flowers to the back. They were taking up too much counter space.
The day dragged by and finally, we locked up. Tanya helped me get the bouquet home. It was hard to transport in her car, and it was difficult to carry in the house. When we put it on the kitchen table, she sat down and sighed.
“I’m jealous, you know,” she said. “I don’t think anyone has ever made this much effort for me.”
I nodded. I hadn’t had this kind of attention before, either.
“It’s nice, though,” I said. “It makes me feel special. Help me get this thing to my room.”
Tanya groaned. When she left, and I was locked in my room with the bouquet, and I read the card again.
‘Instructions will follow.’
My phone rang as if on cue and Jake’s name flashed on the screen. I grinned like an idiot and answered.
“You’re too much,” I said, but I was still smiling. He chuckled.
“Is that a yes?” He asked.
“Yes,” I said. I sounded like a love-struck teenager.
“I’m glad,” he said, sounding like he genuinely was glad and didn’t just expect me to say yes. “I’m going to send you an outfit, but I need your home address for that.”
I frowned. “An outfit?”
“It’s for an event. I need you to look the part.”
I swallowed, getting nervous. He was mysterious; a part of me was curious, and a large one was unsure.
“This is very over the top for a second date,” I said.
“Yeah,” I could almost see him smile as he said that. “But you’re the kind of girl who needs something different. You’re a gem.”
I blushed. It wouldn’t kill me to give him my home address, right? He was asking politely. And it wasn’t like he was going to arrive in of my front door if I did. It was just for a delivery. Another one.
I finally gave in and gave it to him. My stomach turned as soon as I did. I was letting him into my life bit by bit, and I’d only seen him three times. This was moving fast and slow all at the same time. It left me breathless.
“Make sure you’re home tomorrow evening,” he said. “I’ll have it delivered to you.”
I swallowed hard. “This isn’t what I’m used to at all.”
“Me either,” he said softly before he ended the conversation. I frowned at the phone after he was gone. He wasn’t talking about the luxury – he was used to that.
What was he talking about?
***
When the package arrived, it was a long rectangle box. I opened it up, and there was tissue paper folded over everything. I pushed it apart and took out the garment.
It was a dress, nude material with black lace and mesh over the body. The corset-like body had lace all over it. The mesh covered the skirt down to the flare. It was a mermaid dress, fitted all the way down to my knees before it flared out in a dramatic skirt with beige and black stripes. The back was laced up so it would fit me perfectly no matter what.
The box also contained a black mask with feathers and gold trim, a gold choker with diamonds cascading down, a black handbag with a golden strap and diamond-and-gold earrings.
It was over the top; it was breathtakingly beautiful. I couldn’t accept this kind of gift, but I didn’t want to say no to it. I wanted it. A note at the bottom of the box asked me to wear black heels and wear my hair up.
Well, Friday night was going to be interesting.
Chapter 17
Jake
I sent a car to pick her up. I had her address now. I understood why she wanted to keep it away from me. I didn’t give anyone my home address. I understood privacy. I knew what it meant to want to keep a part of your life to yourself.
She’d allowed a gift, though, and she’d agreed to the car.
I waited for the car to arrive, checking my watch every other minute. I was nervous. I, Powerhouse Jake, was nervous waiting for a woman. But this wasn’t just any woman. This was Alyssa. I wanted to impress her. I wanted her to like me. I wanted her to get lost in the fairy tale world I was creating for her, for her to see I could really be a prince charming.
The black car came around the bend, and I couldn’t help but smile. This was it.
Luke’s party was about an hour’s drive outside Denver. We were going there in a limo. I would have picked her up myself, but I wanted to keep my distance until she was ready. I didn’t want to push things with her.
Alyssa was everything I’d ever imagined a woman should be. The more I got to know about her, the more I liked her. I had my mask with me – a gold one with black trim where hers was black with gold trim. We were a couple, tonight. My tux matched the dress I sent her, complete with a gold bow tie. It was extravagant. These kinds of parties always were.
When the car stopped, and the chauffeur opened the door for her, my breath caught in my throat. My heart skipped a beat, and my stomach turned. All the things that happened when you were awestruck happened to me.
She got out. The dress I’d gotten her fit like a glove, hugging her body. Wearing it was as if she was doing it a favor. The skirt around her lower legs moved like a bell when she walked. Her hair was up in a professional manner, and her makeup was smoky but subtle. Just Beautiful. She held the mask and her handbag in her hand.
“You look breathtaking,” I said, leaning in to her kiss her. She smiled nervously when I pulled away.
“I wasn’t sure what this was all about,” she said.
I nodded. “It’s a surprise, but you can guess.” I tapped my mask, and she smiled at me.
“Masquerade?”
I nodded. “At a mansion in the middle of nowhere.”
I held out my hand, and she took it. I helped her into the limo and followed.
These luxuries were the norm in my life now, but being with Alyssa made me look at it all again with fresh eyes. The limo wasn’t as long as some of them were but it had a bar built into the side and a dark screen I could raise between the driver and us. Alyssa ran her hands over the leather seat, the veneer on the side. Her eyes slid over everything, and they sparkled as if she was in a dream.
Her lips were slightly parted. I could conjure the taste of her whenever I tried. I wanted to kiss her, but I held back.
“This is amazing,” she said when she finally looked at me. Her joy was almost childlike. I smiled. This made it all worth it. Even if this was all, we did tonight, my evening was made.
We drove for about an hour. The car slid through the dark of night, and the scenery was a dull blur, before Luke’s mansion came into view. I pointed. Alyssa looked out the window, and her mouth opened slightly. The element of surprise. I loved it.
The grounds were elaborate, with a helipad, a huge pool, and a maze the way they used to have them in the palaces in the 1700's. Lights were set at intervals, casting color on the sides of the mansion and people moved around on the terrace. The car pulled into the long driveway and inched along in a queue of limos. I pulled on my mask, and she did the same. I held my hand out to her when the car finally stopped in front of the stairs which led to the big front doors. She took
it and held onto it after she was out of the car. This, I liked. She was holding onto me as if we were together. We slipped on our masks.
“This is huge,” she said as we walked through the house. The place was a palace, rather than a mansion, with only the richest and most expensive things to decorate. “Is this how you party all the time?”
We walked through a drawing room and through wide glass doors which led to a terrace.
