by C. M. Owens
I shake my head. “Go ahead. I need to make some calls.”
She walks away, and Berta comes up beside me.
“Girl, I couldn’t help but overhear. You gonna hit up Allie’s rich boy for those funds?”
I shake my head while pulling out my phone.
“I never ask for favors like that.”
“It wouldn’t be a favor for you. Besides, Wren Prize donates money to charity all the time. I’m sure he’d do it if he heard Daniel’s story and knew he had a chance at walking again as long as someone paid the bills. Besides, you let Corbin get you your job back. That’s a favor.”
I lower my phone and look at her, giving her all my attention.
“Wren, along with every other rich person in the world, hears a thousand heartbreaking stories daily. They have to pick and choose what charities to donate to, because they can’t save the whole world, Berta. If I told him Daniel’s story, he’d feel obligated to take care of the costs, but not just because the story is heartbreaking. But because I was asking. I’ll never owe anyone anything. The only reason I even let Corbin Sterling get my job back for me is because I never should have been fired in the first place, and it was his choice to right a wrong. No favors allowed.”
She tuts like I’m crazy before walking off, and I pick my phone up, dialing the Sterling who is most tied to the hospital. Corbin answers a little hesitantly.
“Bella?” he asks, almost as if he’s confused by the fact I’m calling.
“Yeah, hey, how does someone get tickets to one of the Sterling Memorial charity events?”
“Um… Buy a plate? I don’t know. I usually just donate but don’t attend too often. Why?”
“How much is a plate?”
“Fuck, I don’t know. Depends on who is helping host it. Could be a thousand dollars a plate or it could be thirty thousand a plate.”
That is so not what I was expecting to hear.
“Seriously? By plate, are you talking a plate of food or a gold plate found in a pharaoh’s tomb?”
He snorts. “Why are you asking?”
I guess I’ll be standing outside and hoping security doesn’t run me off.
“I was going to buy a plate, but never mind. I’ll figure out something else.”
“Hold up. I think I know someone else going,” he says, and I wait patiently as something rustles in the background, and muffled voices mask words I can’t understand.
“Hey, it’s Dale,” Dale Sterling says over the phone suddenly, confusing me. “You want to go to the charity ball this weekend?”
“I’m not letting anyone spend money on me to get in,” I quickly point out. I love their hearts, but I don’t take money from anyone.
“Well, you’d be doing me a favor actually,” he says, making me suspicious. “I bought two plates, but my date bailed at the last minute. You can come with me so that my mother doesn’t try to replace her with another girl she wants me to meet.”
“I’d be doing you a favor?” I ask skeptically.
“Yeah. Did you not hear that last part? My mother will literally shove another girl into my car and force me to take her. My ex is engaged again already, and my mom is determined that I’m going to be seen with a woman every chance given, as though somehow that makes it all better. I can’t make her understand I don’t care if Fiona is getting married, but she wants my ex to be jealous. I don’t get women.”
A small smile curves my lips. “Then you have a date for the night.”
“Thank you,” he says with genuine relief. “I’ll pick you up at eight.”
My eyes flick to the flyer. “It says it starts at seven.”
“Trust me. I’ll pick you up at eight.”
Frowning, I decide not to sound ungrateful. “Eight it is.”
Feeling a little better, I hang up, and another text from Ethan comes through. This time, it’s a picture of abs. Sexy, tight, firm abs. And I roll my eyes.
I need to go shopping for the event, so I’ll continue ignoring his damn texts. Maybe he’ll take the hint.
Chapter 9
BELLA
As I absently sift through the clearance rack, hoping to strike gold, my eyes lift up to see something that has too many conflicting emotions striking at once. All because of one man with long legs clad in dark denim, a chiseled upper body wrapped in a fitted black T-shirt, aviator sunglasses hiding wicked eyes, black hair tousled in the sexiest possible way, and a smile the devil wears himself.
Ethan. Shit. Not again. Why won’t he just leave me alone?
I practically run inside the fitting room and lock the door. Then I plaster myself against the wall as my heart thuds in my chest. I’m a coward, but I don’t care.
You’d think I was running from a bank heist or something.
Maybe he didn’t see me. Surely he didn’t.
“Need help with anything in there?”
A loud breath leaves me in a rush when I hear the deep, familiar voice. I lift my eyes up to see his eyes peering over the top of the door, amusement clearly playing in their depths. Why can’t they make fitting rooms with full walls and ceilings here?
“No,” I snap, positive I look like an idiot.
I can’t see his mouth, but I know the bastard is grinning. How did my life come to this?
Cursing, I open the door, ready to possibly knee him in the balls, but suddenly I’m shrieking as he shoulders his way in, pushing me back against the wall. I really hate it when he gets this close to me, and right now, he has me pinned with his hands against the wall, caging me in. But he’s not trying to seduce me this time. No. I know that smirk… The smirk he had in the restaurant. This is going to be bad.
“Now you’re running from me?” he asks, his right eyebrow raising in excitement.
I shiver. Shit. He doesn’t need to see that he has any effect on me.
“I… just… needed to… fix my shirt,” I lie. I’ve never been good at lying. Hell, even Angel knows when I lie.
“Sure you did,” he says in that cocky way of his.
Guys like him… I really hate him. Which is why I’ve been avoiding him, because that hate thing is powerfully seductive.
“What do you want this time? There’s no reason for you to—”
“What? Harder, baby?” he asks loudly, confusing me, and then I turn pale.
No. No. No.
“Stop,” I hiss.
“I’m going as hard as I can go,” he says, resisting the urge to laugh as he starts pounding his fists against the wall, making it sound as though something else is going on in here.
“Stop!” I whisper-yell, shoving at his chest in a vain attempt to move him, but the asshole is a brick wall, and I can’t budge him.
“Fuck, you feel so good,” he groans, and my face heats as I slap at his chest harder.
“Yeah, I like it rough, baby,” he adds, and I start praying for a swift and merciful death.
“Ethan!” I scold, ready to berate him, but he uses it against me.
“Yeah, I love it when you say my name. Say it again, baby.”
Kill. Me. Now.
Then, just to add a cherry on top of my mortifying pie, he releases some guttural noise from his throat, dropping his head back as he grins at the ceiling.
“Fuck yes,” he says in a loud breath, feigning exhaustion.
I shove him again, but this time he moves as I glare at him. He laughs while I barge through the door, but I stumble over my own feet when I see a crowd of people staring at me, most of them shaking their heads in disgust. Several pull their kids away, glaring at me before they leave, and I consider hiding in a clothing rack until everyone is gone. What time does this place close?
Ethan walks out and drops his arm around my shoulders, bending to press a kiss on top of my head.
“Next time you want a public place, let’s pick somewhere less crowded.”
My face, which is already ten shades of red, turns even redder. No one would persecute me for murder under duress would they?
“I hate you,” I hiss as he walks away, laughing and not giving a damn at all the indignant gasps around us.
“Only because you want me, Bella,” he says over his shoulder.
Why did he have to tell them my name?
Numerous pairs of judgmental eyes all condemn me to hell, and I groan while making a mental note to add this place to the growing list of establishments I will never be able to show my face again.
One thing is for sure, I really hate him.
Leaving my dignity behind, I rush out the door, covering my face as much as possible the entire time. Ethan is waiting by a motorcycle when I get outside.
Of course he drives a freaking motorcycle.
He’s grinning when he winks at me, and he starts taking slow, purposeful strides toward me.
“Told you not to ignore me,” he says while waggling his eyebrows.
“Are you out of your mind? There were kids in there.”
He mock shudders. “How dare I scar them for life,” he says with faux indignation. “Until now, they’ve only heard their parents fucking.”
“You’re an ass. You know that, right?”
“Get on. I’ll take you to grab something to drink. It might help dig that stick out of your ass for a night.”
I eye his motorcycle, then I glance back at him, narrowing my eyes.
“I have to go find another place to sell me a dress, thank you very fucking much.”
“Why a dress?” he muses.
“Because there’s a charity thing this weekend for the hospital. You know what charity is, right? It’s where someone selflessly gives to someone else.”
I start to turn, but he hurries in front of me, blocking my path as his grin broadens.
“Really? You can afford a plate at something like that? Guess a nurse gets paid more than I realized.”
“I’m guessing you don’t work at all, considering you’re constantly finding ways to ruin my day.”
“You do remember you stalked me at the gym, right?”
So he has me there. That was a moment of weakness.
“That won’t happen again,” I assure him, sounding a little too self-righteous for my own liking.
He’s starting to make me hate myself. Freaking eh. It does sound like I have a stick up my ass. But it’s necessary.
Deciding not to delight him in more pointless verbal sparring, I barge by him, and he moves, laughing behind me as I scurry into my car. This is getting ridiculous.
I also realize there’s no way in hell I can ever pull off wearing a clearance rack dress to the charity ball and show up with a Sterling.
Picking up my phone, I dial Allie. I may not be able to ask others for a favor, but I can always borrow a dress from my bestie. We’ve been sharing closets for years.
“It’s about damn time you called me,” she answers, sounding a little breathless.
“You’d better not be having sex.”
She snickers, and I slowly find myself relaxing, feeling more like me. Ethan really does make me turn into a turtle and duck into my shell. It makes me hate him all the more.
“I’m not.”
“Yeah, well, I’d be having so much sex I wouldn’t be able to walk if I was living with Wren,” I joke, not meaning it one little bit. Wren’s cute, but not my type at all. However, he’s freaking perfect for Allie.
“Ha. Funny. He’s out. What’s up?”
“I want to come raid your closet.”
“Come on. I think I accidentally brought some of your things with me, so feel free to take some of mine with you. You’re not getting that black strappy shirt back. It’s my favorite.”
My heart clenches in my chest, and I fight back the surprising emotion. I didn’t realize how much I missed having Allie living with me until this moment. I’ve been trying my damnedest not to think about it.
“Keep it. I’m about to borrow one of your fancy dresses. I have a date with a Sterling.”
Chapter 10
ETHAN
“What the actual hell are you doing here?” Kade Colton asks me as he walks up holding a glass of wine.
I glance down at my watch, noting it’s almost eight, and there’s still no sign of the elusive Bella. I’m starting to think she actually sent me here as punishment, knowing I’d show if she gave me her location. It makes sense. Why else would she tell me where she was going to be? Then again, she doesn’t think I can afford something like this, so… Hell, I’m confused.
“What are you doing here?” I ask him instead of answering.
He shrugs, taking in the scene. “Raya wanted to come, and her father was coming. He does a lot of charity stuff as penance or something. So here I am.”
Of course. Always about a girl.
We’re animals without fur, everything revolving around a game of sex.
I snag a glass of champagne from a passing tray, and I eye the door again.
“Can’t believe I’m seeing you in a tux,” he goes on, smirking.
“Really? I can’t believe you haven’t seen me in one. The past decade has been nothing but shit like this and business meetings. It was rare I was ever in anything but a tux or a suit.”
I make a dramatic gesture at the pristine tux I’m confined in, rolling my eyes as though it’s annoying. It is annoying. I hate a tux almost as much as I hate suits.
He shakes his head. “That was Chicago. Not Sterling Shore,” he points out. Which makes sense. I never dressed for work when I got to come home.
I check my watch again, noticing it’s now fifteen after eight, and my eyes dart back toward the door. Then I do a double take.
Fuck… Me…
Bella is finally here, but she doesn’t look like herself at all. She looks… incredible. Her silver dress has a small slit that runs up her leg to her hip, and her hair is curled and pinned up, only allowing small tendrils to float down. Did she dye her hair? Why does it look like she has a little blonde in it?
It takes me too long to realize she’s holding the arm of a guy, and my jaw tics when I see it’s Dale Sterling.
So that’s why she’s not interested. She’s looking for money, and she thinks I’m a broke bum. Unbelievable. I’ve been chasing a gold digger?
“Hey, Dale’s here,” Kade says, oblivious to the fact I’m secretly fuming.
“With a date,” I bite out.
“That’s just Bella. She won’t date anyone in the group, so I’m sure she’s just here as a favor to Dale.”
My head is going to explode.
“What?” I ask him incredulously as I turn to face him.
“Bella doesn’t date within a group if she’s friends with them.” He shrugs as though it’s no big deal. “She’s friends with everyone, and doesn’t want that kind of drama. Not that anyone has asked her out, but she and Raya were talking about it one day when we were all hanging out.”
Swallowing down my earlier anger, my eyes flit back to her as she smiles and graciously shakes the hands of people Dale introduces her to. So not a gold digger. She’d have her pick in that crowd… My crowd. Shit.
Now I’m back to chasing, and there’s another obstacle in my way.
I still don’t know what I’m going to do with her if I catch her, other than fuck her in every possible position until my dick can’t handle it anymore.
That has me discreetly adjusting myself in my pants, and I guzzle down the remainder of my champagne.
Dale says something close to her ear, and he walks our way while she starts heading toward someone nearby. Her eyes are determined, her strides are long but elegant, and I watch as she corners a guy who acts surprised by her suddenly speaking to him.
Dale cuts off my view when he’s suddenly in front of me.
“Remind me to get drunk before I come to one of these,” he groans, grabbing two glasses of champagne. “If one more person asks how I’m taking the news of Fiona’s engagement…”
He lets his voice trail off, and I force a careless smile.
“How ar
e you taking it?” I mock.
He glares at me before rolling his eyes. “I don’t care. For some reason, everyone expects me to be devastated or something.”
“I’d be devastated if it was Raya,” Kade points out. “And in prison, since I’d have killed the guy.”
My lips twitch, and I turn to glance at him. Hell, he looks pissed just thinking of the hypothetical.
“Excuse me,” Kade says, disappearing quickly, probably going to find Raya and do things that will have the uptight asses in here gasping.
“The difference is the fact he loves Raya,” Dale grumbles.
“Why are you here with Bella?” I ask him, not in any sort of mood for a heart to heart about his ex.
His eyebrows go up, and I really hate the calculating look in his eyes.
“Why do you want to know?”
“Because I heard she doesn’t date anyone in a group she’s friends with.”
He stifles a grin, which I’m thankful for. “She’s here to look for possible contributors for a case at the hospital. A boy needs surgery in order to regain the use of his legs, but the insurance company found a way around paying for it.”
“And you didn’t offer to contribute?”
“I tried,” he sighs. “I tried hard. She refuses to let me donate, since she says she wants it to be from someone who doesn’t know her. She’s pretty damn worried about anyone doing her any favors, even though I really want to help the kid. Not just because she wants him to have help either. I’m sure she’ll raise enough money, so I’m not worried. I’ll do an anonymous donation if she doesn’t, and she’ll never know.”
I blow out a breath, hating that I even asked. Now I’m all the more obsessed with her. She’s not the least bit interested in Dale’s money, and I feel like an ass for even thinking it. She’s here to give some kid a chance at walking again, and I accused her of being a gold digger
I’m going to hell.
“You into Bella?” he muses.
It’s Dale, so there’s no sense in denying it. He’s an observant asshole who cuts through the bullshit.
“I felt her when she touched me.”
His eyes widen in surprise, and he clears his throat.
