by Mia Carson
“Fine, fine. Harley? You a chicken too?” he asked with a waggle of his eyebrows.
Harley sucked down the rest of her margarita and nodded. “Right, let’s do this. Only for you, Marcus.” She slipped out of the booth and walked over to the stage to wait for her turn to sing.
“You’re fucking terrible,” Sam said through his laughter.
“What? She could’ve said no, and besides, according to you, she enjoys singing,” Marcus insisted. “I can’t believe she bought me a karaoke machine. Really, are you sure you can’t introduce me to her sister?”
Sam sipped at his whiskey. “I haven’t even met her yet.”
“Think there’s a reason for that?”
“Maybe,” Sam mused as he watched Harley talk to the DJ as she picked out a song. “Or maybe she’s just waiting for an appropriate time to introduce her to me. I’m not really worried about it.”
“What about her parents? Are you worried about them?”
Sam tilted his glass, swirling the whiskey and catching the light. “I’m afraid she’s like me. No parents to speak of. I guess I dodged the bullet of needing to impress her dad,” he said, but there was no amusement in his words. He would’ve liked to meet Harley’s parents if they had been the parents she deserved, just as he wished his mother and grandfather were around to meet her.
The man singing rather poorly at the mic finished his song and the bar erupted in loud applause as he bowed his way off the stage and walked past Harley, who stepped up on the stage. She tucked her hair nervously behind her ears and stood by the mic.
“Evening, everyone, name’s Harley and I’m dedicating this song not to the man whose birthday it is, simply because he’s making me do this, but to a very different man,” she said and Marcus booed loudly until Sam nudged him. “So, yeah, here it goes.”
The bar fell silent, and the DJ turned the music on for her. Sia’s Helium filled the bar, and when Harley opened her mouth, words filled with such passion and love flowed out, striking Sam right in the chest. She stared at him the whole time she sang, belting it out to the loud cheering of the crowd in the bar. Every day, she continued to amaze him, and Sam never wanted it to stop. He smiled softly at her and nodded once. When she finished the song, the bar erupted in shouts for an encore, Marcus joining in as he leapt to his feet, shouting the loudest of them all. She gave in and waved at Marcus to join her.
“Here he is, ladies and gentlemen, the drunken margarita birthday boy,” she announced, and Marcus took a bow when he hit the stage beside her. “What should we sing?”
Marcus rubbed his hands together and whispered in her ear. She burst out laughing and nodded as Marcus leaned over and told the DJ what song he wanted to sing so badly. Harley struggled to keep it together and rolled her eyes at Sam when Marcus bounded back to her side. The bar quieted, and when Harley belted out the first few lines, the rest of the bar, including Marcus and even Sam, joined in singing the good ol’ Garth Brooks song, I’ve got Friends in Low Places. Sam didn’t even mind when a few other drunks staggered over to him and swayed back and forth with their arms draped over Sam’s shoulders.
The night was certainly one for the books, one he wanted to relive over and over again.
Chapter 10
“Stop fussing with your hair, it looks fine,” Sam told Harley as he stood behind her in the bathroom. “If you curl it anymore, you’re going to look like a damn poodle.”
She shot him a glare in the mirror, and he gave her a trademark, charming grin back. “You might not be nervous, but you know this isn’t normal for me, right? I don’t go to black-tie affairs. I serve cocktails at them and deal with old men trying to grab my ass.”
His smile fell instantly as his jaw clenched. “If anyone but me grabs your ass tonight, I’ll break their fingers.”
“I’ll be sure to let them know.” She set the curling iron down and blew a bang out of her face with a loud sigh. “I can’t do this. I’m not this type of person!”
“What type of person? Harley, you organized this, you’re running it. This baby is all yours.”
“But I’m not like them, you know? The fanciest dress I’ve ever worn cost thirty bucks, and I got it at a thrift store for senior prom. It had seven rips in it.”
“Seven. You counted?”
“Yeah, I did, because I had to fix them all.” She sagged against the counter.
“Harley, look at me,” Sam said as his hands slipped around her waist. “Harley, come on.”
Pouting, she lifted her face to gaze at his reflection over her shoulder. “What?’
“Don’t give me that what,” he said, laughing quietly. “You are going to do great tonight. Everyone will be there because of you and what you’re doing to help families like ours. Don’t worry about what anyone thinks about you as long as they understand the fundraiser and what it’s all about. That’s what matters tonight.”
“But they’re all snobby, rich people, and don’t try to say they’re not,” she said quickly, holding up a finger. “I’ve been around them all my life. I know how they act.”
“Are you telling me I’m a snobby, rich person?”
“No, you’re probably the only one I’ve met who’s not like that.”
His arms drew her back against his chest. “I’ll take that as a compliment. Now, give me a smile.”
She lifted her upper lip and bared her teeth. His brow rose as he chuckled, the warmth of the deep, throaty sound calming her nerves. “How about a real smile that won’t scare everyone away?”
She puffed out her cheeks and finally smiled for him. “We look pretty damn good together,” she pointed out.
“We’ll look even better tonight. Come here, I want to show you something.”
“I have to finish getting ready!” she argued, but he took her hand and placed his other over her eyes. “Sam!”
“Trust me, it’s worth it. Just step right over here,” he said and maneuvered her around so she wasn’t even sure what direction she faced. “Okay, take a gander at this.” His hand fell away, and Harley turned to ask him what she was supposed to be looking at when she saw the dark blue gown hanging from the closet door. “What do you think?”
Harley stepped away from him as she reached out to touch the silk and chiffon fabric. “Is this…is this for me?” she whispered, running her hands down the full skirt and back up the tight corset bodice with two loops of fabric that would drape over her shoulders as sleeves. “Sam?”
He nodded. “I knew you were nervous about tonight, so I thought I would find something to make you feel more comfortable.”
“Or like a fish out of water,” she whispered. “Do you really think I can pull this dress off?”
“I know you can do anything you put your mind to,” he told her firmly. “Now, do you think you’re ready for tonight?”
Not even in her dreams did she expect to wear a dress so elegant it brought tears to her eyes. She had planned on wearing a simple, full-length black dress she’d brought from home, but this, this was incredible. She pulled it off the door, held it up to her body, and looked in the full-length mirror on the wall. With Sam watching her, a warm smile caressing his lips, she glanced at him and asked, “Are there matching shoes?”
He let out a loud burst of laughter as she joined him. “I’m going to take that as a yes, and of course there are shoes. Heaven forbid a man forget the shoes.”
He walked past her on the way to the closet, but she stilled him with a touch and leaned up to kiss him. “Thank you for this, really. It’s incredible.”
“An incredible dress for the woman who stole my heart. A fair trade.”
“You got mine in the process too, you know,” she reminded him.
He growled as he nuzzled her neck. “Too bad we have to leave in ten minutes or I’d have you on that bed so fast.”
Harley liked the sound of that until his words sank in. “Ten minutes? Holy shit! We’re going to be late!”
She shoved out of his arms
and rushed back into the bathroom to finish her hair and makeup. Sam snickered from the bedroom, but she ignored him. Tonight was about making a good first impression. Everyone who knew Sam Benson and his company would be there. She would be the woman on his arm all night, and the last thing she wanted to do was embarrass him by showing up late or not looking the part.
She slipped into the dress and admired how it fit her like a glove. “How did you know my measurements?” she asked in awe as she zipped up the back of the dress.
“I’ve had my hands all over your body. I think I know what size you are,” he replied as he stepped out of the closet dressed in a snazzy black tuxedo. He finished adjusting his jacket and when he lifted his face to gaze at her, his jaw dropped. “Blue is definitely your color.” He drew a flat velvet box from his pants’ pocket and held it out to her. “Finishing touch.”
Harley smoothed her hands down the front of the dress, staring intently at the box. “What is it?”
“Just open the box, woman,” he grunted and handed it over.
She took it and lifted the lid slowly. “You sure know how to spoil a girl,” she breathed. “Sam…these are beautiful. I can’t wear these!”
“Yes, you can, and you are,” he said taking the box back and drawing out the necklace. “Turn around for me.”
She did so as he draped the sapphire and diamond necklace around her neck and clasped it in the back. The teardrop sapphire in the center hung perfectly above her cleavage, and she pressed her fingers gingerly to the stones. “Do I want to know how much this was?”
“Nope,” he said as he handed her one earring at a time, the same teardrop sapphire surrounded by diamonds on each. “It doesn’t matter what they cost. For once, let yourself be spoiled.”
The dress spun out around her as she turned to face him. “I’m not used to it.”
“That’s a good thing,” he said as his eyes drifted from her head to her toes. “You have to be one of the only women in the city who’s more awed by beauty than impressed by it.”
“However, I am impressed by you—always,” she said and squeezed his hands. “I guess I’m ready.”
His lips twitched in a grin as he finished buttoning up his tuxedo jacket and she slipped into her heels. “Yes, you are. Let’s go see to our guests for the night, shall we?” He offered her his arm, and she slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow, just as she had their first night together. Never did she think she would be standing here nearly a month later with the same man.
When they were in the car and on their way to the hall, Harley thought about the past few weeks and how great they had been when another thought stilled her heart. She had been so careful when they’d had sex, so very careful, but she should not be able to wear a thong right now. In her mind, she counted the days and realized she had taken placebo pills all week and yet…and yet…she let out a strangled sound and Sam’s hand grabbed hers, worried.
“Harley? What’s wrong?”
“Sorry, nothing,” she said and coughed to hide her panic. “A hair stuck in my throat. Or hairspray.”
He frowned as she coughed again. Maybe it was just her new lifestyle that disrupted her cycle. She heard of it happening before. That had to be it; otherwise, she would be buried under an avalanche of secrets she was keeping from Sam.
***
Sam greeted the guests with handshakes and introduced them to Harley. When they first arrived, a few of the older women asked who Harley was and he replied that she was his girlfriend. At first, he froze, worried she would rebuke him, but she grinned even brighter and nodded. Now, with each new guest who entered, he immediately claimed her as such and the weight of so many years of loneliness and grief lifted even more. When the trickle of guests slowed, he pulled her aside and they moved towards the stage set up at the rear of the hall.
“It’s time for your introduction,” he told her. “You doing okay?”
“Oh, yeah, perfect,” she said, waving off his worries even though her voice shook. “You know, I’m about to address an entire room of rich people who look at me like I’m an imposter in a pretty dress.”
He frowned, staring around the hall. “Who’s looking at you like that?”
“All of them,” she muttered through her tense smile. “Those old biddies haven’t stopped staring at me since they walked in. They know.”
“You sound paranoid right now, and they’re staring at you because not only are you the first girlfriend I have ever had since becoming a CEO, you are unmistakably the most gorgeous woman in the room,” he said sternly. “Harley, look at me.”
He took her hands gently, stopping her from picking at her manicured nails, and she lifted her grey eyes to his hazel ones. “Sorry, I can’t help it. This is a big deal for you and I don’t want to mess it up.” She screwed her lips to the side. “You know, I do have a surprise for you tonight. Two, actually,” she said, whispering the last few words.
“Yeah? What is it?” he asked, watching her closely. “Does it have anything to do with why you look like a panicked rabbit?”
“I thought I was paranoid, not panicked.”
“Well, now you look panicked. Is there something going on you need to talk to me about?” he asked quietly, leaning in. “The introductions can wait.”
“No—no, everything’s fine. You’ll find out soon enough. I only hope you don’t hate me because of it.”
She squeezed his hands, gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, and hoisting her skirts up so she wouldn’t trip, she marched up to the stage, leaving him wondering what he’d missed. She was up to something, and worry wiggled into his mind as he walked closer to the stage and watched her take the mic from the stand.
“Good evening, everyone,” she said, her voice carrying over the crowd. “If I could have your attention, please?” The hall quieted and the guests turned to stare at Harley on the stage. Sam spotted her hands trembling, and when her gaze landed on his, he motioned for her to take a deep breath in and let it out, smiling at her the whole time. “Well, I’m sure you’d all like to know why you’re here—besides to drink champagne and play dress-up.”
The crowd laughed politely, and Harley appeared to relax.
“Tonight is the first of what I hope will be more fundraisers to come for an issue that plagues this country. I know, of course, there are other, more tragic situations happening around the world, but for the moment, at least, I would like to focus here at home. I’ll work on my plan to conquer the world later.”
Sam smiled as he watched the crowd fall in love with her as he had. Marcus nudged his arm as he handed him a glass of champagne. “She’s a natural,” he whispered to Sam.
“I think we just found Harley’s true calling.”
“Many of you know Samuel Benson, CEO of Ace of Marketing here in the Las Vegas area,” she said and held out her hand to him. “If everyone could please give him a hand. We all know how much he loves that,” she teased. Sam lifted his glass to the crowd as they clapped and cheered for him. “What many of you might not know is that Samuel’s life growing up was as difficult as was mine—as were many of those people who live here in our hometown,” Harley went on and Sam tensed.
They had gone over her speech together, and he knew what she would tell everyone about his dark past. Still, it didn’t make it easy. Marcus rested his hand on his friend’s shoulder for support. Sam had told his best friend everything last night, and Marcus still couldn’t believe what Sam had gone through—or Harley for that matter.
“Sam had an abusive father,” Harley said. “He was a drunk who did nothing but tear Sam’s family apart. His mother had nowhere to go and no help except for an aging father, but even that wasn’t enough to save her. Sam’s mother killed herself when he was only thirteen years old, unable to deal with the abuse anymore and incapable of staying strong for her only son.”
Sam heard the quiet murmurings around him but kept his eyes focused on the only woman in the room who mattered.
“I, too
, came from a broken household, abandoned by a mother who wanted her drugs more than her daughters and left them to be raised by a heartbroken father who eventually passed away,” Harley went on, her voice cracking as she spoke. Sam handed his glass to Marcus and marched up to the stage, ready to comfort her, but she held out her hand to stop him with a gentle smile. “That is what this fundraiser is about. Too many spouses to count are victimized by people they thought loved them. They’re left alone in a world where they think no one cares and no one can help them. We are here to change that—or try to the best way we can.”
Harley nodded to one of the men by the stage and he pulled on a rope. A banner fell across the wall behind Harley, and all Sam could do was stare open-mouthed at the words as tears burned in his eyes.
“In honor of Sam’s mother, we are beginning this fundraiser to help other wives and husbands like her and like my father. Welcome to the first annual Lillian’s Foundation for Broken Homes fundraiser.”
The hall erupted in applause, and Sam rushed up onto the stage to embrace Harley. “You named it after my mother,” he whispered into her hair, holding her close. “You have no idea what that means to me.”
She squeezed him hard. “Do you like your surprise?”
His lips found hers in reply and a loud whistle reminded him they were standing on a stage in front of an entire room of people, but he didn’t care. “You are amazing, you know that?” he said as he held her face gently in his hands.
“Now I do.” She kissed him again, and together, they turned to face the crowd.
Sam took the mic and motioned for everyone to quiet down again. “I would just like to thank you all so much for attending the fundraiser this evening. The money donated tonight and every day to come will go towards shelters for abused spouses and their families, councilors, access to lawyers, and a chance for these families to start over. Thank you again, and please enjoy your evening.”
The band Harley had hired started playing, and he escorted her off the stage. He dragged her straight onto the dance floor, twirling her around as she squealed with laughter. When he pulled her against his body while other dancers joined them on the floor, he rested his forehead against hers.
