Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 86596 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 433(@200wpm)___ 346(@250wpm)___ 289(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86596 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 433(@200wpm)___ 346(@250wpm)___ 289(@300wpm)
I turn my back, knowing it won’t be good for him to catch me staring. The man has an ego bigger than this room, though he hides it well.
I pretend to be interested in selecting another appetizer whizzing by me, (they’re everywhere!) some sushi whatchamacallit. It hardly looks appetizing, but I steal one anyway, popping it in my mouth to occupy it by the time Elias makes his way back to me.
Chew.
Chew.
Swallow.
Gulping down what tastes like caviar and dreams, I smile around it and point at my mouth as if to say sorry, can’t talk, mouth is full. All the while, my hand reaches for the drink in his.
Tuxedo clad.
Newly shorn hair.
Fresh shave.
Intoxicating cologne.
A girl could do worse when it came to being a man’s plus-one.
Out of the corner of my eye, I catch my neighbor watching us both and shoot him a look that can only mean would you stop watching us, please before giving my attention back to Elias, who was kind enough to fetch me a beverage without my having to ask.
The perfect fake date.
In fact, he’s been extremely chivalrous for the entire night, even waiting for me on the curb upon my arrival—then taking my wrap to the coat check, handling the entire thing. Immediately Elias offered me something to drink and hasn’t left my side once.
Not when several people interrupted us to say hello while we were circulating or when several clients wanted to drag him off to other regions of the ballroom to introduce him to one player or another—one agent or another.
Honestly? I’m surprised.
I’m not sure what I was expecting, but chivalry wasn’t it.
Yes, I’m operating on assumptions.
Is that wrong? Also yes.
But I can’t help myself! I wouldn’t say I’ve sworn off men, but I’ve come close on several occasions, mostly after horrible dates that end with me banging my proverbial head against the steering wheel.
So Elias isn’t behaving the way I was expecting. I assumed he’d be brusque, too busy to be attentive, and… I don’t know—rude? He was rude enough to slink around my home uninvited and interrupt me while I was trying to work. Obviously, one would assume he’d have little time to play host to me tonight. Even as his “guest.”
Well.
I was wrong.
So far, so good, I’m not searching for the nearest exit.
Tripp Wallace—big, brutish, and looking dapper in a black tux—shoots me a wink when he catches me glancing at him a second time, raising his glass in a toast. For once, he doesn’t resemble a lumberjack, a caveman, Paul Bunyan, or any other hyper-masculine icon.
Considering he’s the reason I’m here tonight, I expect nothing less than a bit of heckling, and he has not disappointed.
His wife, on the other hand, is the height of feminine beauty, small and delicate but can land him on his ass in a pinch.
Back before they were dating, they were at the same wedding—not together as a date, but his brother’s wedding. It was her cousin. They were dancing, he said something that pissed her off, and boom, she had him flat on his back. It was the first time anyone other than a rival teammate had bested Tripp Wallace, and after that moment? He was smitten.
Men do love a woman with balls as big as theirs.
I smirk into my glass, eyes on Elias as he sips his own drink. It appears to be the same as mine—a sweet, pink concoction serving as a fundraiser for breast cancer, one of the charities for the evening. One of many.
Elias and I haven’t much to say.
We’re too dressed up and too posh to throw barbs, and we both know it. Besides, we’re surrounded by too many people, and the one thing an event like this is full of is the media.
Cameras.
Microphones.
Photographers.
Best be on my best behavior…
Elias is most certainly on his, which is taking some of the fun out of it, but thems are the breaks.
During the one hour we’ve been forced to stand here gabbing idly, he is bombarded by people, but I won’t bore you with those details. Let me just say, I’ve never seen a man so fake happy to see so many people in my life. It’s exhausting.
It reminds me of when I went through sorority recruitment during the open house round and had to stand there and watch girls squeal and shout about how excited they are to meet you/see you/so glad you’re there.
Barf.
I hadn’t realized grown men do it too.
Big, strong, grown men.
Famous men and women. Men I’ve only seen on television covered in protective gear, and women I’ve only seen in glossy magazines promoting athletic appeal or the Woman’s Basketball League.
Interesting.
This is as much of a business networking event as it is to honor the award recipients, as well as raising money for worthy causes.
It’s exhausting, and it’s been one hour.