“Well, I can’t just keep you two lovely ladies waiting, can I?” Ronnie lifted the velvet rope and allowed Paloma and Kit to go into the club. “You two have fun.” Ronnie gave them a wink and turned back to the now disgruntled couple at the front of the line. Paloma hoped they wouldn’t cause him too much trouble.
“What was that all about? You got a thing for Ronnie?”
“I just met Ronnie!” Paloma retorted. “How could I have a thing for him?”
Kit just smiled and shook her head. At the bar, she started a tab and made sure the bartender knew that both she and Paloma would be buying off of it. He took their ID’s and set them both with the card before mixing them a cocktail that Paloma had never heard of but Kit insisted on.
The drink she received was frothy and orange, but didn’t taste like anything orange at all. Nor did it taste like alcohol, which either meant that the bartender had mixed it light, or it was a very dangerous drink. Paloma hoped for the first, but knew the latter was probably more the truth. When she turned to ask Kit for the name of it, she caught the little woman rushing onto the dancefloor. Paloma couldn’t help laugh, and made her way around the side of the dancefloor, trying to stay out of the way. Dancing was fun and all, but they were crazy out there. She resolved to just sit and watch for a while.
It didn’t take long for her to draw attention. She was, after all, tall and beautiful, and wearing gold. A number of men looked her way, but none seemed to have enough courage to approach her, and that was fine with her. She had a little too much on her plate to worry about juggling a relationship too. Suddenly, a small, young man appeared at her side. He looked her up and down before his eyes came to rest on hers. “You are one tall babe,” he said.
Paloma rolled her eyes and stood straighter, looking down her nose at him. “Not interested, pipsqueak,” she said. She was normally not so rude, but when the conversation started like that she was already half out the door. Kit must have noticed the exchange because she worked her way across the dancefloor to Paloma.
She put out her hands and grabbed Paloma’s, pulling her onto the dancefloor with her. This time, Paloma didn’t hesitate to hit the floor and tried to disappear with Kit into the middle of the writhing bodies without running into to many of them. “Thanks,” she said to her friend.
Kit shrugged and turned, finding a man behind her to dance with. Paloma felt a little odd standing in the middle of the crowd and made it a point to just have fun. She started dancing, Kit behind her doing the same, and soon she was surrounded by a group of people all grooving to the music pumping over the speakers.
After a few songs, Kit pulled her off the floor and back towards the bar. The man Kit had been dancing with followed them and ordered shots all around. Paloma almost refused, then decided to go ahead and make a night of it. Free drinks offered by men weren’t charity, right? She took the shot, then another, before hitting the dancefloor again. Her dance partner changed often throughout the night and she was bought a number of shots by different men, so that by the time the club was winding down, so was she.
Kit found her seated on a stool at the bar, sucking down water, attempting to make the world stop spinning. “You look like you’re having a rough time,” Kit said with a laugh. How was such a small woman still in the bubbly phase of being drunk? Paloma put her head in her hands and nodded. She was drunk, tired, and now, alone. Ronnie appeared behind Kit, no longer needed at the door.
“Whoa, looks like you did enjoy yourselves, huh?”
Kit smiled up at the big man, and asked if he could get them a cab while she tabbed out.
Ronnie agreed and sat on the stool next to Paloma. “So, was it worth it?”
“Is it ever?” Paloma asked him. She was absolutely enamored with Ronnie. “Things never seem to work out right,” she said to him, not able to stop herself from dumping her woes on him. Ronnie gave her a sympathetic look.
“My wife always says that things work out exactly how they are supposed to. That’s what makes life so much fun.”
Oh, great, Paloma thought. He is married. Of course. “I’m not having much fun.” Ronnie smiled as he put his phone up to his ear and ordered their cab. “How do you manage to be so happy, Ronnie?”
“I make my own way. I find the joy in the little things. Every once in a while, I go to the gym and pound the shit out of a heavy bag.” His smile was crooked, only lifting the left side of his mouth. Paloma found it charming and smiled back at him. “Come on, we’ll meet Kit outside while we wait for the cab. I have a feeling you could use the fresh air.” He helped her off the stool and leaned over the bar to grab another bottle of water. Holding her elbow, he led her to the front door and into the cool night.
The air hit her face, making her instantly feel a little better. It was much quieter out here, even for the city. Paloma looked up in a vain attempt to see the stars. “Do you ever feel like it’s just too much?” she asked Ronnie. He pulled his bouncer stool over to her and let her sit down before he answered.
“Everybody thinks that at some point. You just have to find your niche. Whenever I get to feeling like it’s too much and there isn’t anything out there for me, I try something new, something I never would have thought to try before. Sometimes you have to step out of your comfort zone to find where you are supposed to be.”
“You are a smart guy, Ronnie. Why are you bouncing a club?”
Ronnie smiled at her again and leaned over so he could speak quietly into her ear. “I guard the door for fun. I own the club,” he said, and leaned back.
Paloma looked at him, surprised, and let out a rolling laugh when he winked at her.
“What’s the joke?” Kit asked, joining them. She had shed her heels and was carrying them in one hand, her own bottle of water in the other.
Paloma sobered and looked at her tiny friend. “Life, Kit. Life is the joke.”
Chapter 4
Paloma didn’t wake up until well into Sunday afternoon. When she did finally rise from her den, she found Kit in the kitchen frying bacon. Kit must have just risen herself, because her hair was an absolute rat’s nest and she was still in her pajamas. Paloma moved behind her and looked over her shoulder. “No eggs?”
Kit turned around and stared into Paloma’s eyes, clearly irked by the question. “Who the hell eats eggs the day after a binge? Ugh, just the thought of that makes me want to hork all over.”
“Maybe you should step away from the stove, then.” Kit smiled and then went back into full concentration mode. Paloma decided to use her time wisely and sat down at the computer to scour the job boards and check her emails in hopes of a lead. When she opened the computer, the ad for the matchmakers was still on there. “Kit? Do you think I should look into this matchmaker thing? I could make a profile and just see, right?”
From the stove, Kit scoffed. “What good would come of that?”
“I don’t know. I could meet a man; maybe have someone to take care of me? Who knows right? I’m mean…” she trailed off, trying to remember the advice Ronnie had given her the night before. “What I’m doing isn’t working so maybe I should take a chance and step out of my comfort zone.”
Kit whipped around and faced Paloma. “You do not need a man to take care of you. You are an independent, capable woman. Why would you give that up?”
“You don’t want a man in your life?”
“I have plenty of men in my life. I get them as I need them. I rely on myself for the things that I have, not some jock-strap.” Kit was clearly unhappy with Paloma, but part of that could be the hangover talking.
Kit tossed the last of the bacon onto a plate and carried the heaping pile of pigskins over to the table. She dug in, eyes on Paloma over the top of the computer screen. “Have some bacon,” she muttered, pushing the plate over to the other side of the table.
Paloma reached out and snagged a greasy strip. “But, I mean, what could it hurt? You never know if you don’t try, right?” Kit gave her the evil eye over the back of th
e laptop. “Look, all I’m saying is I should step out of my comfort zone and try something I haven’t tried yet. Worst case scenario, I’m able to market myself and put my ear to the ground for work, best case, I marry a billionaire,” she finished with a laugh. “Come on, Kit. It could be fun to be wooed and courted by the best and the brightest.”
Kit grabbed another slice of bacon and stood from the table. “I can’t think until I shower. Don’t do anything rash until I’m human again.” She stalked off to her room and the bathroom attached to it.
Paloma watched her go, then pulled the plate of bacon over next to her and dug in. She looked back at the advert for the site and clicked it. The page it brought her to was well appointed and didn’t look like every other hokey old dating site. It seemed to cater to the more successful clientele, and she wasn’t sure her homelessness really qualified.
She scanned a few of the profiles and liked what she saw. Everyone on there looked at least respectable, even if maybe a little snooty. Paloma smiled at the thought of these business men taking her out and wining and dining her. When Kit returned, she was still clicking through the different profiles and reading about some of the people on there.
“You really plan on doing this?” Kit asked, running a towel over her wet hair.
“Why not?”
“Girl, I have a whole list of reasons why not, but my bet is that you don’t want to hear them.” With a sigh, Kit sat beside Paloma. “If you think this will help you get out of whatever funk you are in, let’s do it.”
Paloma smiled at Kit and leaned her head on Kit’s shoulder. “Thanks, Kit.”
“Yeah, yeah. Early feminists everywhere are rolling over in their graves, but sure, let’s find you a hot date.”
They clicked on the join now button and looked at what they were expected to divulge to the site. It was all pretty straight forward, but they decided to put it off until the evening when they were both feeling a little more earthbound.
“I think I need a nap,” Paloma said, yawning.
“A nap, you just got up!”
“Yeah, but I’m not really feeling it. It’s Sunday, right?” Kit nodded and returned to her room. “Maybe I should stay up and craft the perfect profile,” Paloma shouted.
“Maybe,” Kit hollered back.
Paloma opened the laptop back up and started reading through the profiles again and taking notes. If she was going to do this, she was going to do it right.
Chapter 5
Paloma finally succumbed to her exhaustion, but only after writing down a few key points she wanted to hit in the profile. She left the notepad next to her computer and retreated to her own room. She hadn’t seen Kit since this morning and was certain, despite Kit’s outburst at the idea of a nap, that her friend had gone back to sleep as well. Paloma glanced at the bathroom, contemplating a shower, but decided against it. Bed was just too enticing.
A couple hours later, Kit made her way back into the living room. Paloma was gone but the computer was still open and she seated herself in front of it, clicking curiously through the profiles. She still didn’t like the idea, but getting Paloma out of her funk would go a long way to help build her self-esteem back up and get her back into the game.
Kit had been asking around for anyone hiring, but it seemed like the city had just closed up. She couldn’t even find anyone hiring night maids or housecleaners, and those jobs were usually always booming. She clicked through a few more profiles, admiring the look of the men. It didn’t hurt to admire, right? There were a few that caught even her eye. She sighed and closed the laptop. When she did, she spotted the notebook sitting behind it. Paloma’s neat handwriting covered the page. There was an entire plan there, with a profile outline, ideas for photos, and a few questionable statements about work and income. Kit couldn’t help but smile. Here friend was the polar opposite of her. Where Kit was pizza and beer, Paloma was homemade pasta and wine. Paloma was the calm, neat, precise kind. Kit was like a hurricane in heels. It made for an interesting friendship. The men on this site were definitely more Paloma’s type than Kit’s.
The plan she had lined out was actually pretty impressive. Kit added some notes of her own chicken scratch and opened the computer back up. She opened a new tab and began doing a bit of research. When Paloma joined her an hour later, Kit was so involved with her work that she didn’t even hear Paloma come up behind her.
“What are you reading?”
Kit nearly jumped right out of the chair. “Jesus Christ on crutches, Paloma!”
“Sorry. I didn’t know you were so deep into whatever it is you are doing. Is that a dating site?”
“It’s for research,” Kit said quickly. “I figured we should look at a few other sites and profiles and see what others put. I mean, we need to know our target audience, right? I just started digging and checking out these other sites to see what people are touting as their strengths I guess.”
“You are really going to help me with this?”
“If this is something you want to try, I’m willing to go in with you. I honestly don’t have much faith in it, but you never know if you don’t try.”
Paloma’s smile brightened her face and made her dark eyes dance. “You are the best friend ever,” she said, leaning down and wrapping her arms around Kit.
“Yeah, yeah. Get offa me. We have work to do.” Paloma pulled a chair up next to Kit and sat down. She looked at her notes, as well as those added by Kit. “I’m thinking we should get a really nice headshot, like a professional type thing. Ronnie’s wife is a professional photographer. I think I can trade favors and get her to take a couple.”
“I don’t know if I want to bring too many more people into it. However, I do need a good photo and I don’t think my phone will be up to par.”
Kit nodded and grabbed her phone. She sent off a quick text to Ronnie and set the device back down. “Now to find something to wear for the photo. Your clothes and makeup have to be spot on. Nothing whorish, but, you know, classy.” Paloma laughed. If there was one thing Kit was crazy about, it was fashion and makeup. She knew her friend lived for the chance to take over someone else’s closet and face.
“Slow down, sweetie. We have a long way to go.”
“No time to wait, Paloma. If we are going to do this, let’s get on the bus. It’s time to get you out there.” Paloma couldn’t help but join her friend’s enthusiasm. Something about Kit and her firecracker personality really did make Paloma feel better about most things. She took the notepad from her friend and flipped to a new page.
“Alright. Let’s do this thing, then.” The two of them put their heads together and spent the rest of the evening coming up with a profile that didn’t give too much information away, didn’t lie, but still made Paloma come off as intriguing and not a homeless leech. Kit argued the leech comment of course, but Paloma still felt that way.
Ronnie’s wife agreed to do the photo shoot, so Monday evening the girls found themselves in his apartment with his beautiful wife, Tandy. They had brought along a number of outfits and the three women went through each piece looking for the right outfit for the picture.
Paloma really hit it off with Tandy and the two women sat and talked and laughed for much of the shoot. They ended the night with glasses of wine, flipping through the photos on Tandy’s computer and editing the three they had chosen to keep.
Each woman had a favorite. Kit’s had Paloma in a lounging position, looking very sultry in a 1920s type way. Tandy liked the one where Paloma was seated at the table, looking at a flower, her face directed away from the camera, a look of deep contemplation on it. It made her look stoic and thoughtful Tandy said. Paloma liked the standard fresh face, look at the camera and smile photo. It was the one she felt best suited her character. Tandy edited and emailed the three photos to Paloma.
With the photos in hand, so to speak, it was time to build the profile. Here it was, the moment of truth. Paloma took a deep breath and pushed the join now button. Kit looked at her
friend. She could see the apprehension in Paloma’s eyes, but they also held a determination that couldn’t be shaken. It took very little time to type in the profile information they had come up with. Picking the main photo took a bit more time, but in the end they ended up using the one Paloma liked best and putting the others in the gallery. Paloma looked at Kit. “Here goes nothing,” she said, hitting the submit button. “That’s it. I’m on the online dating circuit. Now what?”
“Now I think we just wait. Or you could troll for a man. I see you can ‘favorite’ the ones you like to talk to later.”
“I’m going to need a beer and some queso before I start that whole thing.”
“Coming right up.” Kit practically jumped out of the chair. She heated up a jar of queso and grabbed a bag of chips and some beer before heading back to the table. “Okay, let’s find you a man.” They spent the rest of the evening going through profiles and chattering about the pros and cons of each person.
Chapter 6
Reid Winslow sat across from Vivi in the main office of Lovers.com. “Vivi, they are all the same!” he said, frustrated by the memory of the date he had last night. “I got another one just like the last. Why are all the women here so shallow and vain? They all want the rich man to take care of them. I’m so tired of it!”
“I know, Mr. Winslow, I know. I’m sorry. I’ve tried again and again, as you know. They can’t all possibly be the exact same.”
“Once they realize who I am and just how much money I have, they all turn into these vapid money bunny gold diggers, Vivi. I just want an honest, real, determined woman. One who can see past the money in my pocket and really like me for me.”
“You know, maybe it’s not the girls. Maybe you just aren’t as open to love as you think you are. You can’t be sensitive to the idea of using your money on other people, you know. You do have to treat a woman, it’s to be expected.” Reid sighed. They’d had this conversation before. “I tell you what. Let’s just look through who we have and see if we can find a good one. Give me one last chance to set you up with someone. I’ll find you one who doesn’t want you for your money.”
The Billionaire's Mistaken Match ( A BWWM Romance) Page 2