"You should have gone to a salon," Lexie said, wiping the sweat off her brow.
She had come over to help me get ready and was knee deep in hairspray and bobby pins.
"You'll do fine," I said. "Just follow what they're doing on YouTube."
"They're professionals!" she said. "They make it look easy. I think your hair's too clean or something."
"I'm sure it'll be fine," I said. "I'm really not worried about it."
"You should be," she said. "It's not every day someone gets to go out with Ben Knowles."
"We're just going as friends."
"Well, he might not think so after he sees you in this dress. What if he kisses you? Are you going to kiss him back?"
I let out a squeal at the thought. "He's my boss!"
"So? Lot's of people go out with their boss."
I imagined kissing Ben—thought about whether or not that would make things awkward at work. "Actually, I rarely ever see him at work, so it probably wouldn't matter."
"Uh-huh!" she said, pushing at me playfully. "I knew you were thinking about it."
"I'm not thinking about it. I'm just saying… he's not the worst match in the world."
"Not the worst match? Try one of the richest, hottest guys in Chicago! Your standards must be out of control, chica."
I didn't mention that my standard was one specific man.
We goofed off for the next hour as she continued to curl, tease, and pin my hair. By the time she finished, I looked just like the model on YouTube. My hair was loosely pinned up in a classic, timeless up-do that was fit for the red carpet. I had applied my own makeup while she worked. I kept it simple, but put on a bit more than usual since it was a formal affair. (When in Rome, after all.)
I told Lexie she was a miracle worker and gave her fifty bucks for saving me the trouble of going to a salon. She helped me into my floor-length, gold sequin dress and left me with words of praise saying I looked like a movie star and other super-sweet things like that.
Ben called when he was five minutes from my apartment, and I met him downstairs. He was looking extremely dapper with a fresh haircut and a fitted tux. "I'm gonna be the envy of every guy there," he said, sweetly when he first laid eyes on me.
I smiled. "I was just thinking I was the lucky one," I said.
He gave me a one-armed hug and kissed me on the cheek before ushering me outside. It was a crisp, spring evening, and all I had to keep me warm was a sheer shawl that went with my dress, so we walked quickly from the door of my apartment to his car, which was waiting right outside.
"A chauffeur?" I said, making an I'm so impressed face when a guy in a black suit opened the door for us.
Ben shrugged as if it was nothing. "Why drive when you can ride?"
He and I shared easy conversation in the backseat on the way there. Traffic was bad, so it took us nearly an hour, but he had planned for that. We arrived fashionably on time. It was being held in one of Chicago's finest hotels. We made our way to the ballroom, which was elegantly decorated. Ben and I walked arm in arm as we entered. Several people were standing near the entrance with cameras, and we both smiled as they took pictures of us. Ben handed his invitation to one of the hostesses who showed us to our places at a large round table.
"There are two sets of restrooms—one down this hallway, and the other upstairs on the balcony." She gestured to a huge set of double doors on the right side of the room. "There's a silent auction set up in the Vines Room through these doors. You'll find complimentary drinks at the bar and servers are walking around with trays as well. The band will begin playing shortly; feel free to dance. These are your seats for dinner, which will be served promptly at eight." She smiled and motioned to her nametag. "If you have any questions or need assistance, just look for someone with one of these. Otherwise, enjoy your evening."
"Thank you," Ben said.
He looked at me. No one was sitting at our table yet, but there were at least a hundred other people in plain sight either in the ballroom or looking down at us from the balcony. Presumably, there were more in the area where they were holding the silent auction.
"I guess I should bid on something for you since you agreed to be my date."
I smirked at him, letting him know I knew he was being silly. I shrugged out of my shawl and set it on my chair, and we made our way to the Vines Room to see what we could find.
Chapter 6
"Do you mind if I run to the restroom?" Ben asked just as we approached the huge set of doors that led to the silent auction.
"Not at all," I said.
"I'll catch up to you in just a minute."
I smiled as he took off in direction of the restrooms. I didn't know anyone there, but I was comfortable on my own and walked into the Vines Room with a smile on my face.
"Champagne?" a server asked the second I set foot in there.
"Sure," I said. I wasn't going to drink it, but holding it gave me something to do with my hands.
Somewhere in the back of my mind, it had occurred to me that this might be a good place to meet a nice, successful man, but I was reminded as I looked around that everyone was there with a date. The Vines Room was packed, and there were plenty of handsome men, but all of them already had a woman on their arm.
Tables lined the walls, and on these tables were items up for bids. They were auctioning off everything you could think of—trips, jewelry, tickets to concerts and sporting events, and gadgets and gizmos galore. There was even a motorcycle.
"Is this the famous Bailey Black?" I heard from behind me as I stared at the shiny Harley Davidson. I turned with a smile, assuming it must be someone I knew. It was someone I knew, but my smile faded the second I laid eyes on him. I recovered as quickly as I could, trying to regain my composure and smile again, but it was difficult.
It was Dr. Crawford and his beautiful date slash girlfriend slash whoever she was. She was wearing a red dress with red nails and lipstick to match. She looked like a Barbie doll. I'd only seen Dr. Crawford in his scrubs and lab coat, and the sight of him dressed in perfectly fitted formal attire left me utterly speechless. His hair had grown out some, but was combed away from his face and to the side. It only took a second for my eyes to roam all over his face from his glowing amber eyes down to the indention in his chin.
"I'm Bailey," I said, reluctantly shifting my focus to his lady friend and extending my hand. It was the first time in my entire life that I was jealous of a girl. She smiled and shook my hand with a weak grip that I could only describe as disinterested.
"This is Vanessa," Dr. Crawford said. He glanced down at my left hand. "How's it doing?" he asked, motioning to it.
I smiled as I picked it up and flexed my fingers for him to see. "Almost as good as new."
His resulting smile was breathtaking. "I checked in with Dr. Ross to make sure you were progressing."
"I'm doing great, thanks to you guys. I love my physical therapist, too."
"Who are you seeing?"
"Jamie Simms. Dr. Ross recommended him."
"Oh, isn't he great?"
I was just about to answer when Ben came up beside me. "Sorry about that," he said. "I ran into someone I recognized out there." He gestured to Dr. Crawford and Vanessa and looked at me with a smile. "Why doesn’t it surprise me that you found someone you know?" He put his left hand on the small of my back and extended his right one toward Dr. Crawford. "Ben Knowles."
"Jordan Crawford. This is Vanessa Billings."
They all shook hands. Ben kept his hand on my back as we shifted out of the way so the ever-growing crowd could take a look at the motorcycle.
I couldn't help but notice the way Dr. Crawford looked at us. I could tell simply by his expression that he was stunned and confused to see me there with a man. He was no longer smiling but seemed as if he was trying to understand what was going on.
"How do you guys know each other?" Ben asked, directing his question toward Dr. Crawford.
"Dr. Crawford was one of
the orthopedic surgeons who helped with my hand."
Ben smiled and nodded. "Bailey was very fortunate to have such a good medical team taking care of her. That was a scary time for all of us."
Dr. Crawford tried to smile, but he looked confused and annoyed by Ben's familiarity, which for some reason, made me want to laugh. I had to work hard to stifle a giggle.
"I'm very thankful," I said, trying to get serious.
Ben looked around the room. "I told Bailey I'd buy her something, but I didn't think I'd come in to find that her sights were set on the motorcycle."
I glanced at the shiny Harley that was sitting next to us. "I definitely don't want a Harley," I said, finally able to let out the giggle I'd been holding in. "Dinner and dancing is more than enough."
Ben squeezed me a little, pulling me toward him as he stared down at me. He smiled before shifting his attention to Dr. Crawford and his date. "She's a gem," he said as if he was proud to have me as his date.
It was absolutely priceless to witness how confused Dr. Crawford was. He tried to smile, but it was obvious that seeing me there with Ben had completely thrown him for a loop.
"It was very nice meeting you," Ben said with a nod in Dr. Crawford's direction.
"You as well," Dr. Crawford responded before looking at me. "I'm glad to see you're recovering."
I smiled. "Thanks for everything."
Nothing had changed. I wanted him so badly that I felt like I could jump out of my own skin. I had hoped that someone else would eventually affect me the way he did, but seeing him again made me doubtful.
"There's the music," Ben said, looking at me. "You wanna dance?"
I smiled "Of course."
Ben ushered me onto the dance floor and we waltzed for a few songs. I wasn't a trained dancer, but I had fun, and I knew how to let him lead and refrain from stepping on his toes. We talked and laughed a lot as we danced, which was great since I knew that, at least some of the time, Dr. Crawford was watching.
The bandleader announced that there would be two more songs before dinner was served, and that they would begin playing again afterwards. I told Ben I needed to head to the restroom before dinner. I didn't need to use it; I just wanted to clear my head. I remembered the hostess telling us that there were restrooms upstairs on the balcony. I'd been meaning to check out the view from up there anyway, so I headed in that direction. Ben said he'd meet me back at our table.
I found the ladies room once I made it upstairs, but I didn't use the restroom. I let warm water run over my hands for a full minute as I contemplated the chances of running into Dr. Crawford again. I thought about him introducing himself to Ben and smiled at the fact that his name was Jordan.
Jordan Crawford—a hot name to go with a hot guy. Just the thought of it had my heart racing again. "What's wrong with me?" I whispered almost inaudibly as I washed my hands and regarded myself in the mirror.
Women came in, but I didn't pay any attention to them. I took my powder out of the small clutch I was holding, and applied a fresh coat to my face before heading out the door.
Jordan Crawford himself was standing in the hallway directly across from the women's restroom. My eyes met his as soon as I opened the door.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
I glanced around with a confused expression and gestured back to the ladies room. "I was in the restroom."
He put his hand on the back of my arm and ushered me down the hall a few steps so that we weren't standing right at the door. "I meant here. What are you doing here?"
"I'm, uh, Ben, in-invited me to come," I stuttered.
We came to a stop in the dimly lit hallway, and I turned to face him. His hand remained on my upper arm, and I felt a surge of electricity at his touch. He stared at me with that same frustrated look of confusion he'd been wearing when he was first introduced to Ben.
"Bailey," he hesitated and let out a sigh. "This might, uh, be a weird thing to say, but I was under the impression that, uh…"
I put my hand in the air to keep him from saying anymore. "I think I know what you're going to say," I said, feeling so nervous that I was sick to my stomach. I took an unsteady breath. "I know what you think about me, and I don't see myself as that person. I've made a lot of changes during the last year. I can't undo the things I've done, but I think I'm a different person than you assume I am." I gave him a sad smile. "Does that sort of answer your question?"
"It does, I mean, I guess it does. I just didn't realize that…" He trailed off. "Are you with that guy?"
Again, I smiled sadly. "Would it matter?"
"It sort of would, Bailey, yes."
My heart stopped beating at the sound of his words. I could hear the bandleader announcing that it was the final selection before dinner.
"We should probably head downstairs, Dr. Crawford."
I started to take off, but his grip on my arm tightened slightly. "My name's Jordan. You don't have to call me Dr. Crawford."
"Okay, we should probably head downstairs then, Jordan."
"Bailey, don't."
"Don't what?"
"Don't just walk off and act like we never had a connection. All this time, I thought you were out of my reach. I would have…" he trailed off. "Things would have been different."
I was so drawn to him, I was out of my mind with it. I couldn't even think straight. I stared at his full lips—at that perfect little indention under his nose where his lips came up in two perfect peaks.
"You're here with someone else," I said, feeling all of a sudden sick at the thought of Barbie in her red dress.
"So are you," he said.
"I'm just his date for the night."
"It didn't look that way when you two were out on the dance floor."
"He's my boss," I said.
He let out a frustrated sigh and shook his head.
"What?"
"You should know better than to date your boss."
"Were not dating. And where do you get off telling me I should know better? You shouldn't talk to me about using better judgment when you've got a sorority girl following you around."
"She's not a sorority girl. She's an anesthesiologist."
"Oh, that's great," I said, unable to hide my frustration. I felt like I wanted to explode. "We should we find our seats." I tried to turn again but he stopped me.
"Bailey."
"What?" I asked, meeting his eyes.
"Please."
"Please what?"
"Please don't walk off like this."
"What do you want me to do?"
He shook his head almost imperceptibly as if he couldn’t believe what he was about to say. Before I knew what was happening, his hand came around the back of my neck. "I'm sorry, but I can't help it," he whispered as he drew me near. His face was only a couple of inches from mine when he stopped. "Please say I can kiss you just once," he whispered.
I answered with a nod, and just like that, his perfect lips touched mine. I felt an unbelievable stab of longing and desire the instant we connected, and I made a sound in my throat because of it. His hand stayed on the back of my neck, but the touch of his lips was extremely gentle. He pulled back after a few seconds and stared at me with an easy smile.
"Don't go," he said.
"I have to. We have to."
"There you are!" a woman's voice said from behind me. We weren't kissing, but I was relatively sure we were standing close enough to be fairly obvious.
I took a step back and regarded him with a smile that didn't reach my eyes. "Have fun," I said, not knowing what else to say.
"I've only gone out with her a few times," he whispered.
I smiled and nodded, but quickly took off.
"Is everything okay?" she asked as I passed.
"Uh-huh," I said, barely even glancing at her.
Thankfully, I was good in heels because I descended the stairs and crossed the ballroom in a hurry.
Dinner was excellent, though I hardly tasted it. Conversa
tion with Ben and the others at our table flowed easily, though I hardly remember it. It was difficult, but I didn't look around to try to find Jordan while we were sitting there. The memory of his kiss was enough—the last thing I needed was to spot him in the crowd.
The band began playing again once dessert was served. Ben asked if I wanted to dance, and I agreed easily, hoping it would help get my mind off Jordan Crawford and his irresistible lips. I stared at Ben as we danced. I did my best to find his most attractive features. He was an extremely handsome man, and there was no reason I should have to work to figure out what I liked about his face, but that's exactly what I was doing. I was looking at how symmetrical it was, and telling myself that he indeed was a great catch when Dr. Crawford tapped me on the shoulder. The song was just ending, so Ben and I stopped dancing and turned to face him.
"I was hoping I could have a dance with your beautiful date," he said, directing his question to Ben. "I'd like to see her hand in action."
"You can see it from over there," Ben said with a flick of his head in the direction of the tables. He smiled as if he was joking, but there was still some underlying tension in the air.
"I'd like to feel it," Dr. Crawford said, causing Ben to laugh.
"I'll bet you would."
"Seriously, do you mind?" Dr. Crawford asked with a straight face. He reached out for me, and I was helpless to do anything but put my hand in his.
"I guess I can share her for one dance," Ben said. He looked at me. "As long as she's willing," he added.
My hand was already securely in Dr. Crawford's as I nodded.
Chapter 7
"What are you doing?" I asked, as the music started up again and Dr. Crawford began leading me around the dance floor.
"I'm dancing."
"Why aren't you dancing with your date?"
Dreams of Us Page 5