Now, they were front and center.
17
Easton
He was staring at me, I could feel it.
“What do you want?” I turned fast enough to see Toby’s startled jump when I caught him looking.
“I swear to God, if I was behind you, I would think you were a different person.” Toby was still getting used to the new look. It had been a little while since the spa day with Missy and I had stopped getting confused every time I looked in the mirror and saw myself. The new look was starting to feel not so new anymore. I had been shaving every day too, shockingly, so my face was still smooth. The day after the makeover at the spa, Missy had sent over a bunch of new clothes. I thought it would be mostly suits since that was all we had tried on but the package was so much bigger.
She had sent me suits, T-shirts, jeans, athletic wear, all kinds of different shoes, and even underwear. A literal wardrobe overhaul. I had never bought so many clothes at one time. The delivery person had asked if I had just moved in seeing the amount of clothing that had been sent to me. No, I hadn’t. I had just had my entire old wardrobe deemed inappropriate by a posh fashionista from across the pond.
“This way, you have no excuse if I ever catch you looking the way you used to,” she had said to me when I asked why there was so much stuff. It made sense, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t a little bit inconvenient at the same time. Now I basically had two closets worth of clothes and one of those I wasn’t supposed to wear anymore. I knew that Missy expected me to donate, no probably to just throw out all my old clothes but I hadn’t done that. It sounded dumb, even to me but it felt like a big step actually getting rid of all my old stuff. I didn’t know that I was ready.
Today, I was wearing khakis and a gray button-down. Not a suit, but still formal enough for work while being pretty comfortable at the same time. Along with all of the clothes, she had sent me outfit suggestions. Ideas for what I could pair together because, as she said, just because I had a collection of nice clothing now, didn't mean I had magically developed a fashion sense at the same time. A little insulting, but also true. I had dressed myself for the past few days based exclusively on her suggestions and I was about to run out.
“Get used to it, unless you want me to go back to the way I used to dress.”
“No, no, don't do that. I'm finally not embarrassed to be seen out in public with you.”
“Thanks,” I said rolling my eyes. All of this had been his idea, and more or less for his sake too, of course, he loved it. He owed me for this. One day I was going to collect, and it was going to be big.
“No, seriously. You look good. Good enough to join me in a meeting today.”
I did not want to do that. The only kind of meetings I was interested in were the kind with Artemis and the ones in which she was naked. Many of the meetings I had had with her I would also choose to skip out on.
“I'll pass.”
“No, you're coming. This was the whole point of getting you into some real clothes. The meeting is with a functionary from the federal government. They want to discuss a fleet of drones. Who better to have in the meeting then the designer of said drones.”
“I said I'll pass.”
“This is going to be huge, Easy. Come on. Suck it up. You've done so well until now, don't mess up your progress.” The way he talked about me, you would think I was someone trying to come back from an injury or something. I wasn't incompetent at my job, I was simply aware of my challenges and stayed in my lane. I did the behind the scenes stuff, so the drones actually got made and Toby sold them. That was why there were two of us. Why did he want to fuck up the flow?
“Toby, come on.”
“I'll see you at three.”
He patted me on the shoulder and walked out. Perfect. He had said it in person rather than sending me a message so I couldn't even pretend that I hadn't heard him. I distracted myself until it was time for the meeting. This was part of the process of owning a business. I was going to have to get used to it. I couldn't just have the money and the freedom of being a business owner, without any of the grunt work.
Toby ended up sending me a few more messages about the meeting like he knew I was contemplating a way to skip it. When I came up to the meeting room, he was already in there with the Fed. He introduced me as I walked in and the Fed, who said his name was Alex, stood up to shake my hand.
“And here is my partner that I was talking about,” Toby said.
“Wonderful to have you both here. It's always a pleasure to interview an artist about his work.” The guy smiled, looking way too cheerful for it just being another Friday. I didn't like him for some reason. I didn't like this entire situation, but luckily for me, Toby carried most of the meeting. I just vaguely addressed some questions here and there, dumbing down my process as much as possible while still ensuring it made sense. It didn't take very long, from the time I sat down until the meeting was over was only about thirty or thirty-five minutes, but it felt much longer. When it was finally over, we were shaking on a deal.
“You know, I wasn't convinced that I would be agreeing to a contract with you guys,” Alex said.
“That’s strange because I certainly was,” said Toby, adding a laugh. They laughed together.
“Well, I guess you were right. We’ll be in contact about the contract, but since it's Friday, I was hoping that I'd be able to enjoy what New York City has to offer. You know, the nightlife. I have to fly back out to DC tomorrow, and it would be a shame if I didn't take advantage of this opportunity.”
I cringed. He sounded like a parent who had been so caught up in raising their kid, their social life had been dead for the past five years. The type who when they did try to go to a club, would immediately bail after twenty minutes to go home and watch Netflix.
“I like the sound of that. You should definitely experience what the city has to offer before you go home.”
“Drinks and maybe a little dancing with some beautiful women?” Alex said.
“I'll do you one better and we can start with dinner.” I looked on as the two of them made plans for the evening. We would meet again for dinner, and then make our way to a club. Wait a minute, what did people wear at clubs? All the suggestions that Missy had given me were for work. When Toby was escorting Alex out of the room, I grabbed his arm.
“Wait, you want me to come too?”
“Of course.”
“What the hell do I wear?”
“I'm not a stylist. Ask Missy.” He walked out of the room with Alex. I rolled my eyes and left for my office. I hadn’t talked to Missy since our spa day and we had unfinished business. After I had suggested we stop pretending and take our attraction seriously, she had said that she didn't want romance. When I offered an alternative, she didn't give me an answer yes or no. I still didn't know where we stood.
Well, it was generally safe to assume that if it was not a yes, it was a no. As of right now, she was still just my stylist. I put the thoughts aside and finished up my work for the day. I didn't have to think about what to wear until I got home. Once I had gotten there, there was no more reason to put off talking to her. I walked into my closet and looked around.
Having a bunch of nice clothes did not automatically give you a fashion sense, that was true. I was stumped, looking at the rows of clothing. Jeans? At a club? Was that okay? I missed the clubbing period of my life and just wasn’t interested in the scene anymore. I took my phone out, sighing. It was going to have to happen sooner or later.
“Hello?” she asked. She turned me back into a virgin fourteen-year-old who got tongue-tied in front of his crush. I was a lot happier to hear from her than I thought I would be. I took a deep breath because this was technically a business call.
“Hey. I need your help. Can you talk?”
“What's the matter?”
“I have dinner with a client and then we’re going to a club. What am I supposed to wear for something like that?”
“Oh, that’s
easy. Clubwear for guys isn’t that hard. Just think of a dressier version of what you would wear casually.”
“Suggestions, Missy. Suggestions with practical examples. That’s why I called you.”
“Okay. Pick some jeans, either dark blue or black. Since you’re going to dinner first, try something with a collar. A button-down.”
“What color?”
“Nothing too bright, but no patterns either.” I looked at the clothes, finding it hard to visualize what she was talking about.
“Can I just wear a t-shirt?”
“You could but it might be a bit too casual for dinner.” I finally pulled out a pair of jeans. They were dark blue like she had suggested. Looking over at my new collection of T-shirts, most of them were plain and solid-colored, but she had mentioned wearing something with the collar. So like, a polo shirt?
“Can I just video call you?”
“It’s just a shirt and some jeans,” she said.
“Come on, Missy. Yes or no? I’m actually trying here.”
“Okay, fine. Call me.”
I video called her, and she picked up almost immediately. Her face filled the screen of my phone and it distracted me momentarily from my fashion woes.
“Okay, so what’s your issue?” she asked.
“What do I wear with this?” I asked, holding up the jeans.
“Gray or white.”
“That’s it?”
“Well, I know who I’m dealing with. I’m giving you something that you can handle.”
“What about shoes. Oh, I have to tuck it in, right?
“No. Don’t use one of your work shirts, use one of the others. No tie. Don’t tuck it in. Shoes? A boot or loafer would look good.”
“Okay. Belt?”
“No need if you don’t want it.”
“Okay, okay,” I said, pulling clothes from the rails.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“Yeah. I’m good.”
“You seem a little flustered.”
“I am. That’s why I called you.” I put the phone down and took my shirt off.
“Whoa,” she said. I looked at the phone.
“What?”
“You’re naked.”
“Not yet,” I said, unbuttoning my pants. I had stood the phone up so she could see me. “You want to watch?”
“No. Don’t take your clothes off.”
“Hang up then, if you don’t want to see it,” I said, pulling my pants down. I looked at the phone. She was still watching me. “You want to stay with me for the show?”
“Don’t you need me to approve the outfit once it's on?” she asked. I laughed, kind of enjoying her teasing. Who was I to tell the woman no? I wasn’t planning on it, but I took my underwear off and tossed it to the side.
“You want to join me in the shower?” I asked, making sure she knew I was naked but not letting my cock in the frame.
“No need, just take a couple of steps back,” she said. I laughed. She was blushing, telling me to let her see me naked. Why didn’t she just say yes? She wanted me and I wanted her. It made sense. I didn’t want to give her what she wanted though.
“I’m going to the shower. I’m hanging up,” I said.
“Do it. The show wasn’t worth it anyway,” she said. I laughed again.
“Take your top off and I’ll flash you,” I said. Now she was laughing. What are you doing tonight, I wanted to ask her. I wanted to stay on the phone with her. I wanted to do that way more than I wanted to go to dinner with Alex and Toby. I liked her. I liked her a lot.
“I don’t think so,” she said.
“I have to go anyway. Thanks for your help,” I said.
“Not a problem.”
We hung up and I stared at my phone, physically trying to stop myself from calling her back. That was my idea of a perfect Friday night; being on the phone with Missy. The only thing better than that was the two of us together in real life.
Oh well, tonight was not the night. I went to the shower and got ready to go to dinner.
18
Artemis
The doorbell rang as I applied the last of my lipstick in the mirror upstairs. I glanced at my phone. She was right on time. I finished up and made sure that the look was just right. I didn’t go to clubs often, but at least once a month, Eddy and Brenna were off of mummy-duty and we had a girls night. They never got as wild or crazy as they could be because Brenna was still breast-feeding, but I always had fun with the girls no matter what we were doing. Besides, half of the fun was getting dressed up anyway.
I was in pink bodycon, sleeveless, and figure-hugging down to my knees. It was out of the ordinary for me, but a club was literally the only acceptable setting to wear it. I grabbed my handbag and headed downstairs to let Maggie in. She was joining us tonight. I never thought when Brenna introduced us that we would end up being friends at all. I never imagined spending more time with a colleague than what was necessary during work. She was great fun, and wonderful to talk to as well. The fact that she was Brenna’s friend to begin with also helped.
I got to the door and let her in.
“Sorry, I was just finishing my makeup.” Maggie walked in, looking great. She was in an A-line skirt and a cute, tight crop top under a nice jacket.
“Don’t worry about it, you look great. Shall we go?” She asked. We still had to pick Brenna and Eddie up before we could get to the club. We headed out after a last-minute check and got a cab to head to Eddy and Brenna’s houses. They were ready to go when we got to the door. Their shared nanny, Prue, had taken the children and had them under control. For tonight, they didn’t have to worry about tantrums or dirty diapers.
I tried to imagine living like that, trying to balance being a mother with still being a human being who had other desires and needs. It was no use wondering when I would be ready to make that kind of sacrifice because I had only just started trying to balance work and a social life. The four of us women were all similar ages, but at such vastly different places in our lives. We piled into the cab ready to go to the club. It was a very popular spot and Niall, Eddy’s husband was considering buying it.
“I can’t believe Maggie is here,” Brenna said from the backseat. Maggie was sitting in the front seat next to the driver.
“Why is that?” I asked.
“Well, the woman claims to be an introvert, I don’t know how you managed to convince her out of her cave.” Everyone laughed.
“I’m an introvert, not a shut-in, I can go out for cocktail from time to time,” Maggie said.
“If that was true, why don’t you do it more often?” Brenna challenged.
“Well, look who I have as company,” she joked. We all laughed. Her sense of humor was growing on me. I could definitely see why she and Brenna were friends. It took about ten minutes to get to the club. Pulling up on the side of the road, I noticed the long queue to get in.
“Oh no,” Maggie said as we hopped out of the cab.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll get us in,” Eddy said. We huddled up in a group and followed her past the queue, right up to the bouncer. I heard the complaints from other patrons. I’d be upset too but to be honest, I had never really had to queue to get into clubs. The gargantuan man in dark glasses surveyed us.
“Yes, hello, we are here for Niall Bridges,” Eddy said. The guy sneered.
“And who are you?” He asked.
“I’m Mrs. Bridges,” Eddy said with a smirk. The man’s demeanor changed immediately, and he stood aside ushering us in.
“Wow, I wish I had enough money to pull stuff like that,” Maggie said as we made our way into the club. It was packed. People were everywhere, dancing, drinking, having a good time.
“Stick with us and you’ll be okay,” I said to her, bumping her with my hip.
“Mrs. Bridges?” I heard behind us. We stopped. There was another man in dark glasses following us. “This way ladies,” he said. He herded us to the VIP section, lifting a velvet rope for us
. A bottle girl appeared to take our order for drinks. All of the VIP spots were taken which made me think someone had lost their spot in order for us to get it. I was taking in the VIP arrangement, sofas, and chairs separated by velvet ropes when I noticed our neighbors. A group of three men and zero women, which was uncommon. The man on the sofa closest to our section was sitting with his body turned away from me, talking to his friends. I wasn’t on the prowl or anything, but there was nothing wrong with just looking. He seemed like he was on the younger side, pretty well dressed actually. I examined his outfit. Blue jeans, and a casual button-down shirt.
“Easton?” I said out loud, the realization hitting me after I had said it.
“Who?” Maggie asked, sitting next to me. Easton, the client that I had told her I had slept with. There were two other men with him, Toby and someone else that I didn’t recognize. He had said that he was entertaining a client tonight so that must have been who it was. He must have heard me saying his name because he looked over. I waved and he smiled, getting up. He walked over and stepped over the rope coming to our section.
“Fancy seeing you here,” I said.
“I told you I was going to a club tonight,” he said.
“Nice to see the outfit in person.” He looked great. I wasn’t sure whether I was happier seeing him or the outfit. I blushed a little remembering our conversation earlier over video chat. I didn’t think I was going to be seeing him right after. I was just playing with him anyway. I didn’t think he’d actually show me anything. I wanted him to but predictably, he tried to get something out of it too. Couldn’t blame him though, I was incredibly beautiful. I cleared my throat when the pause went too long.
“Do you want to meet my friends?” I asked.
“Sure,” he said. I introduced them to the girls who, knowing all about him, did not speak a word of what they knew the two of us had done together. They only knew the half of it though because I hadn’t told them about the second, much hotter, much better time that we had had at the spa. I knew what they were going to tell me, so I didn’t need to hear it. I had resolved not to move forward with him anyway, so I didn’t need to say anything to them. I hadn’t said anything to him either though, so things were kind of still up in the air.
Admit You Want Me: An Enemies to Lovers Romance (Irresistible Billionaires Book 3) Page 12