Caught Off Guard: A Sports Romance Novella

by Kira Blakely

  “Then why are you wearing a pants suit? It’s very becoming, but it’s strictly against what I told you, isn’t it?”

  “I didn’t think that you were serious, Mr. James.” She’d never heard of anything so preposterous.

  Dawson laughed again. “I never say anything that I don’t mean. Well, hardly ever. And I meant it when I said that it would be a criminal act if you were to cover your gorgeous legs up. So no more pants, okay?”

  She scowled at him prettily. “I’ll try my best, but I can’t make any promises.” If you think I’m going to let you dictate what I can and cannot wear, then you’re sadly mistaken. Her thoughts were defiant, but she knew that she was going to try her best to do what he’d told her, and that pissed her off more than anything.

  “Okay, the next thing I want to discuss is that I need you to attend a business function with me over the weekend. I know that you don’t usually work weekends, and I had originally intended to take somebody else, but she’s now unable to go with me.” Not strictly true, but I don’t think she’d be impressed to learn that I cancelled my plans with Hannah so that I could ask her instead, he thought wickedly. Alexa was eager to hear more, as her quirked eyebrow indicated. “It’s a high-class event that will mean us being out of town for three days. You’ll obviously be paid for doing it and there will be a nice bonus in with your wages also.”

  He had been fully expecting her to jump on board as soon as she heard that there was going to be extra money in it for her, but she surprised him. “I’d like to know a little more about it before I agree, if that’s okay, Mr. James.”

  “It’s a charity event that will benefit numerous organizations as well as individuals. As I said, it’s a high-class gala and there will be quite a few celebrities and high-powered people attending, so I can’t really go into too much detail because of how strictly a lot of the people going to it guard their privacy.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet, extracting a card and sliding it across the top of the desk toward her. “You’ll need to buy a dress suitable for the occasion; a long evening dress or cocktail dress will do. You can also charge anything else you think you might need for the weekend to this company credit card. And please don’t be worried about how much things cost; the card has no credit limit.”

  Alexa reached forward and picked the card up off the table. Was he being serious, or was this some kind of test, she wondered. “I’ll use it to buy a dress and accessories for the evening in question, but other than that I shouldn’t need to buy anything else that I don’t already have.” Using a card that belonged to someone else, even if it was a business card, and being told that she could spend however much she wanted both terrified and excited her.

  “So that’s settled then. Take tomorrow off to go shopping, and I’ll pick you up on Friday evening around seven, if that suits you?” He wanted to get everything organized now before she could change her mind on him.

  Alexa left his office in a daze, and it was at least another thirty minutes before she could get herself organized to get some actual work done. She couldn’t believe that she’d actually agreed

  to go away with him for the weekend, and she hoped that it wasn’t some kind of ploy on his behalf.

  Why the hell would he make something so elaborate up, Lexi? Quit being so cynical for once in your life and just go with it. She felt a little better after admonishing herself, but she couldn’t wait to get home and talk it all over with Laura that evening.

  13

  “YOU’RE GOING WHERE? With who?” Laura sounded as incredulous as Alexa felt.

  “You heard me. I can’t quite believe it either. Do you think I’m doing the right thing, Lau?” She was still nervous and wondering if there was an ulterior motive behind Dawson’s request, but her best friend had no such qualms.

  Laura’s eyebrows had risen up into her hairline, and she looked at Alexa with an open mouth. “Are you doing the right thing? Did you really just ask me that? Have I not been telling you for weeks that you need to jump this man’s bones?” They were obviously rhetorical questions and Laura poked her tongue out childishly in response. “This is a good thing, Lexi. Wait, scratch that. This is a great thing! You actually get to go away with the guy for three whole days, he’s given you his company credit card to buy everything you need, and he’s giving you a bonus in your wages on top of it all. You’d be absolutely crazy if you turned him down.”

  Alexa couldn’t help but laugh at her friend’s excitement. You’d swear that it was her going away for the weekend the way she was carrying on.

  “Oh my God, Laura. What the hell am I supposed to buy to wear to a charity gala?”

  “Panic not, my friend. I know just the place to go, and it so happens that I’m also off work tomorrow, so we can spend the day shopping together on your boss’ dime.”

  “I’m not going to go crazy with it, so don’t go getting too excited. I know he said to make sure that I buy something suitable, but that doesn’t mean that I have to spend an absolute fortune.” Alexa was starting to get excited herself, but there was no way she was going to go overboard with someone else’s money. That would go against the grain as far as she was concerned, and it didn’t matter whether Dawson could afford it or not.

  The two girls were in the heart of the city’s shopping area early the following morning, which, considering the fact that Laura usually stayed in bed until lunch time on her day off, was a miracle in itself. The first place that Alexa was dragged into was a boutique to a richer clientele than she was, considering the fact that there wasn’t a price tag in sight, which in itself made her cringe. After spending at least an hour trying on dress after dress, she finally put her foot down and told Laura that they needed to find somewhere else.

  “I just don’t feel comfortable in here.”

  Laura gave an exaggerated sigh of frustration, but she gave in to Alexa’s request, and they left the store empty-handed. The second place they went into felt a lot less exclusive, and Alexa immediately felt much happier.

  “I’m looking for something to wear to a charity event. It doesn’t necessarily have to be something exclusive, but it does need to be a gown that will keep my boss happy.”

  The middle aged lady serving her smiled at her reassuringly. “First things first. Is your boss male or female?”

  “Male. Why?” The question really confused Alexa.

  “Because a female boss wouldn’t want to be upstaged by an employee wearing something better than she is, whereas a male boss wants the employee to look as hot as possible at these type of functions so that he is the envy of every other male there.” The lady gave Alexa a conspiratorial wink that had her and Laura laughing out loud. “Women can be such bitches, and men are fickle creatures. We just need to know how to play the game, and that’s where I come in.”

  She proceeded to bring out a few dresses and pointed out a few more that were strategically placed on mannequins around the store. “Why don’t you take these through to the dressing room and try them on while your friend and I take a look around for a few other options.”

  Alexa took the dresses and walked to the dressing room where another assistant waited to help her change. The first two were totally unsuitable, with one being way too short and the other way too tight. “I wouldn’t mind something that was a mixture between the two, if that was possible?”

  The assistant smiled and stepped back through the door into the main area, returning a short time later with another couple of possibilities for her to try on.

  The same thing happened a few more times, and each time Alexa found something wrong with the dress. Until she tried another one on and turned to look at herself in the full-length mirror. She hardly recognized the person looking back at her, and her hands smoothed the material down over her hips in awe.

  “Would it be okay for my friend to come back here and take a look?”

  Her friend was with her in the blink of an eye, almost as though she’d been waiting impatie
ntly outside the door.

  “Oh my fucking God, Lexi. That looks absolutely beautiful on you.”

  “If you don’t mind me saying so, I believe that it’s you who makes the dress look beautiful.” The lady who had first greeted them when they walked into the store had followed Laura through to the dressing room, and her words made Alexa blush shyly.

  She wasn’t quite sure what to say in response. “So you both think that this one will do?”

  There was a united chorus of agreement and the decision was made. Alexa gasped at how much the dress cost, but she knew that it was a lot cheaper than any of the ones they’d seen in the previous store, so that made her feel a little better as she walked out of the place with her gown carefully wrapped in tissue paper and a gift box.

  “Holy shit, Laura. I’ve only ever walked out of a store with a plastic bag before. I’ve never had anything wrapped up and put in a box.”

  Laura burst out laughing. “That makes two of us, girlfriend. And we are not done yet. You still need to buy shoes and a bag to match.”

  Alexa let out a groan. “Can we stop and get something to eat first? I never knew that shopping was such hungry work.” She was shocked to realize that it was almost two o’clock in the afternoon. They’d already been shopping for hours and they’d only been to two places so far.

  They found a small café and had a bite to eat before their shopping spree continued. Thankfully, they managed to find a pair of shoes and a matching purse in the next store they stopped at, and Alexa breathed a sigh of relief. “Can we go home now?”

  “Are you crazy? We still have to find you some new makeup as well as some sexy lingerie to wear underneath that stunning dress.”

  “I already have makeup, Laura, but I do agree that I need some new underwear. I don’t think I have anything that would work under that dress because of the style of it. There’s no way I’m charging that to the business credit card though. That would just be wrong as far as I’m concerned.”

  Laura laughed at her words. “You can be such a prude sometimes.”

  It took them almost another two hours before they were finally done and on their way home, and Alexa was loaded down with bags and boxes. She couldn’t believe how much money she’d spent, even though she’d really tried to be as thrifty as possible. She hung everything up to let any creases fall out before she and Laura had a light dinner, followed by an early night to bed.

  She carried Dawson’s coffee to him the following morning and placed his credit card on top of his desk along with all of the receipts she made sure to save. He looked at them in surprise before saying anything to her.

  “Well that’s a first. I’m not used to women showing me receipts for what they’ve spent. You didn’t have to do that, but I appreciate it, Alexa. Thank you.” To say he was dumbfounded was an understatement. Maybe she really is going to prove you wrong about women, he thought, and was surprised by how much he wanted that to be the case.

  “It wouldn’t have been right for me not to do it, but you’re welcome.” She smiled at him as she sat down. Picking up her notepad and pencil, she missed seeing the appreciative gleam in his eyes as he noticed that she was once again wearing a skirt. “I tried not to spend too much, but it’s still a lot, I’m afraid. If you need to, then don’t pay me the bonus you were talking about. That way, I won’t feel quite so guilty about it.”

  She didn’t know it, but as soon as she said that, Dawson made his mind up to double her bonus, grudgingly admitting to himself that she really was a one of a kind, special woman. He didn’t think that he had ever met a female quite like her, and considering the fact that she came from a humble, hard-working background, he thought it was pretty phenomenal of her to tell him not to pay her a bonus.

  He cleared his throat and put on his business head. “Okay, so this is what I need you to do today.”

  Less than twenty minutes later, Alexa was back in her own office making phone calls, sending emails, and fielding calls for Dawson. She was relieved at how normal the day seemed to be going so far, especially in light of how guilty she had felt about using Dawson’s credit card and spending so much of his money. She’d expected things to feel a little tense and awkward between them, but it was business as usual, thankfully.

  14

  FRIDAY ARRIVED QUICKLY, and during their morning meeting, Dawson told Alexa to finish work at lunchtime so that she would have time to go home and get ready for their trip. “I’ll pick you up at six, but the journey’s going to take a while, so it will probably be a good idea to make sure you eat before then. I’d usually stop off for a meal on the way, but I want to make sure we make good time so that we’re not too tired to enjoy the event tomorrow.”

  Even though she was pretty much already packed for the weekend, Alexa was grateful for the extra time off work that gave her the opportunity to go and get her hair trimmed and relax for an hour or so before Dawson was to pick her up. She had a nice, long bath and washed her hair, blow drying it and leaving it down to hang in long, soft waves down her back. She always wore it up at work, so it made a nice change to leave it down for once.

  She’d thought long and hard about what to wear for the trip, and even though her initial choice had been jeans and a soft cashmere sweater, she changed her mind, opting for a short-sleeved, white, button-down blouse, a black and gray plaid skirt, and a pair of knee-high boots instead. She applied just a smattering of makeup and a spray of perfume before carrying her small suitcase downstairs to wait for Dawson to arrive. She was checking her purse to make sure that she had her cell phone and charger when there was a knock at the door.

  Quickly gathering everything up, she opened the door and gave a gasp of surprise when she saw a uniformed chauffeur standing in front of her.

  “I’ll take your case, ma’am. Mr. James is waiting for you in the car.” He took the suitcase from her hand and walked down the pathway with Alexa staring after him in disbelief.

  A limousine? He’s picking me up in a freaking limousine? She couldn’t quite believe that there was a stretch limo parked outside her house, and she wished that Laura had been home to see it.

  She quickly pulled herself together and followed after the driver, snatching her hand back when she went to open the door and his got there first. “Allow me, please, ma’am.” Alexa stood back and let him hold the door open for her before she ducked her head and stepped inside the dimly-lit interior of the luxurious vehicle.

  She’d never been in a limousine before, and she wasn’t quite sure what she’d been expecting. But whatever she’d expected, it certainly wasn’t what she stepped into. Her feet sank into a carpet that was thicker than any in her house, and the smell of the leather upholstery was only rivaled by the shine of the windowed partition and the glass cocktail cabinet that had been installed along one side. The limo was obviously not one that was used for the typical parties that she’d seen around the city, because there were only two seats in it – one along the longer side of the car opposite the cocktail cabinet, and the other at the back, facing forward. Admittedly, they were long seats, but she still couldn’t imagine a crowd of people having a raucous, drunken party in the back of the pristine vehicle.

  “Are you going to sit down, or are you going to stand up for the whole way?” Dawson’s voice made her jump, but the humor in it eased her nerves as he brought her back to the here and now.

  She gave a small laugh of her own that was filled with self-consciousness. “I’m sorry, Mr. James. I’ve just never been in one of these things before and I don’t know what I’d been expecting us to travel in, but, well, it wasn’t this.” She sat down on the back seat, looking across at her boss who was seated opposite of her. “This thing is huge!”

  She couldn’t quite keep the excitement at bay, and Dawson outwardly laughed, while inwardly he was thinking about how refreshing she was.

  She has absolutely no idea just how lovely she is, he thought to himself. “Are you really going to call me Mr. James this whole wee
kend?” He still had the same playfulness in his voice, and Alexa grinned at him without answering. “Okay, how about this? I absolutely forbid you to call me it. I insist that you call me Dawson, at least until we get back to work on Tuesday, and even then, I’d prefer you to call me that. But if you’re still not comfortable with it, then I’ll stop trying to badger you and you can go back to calling me Mr. James.” He gave a mocking shudder that made Alexa laugh.

  “Don’t hold your breath on that, but I suppose I can do as you want for the few days we’re away.” She could hear Laura’s voice in her head telling her that she could do whatever he wanted at any time if she’d just stop being such a prude. Thank God it’s relatively dark in here, she thought. At least he won’t be able to see me blushing.

  It was just as well that she couldn’t hear what was running through Dawson’s mind, or she probably would have jumped out of the moving car. He was also thinking about her doing what he wanted for the weekend, but it had nothing at all to do with her calling him Dawson, and everything to do with how many positions he’d love to get her in while he made love to her. Just the thought of it had his cock thickening, and he pushed the thoughts away reluctantly.

  “Do you mind if I ask why we’re not flying? I half expected you to have a private jet on standby, or something.” She was only half joking.

  “I’m absolutely terrified of flying, but if you tell anyone, then I’ll deny I ever admitted it.” He grinned at her. “Can I get you something to drink? A glass of champagne, perhaps?”

  Alexa wasn’t completely sure that drinking alcohol with him in such close confines was a good idea, but she needed something to help her calm her nerves and her wayward thoughts. “Is there any orange juice? If there is, I wouldn’t mind a glass of champagne and orange juice, please.”

  Dawson stood up and moved to the cocktail cabinet, opening a door that housed a small refrigerator and pulling out a bottle of champagne and a carton of orange juice. “It looks like you’re in luck.” He made her drink and then poured himself a glass of whiskey, completely missing the appreciative gleam in her eye as she finally realized that he was wearing jeans and a T-shirt.