Chapter 5 #2
"I was talking to my sales associate, asking for feedback. You came in right at closing and said you desperately wanted a dress for the next event. And I was so smitten with you that I decided to keep the store open for a while longer."
"Smitten at first sight? I like it," I said. My heart was beating faster.
It's not real, Reese.
"But wait… remember, we said we'd try to keep it realistic? During our first meeting, I poured champagne all over you, and you thought I was hitting on you." I snorted at the memory.
He chuckled. "Now that I think of it, 'smitten at first sight' doesn’t sound like me. How about this: you came in, and I thought you came on purpose to try and pick me up. I got annoyed. Then you clarified that you just wanted a dress."
I considered this. "It sounds realistic. But I also like the smitten-at-first-sight version. I've always thought there’s something dreamy about the idea of love hitting you out of nowhere. Or at least lust. Feeling that spark before you even know the person."
He laughed without humor. "That's a recipe for disaster because you only judge a book by its cover."
"I know, but I still like the idea of it. Soulmates and all that."
He turned to look at me and seemed confused. "You believe in…soulmates?"
"Yes," I said.
"Your fiancé cheated on you with your best friend."
I winced.
"Fuck. Sorry, I shouldn't have said that."
"No, you shouldn't," I murmured. "I get what you're saying, though. I should probably forget about romance. Reality is cruel." I frowned. "But maybe that's why I believe good things do exist."
"Right. So we have our meeting set in stone. I honestly don't think anyone's going to ask details about how many times we've been on dates and stuff like that."
"They might. We should probably know things about each other, just so we're not blindsided."
"All right. You go first."
"I grew up in Chicago. I went to college here."
"Did you ever work in the chain of bookstores?" he asked.
"No. That was sold before I was old enough to work. I was in finance for a long time, and then my ex and I wanted to open a spa in the building where my grandmother still runs The Happy Place."
"What's that?"
"It's the first bookstore she and my granddad ever opened."
He nodded. "Right. I'm assuming the spa didn't work out?"
"No, not at all. After I broke off our engagement, the whole project fell apart. I did wind up working at The Happy Place for a while at that point. Then Travis, my cousin, bought the buildings adjacent to Gran’s and opened The Maxwell Hotel. I’m the CFO.”
I hesitated, unsure how much more of my past to unload, but knowing Malcolm, he'd bring it up.
“Malcolm didn't take it well at all that the business fell apart. He’d been working for an investment fund, and the fund would have invested in the spa. But after I backed out of the agreement, they fired Malcolm.”
"Serves him right," he sneered.
"He tried to sue my family for it repeatedly." I swallowed hard. "And last year he decided to blackmail me. Said he’d give a little interview about why our relationship ended if I didn't get him his old job back."
Dom turned to face me again.
"Hey, eyes on the road."
"Continue. I’m shocked."
"Yep, so was I."
"Please tell me he didn't get away with it."
I shook my head. "He didn't. I gave the interview instead. That way, no publication would be interested in his side of the story. He’d get no money for it."
"Sounds like a nightmare."
"It was. The press didn't stop hounding me after that. They’ve lost interest lately, thank God. Anyway, that's enough about me. Actually, wait… I mean, you probably know about the family, right?"
"Just bits and hearsay."
"Well, there are eight of us."
"Eight?"
"I have a sister, Kimberly, and six cousins." And also a baby half sister in London, but I didn’t want to get into that right now…
"And you all work together at Maxwell Hotels?"
"No, no. My cousin Tate runs Maxwell Wineries. Declan is a lawyer. Luke owns Skye Designs.”
“Tyler Maxwell plays hockey," he said as if he'd just remembered that tidbit of information.
"Exactly. Sam is a doctor. Travis is the one with the hotel. Kimberly and I work with him."
"Got it."
"We’re all very close. Malcolm knows that. By the way, in case it comes up, you’ve already met my family. That will kill him. I waited a long time before introducing him to them.”
Dom said nothing for a few seconds, then asked, "Are you trying to make him jealous or just get him off your back?"
"I don't know. I just want to annoy him right now. It feels good."
"Fair enough."
"What about you?"
"I studied at Harvard and lived in Boston for a few years before moving here and starting Waldorf Fashion."
"You grew the company exponentially in just a few years. I think that's fabulous."
"All I did was use the knowledge I acquired from business school."
Humble! Yet another thing I wouldn't have pegged him for.
"I married one year ago," he continued. "Worst mistake of my life."
"Can I ask what happened?"
"I don't think that's going to come up."
"Fair enough." The wound was obviously still fresh. And even though I’d felt an instant kinship with him, I remembered those early days after Malcolm's betrayal. I walked around feeling physically in pain, so I understood Dominic’s reluctance.
"Anyway, I think we've covered the basics," I said.
He looked at me briefly before focusing on the road again. I noted a glint in his eyes.
"Not yet. We should clarify what attracted us to each other."
“You think that might come up?”
“You never know. So…you go first.”
"Other than your great looks?" I laughed. "Let's see… your voice. It's deep and rich and sounds sexy even when you're a total grump."
He stiffened, his eyes wide. Clearly he hadn't expected me to run my mouth like that. I wasn't even sorry.
"Your turn."
He didn't hesitate. "You're hot as hell. You have a great sense of humor and an enormous capacity for caring."
I stilled. "How do you even know that?"
"Because even though you have to face that moron, you're going to this stupid charity weekend because you want to raise money."
I licked my lips. "It's not the poor children’s fault that my life is so complicated. Oh, I was also very attracted by your tattoo."
"What tattoo?"
I tapped my temple. "The one I'm imagining here."
He smirked. "You spend a lot of time thinking about my body, Reese?"
I swallowed hard, deciding to ignore the question. "In my mind, it's in a super-private spot. That way, no one will be able to check my story."
"What spot?" he asked.
I blushed. "Never mind."
"I’m sure you thought about it in great detail. You’re very thorough.”
I looked out the window, feeling like I was about to spontaneously combust. "On your left ass cheek."
He burst out laughing, the sound filling the car. I glanced at him and started laughing too.
He took one hand from the wheel. Before I realized what he was doing, he undid the button of one of his sleeves, rolling it up before switching hands and unbuttoning the other, then pushing it out of the way. I gasped when he revealed inked forearms.
"I wasn't expecting that."
He grinned. "It’s one of the reasons I always wear long sleeves in meetings."
"You shouldn't hide that ink. It's beautiful."
"Glad you think so. Anyway, you were right with that guess."
"Which one?" I asked.
"A tattoo in a private place."
My jaw dropped, and I swallowed hard. Holy shit. Where else does he have tattoos? I had a sudden urge to map his body—and not just with my gaze. I wanted to touch and kiss and lick.
My imagination going wild, I licked my lips. "So where is it?"
"Why do you want to know?"
"You’re right. I don’t have to know that. Pretty sure it won’t come up."
"It's in a very private spot, but I'll give you a hint. It's not the left ass cheek."
I had never blushed so much in my life. I looked away again, but the air between us was charged.
I immediately changed the topic. We made small talk for the rest of the drive and arrived an hour later.
"Welcome," the receptionist greeted us when we entered the venue.
"We’re here for the charity event," Dom replied.
She took out two papers and pens. "Just put in your names and signatures. We don't need the rest."
Dom nodded. "Fair enough."
The receptionist smiled and then disappeared into the back.
"We probably should have booked one room," Dom said.
"What? Oh, I never thought about that." I bit my lip. "We can say we signed up for this before we got together.”
"That sounds good." He wiggled his eyebrows, leaning in. "Or I can say I snore so much that we need separate rooms."
I thought I couldn't blush more than I had in the car. Turned out I was wrong.