Chapter 28
Chapter Twenty-Eight
~AUGUST~
Iboth loathe and love the situation that I’m finding myself in right now.
I wanted to pick Hendrix up for the event. Treat her like this is a real date. But I can’t do that.
She doesn’t want anyone to see her all dressed up and leaving with me. She said that the town car I have taking us will draw too much attention. As will we, all dressed up and ready for the event. She’s not wrong. But I still like the idea of picking her up.
Instead, she’s in my spare bedroom getting her dress on.
She came over with a full face of makeup on, and her hair pulled up away from her face.
The rest of it hangs down her back in curls.
Hendrix said the girls helped her get ready and, man, did they ever make her look amazing.
She’s a far cry from the ponytails and buns that she is normally sporting when we’re out at the bars or she’s over at my house.
Don’t get me wrong, I like the Hendrix who is casual and not all done up.
The effortless beauty that she has is unmatched from any of the bar girls I brought home with me, with their made-up faces and tight clothing.
I mean, they looked good but there’s something very artificial about them that’s not there with her.
She walks out of the back bedroom, and the soft light of the living room brings her into view.
I gasp audibly at the sight of her. She looks like a floating angel in a red dress.
Maybe one that was sent by the devil to drag me straight into hell.
And I would go willingly wherever this woman wanted to take me.
“Wow,” I say, moving towards her.
The red dress covers her right shoulder, but falls off the left side, leaving her partially bare for me. The dress hugs her torso and bells out at the bottom, flowing down to the floor, allowing her to look like he’s floating as she comes towards me.
“You are the most beautiful woman that I’ve ever seen,” I tell her when I reach her.
She smiles at me hesitantly. I can tell that she’s shy and unsure of herself. Looking down at the dress and back at me, the unanswered question in her eyes asking me, ‘Is this okay?’ Little does she know that this is perfect. She is perfect.
“Hendrix, relax, you look amazing, beautiful lady,” I tell her, taking her shaking hands in mine. “Relax, it’s going to be just fine.”
“I don’t feel as comfortable dressed like this as I do when I am in casual clothes,” she admits with a shrug.
“It’s okay. I get it. I don’t like the monkey suit either.” I gesture down at the tux that I’m wearing.
Her eyes widen and her head draws back a bit, taking in the sight of me. “You look so handsome in that tux.” She grins and her eyes are dancing wickedly like she has thoughts in her mind that are from the devil himself.
“Thank you.” I move to pull her in, but she holds her ground as best she can in the black kitten heels that she’s wearing. “Why can’t I get you closer to me right now?”
She grins. “Because you have a bit of mischief in your eyes and you’ll ruin the hair and makeup that the girls so graciously helped me with.”
“I won’t ruin anything right now,” I say, tugging her forcefully to me.
Our bodies connect and she gasps when her chest hits mine.
“But tonight, when I get you alone, I’m going to make a mess of that hair and your carefully applied makeup,” I say, my voice going dangerously low.
She swallows. “But the way you are looking at me, I can tell that you are having similar thoughts, so we’ll see who ruins whose outfit first. We could have some fun in the car on the way there,” I remind her, wagging my eyebrows at her, waiting to see if she takes me up on the offer.
She doesn’t.
She shakes her head slightly. “No, I want to stay as put together as I can.” I can see her hands are wringing at her sides.
She’s a tall woman, but even in those kitten heels, I’m still taller than she is. I squat down a bit so that we’re eye level, taking her cheeks gently in my hands.
“Hey, Hendrix, baby, calm down. It’s going to be fine.
This is going to be fun,” I promise her.
“Trust me, no one is going to say anything to you. Everyone is so self-involved at these things, heading around to the tables, eating and, of course, drinking all the free booze that they can muster. No one will even think twice or try and put two and two together if that’s what you are worried about,” I insist, brushing my lips lightly against hers.
“I’m just worried that your father is going to recognize me or say something to me. I’m not comfortable in these kinds of situations,” she admits, openly chewing on her lip.
“I’ve got you. Just keep your hand in mine. I’ve got you,” I reassure her.
The house phone rings and I excuse myself to go pick it up.
I talk quickly to the man on the other before hanging up and returning to her.
“Our ride is here, baby.” I hold my hand out to her.
“Now come on with me and let’s make them so jealous of the gorgeous woman that is on my arm,” I say, grinning at her, hoping to put her at ease.
She nods slowly, still not looking convinced.
I drop her hand and move over to the bar, pouring us each a shot of whiskey and bringing them to her.
“Here, drink this. It will make you feel better,” I promise her. “It’ll calm your nerves and you won’t take things so seriously tonight, I promise you.”
She nods and downs the shot. I laugh and clink her empty glass against my full one. “Cheers,” I tease her.
She flushes. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay.” I down my shot and take our empty glasses over to the sink. “We gotta get down there, though, because I’m sure he’s parked in the middle of the road.”
Once we’re in the car, I let her sit for a bit and prepare herself before I speak.
“Hey, I used to loathe these things too. I still do. But just hang in there. It’ll be boring but it’ll be fine. No one is going to say much to you and as long as you stay close to me, it’ll be okay.”
She nods, but I can tell she’s still not sure. I slide across the cool black leather seats, so that I’m sitting right beside her. The silk of her red dress is touching the soft fabric of my dress slacks. I reach out and rub her thigh slightly, enjoying the soft feel of her dress.
“It’s going to be okay,” I say, leaning in close to her. But I can tell she’s not buying it, and the whiskey has not done enough to calm her nerves.
I try another tactic.
Leaning in, I press my lips to hers, gently at first and then commanding. Her mouth opens and grants me entrance almost immediately. I kiss her passionately and hear her moan, gripping onto my suit coat as she does it. Like she’s holding me to her.
I work her lips, massaging hers with mine.
I hear the moans fill the car. I’m secretly glad for the driver who is behind the wheel.
He’s been with me for years. And, frankly, he’s seen dirtier happen back here and he’s never said a word, taken a photo or sold a story.
I learned the hard way as kid that not all people are like that when you’re a Cromwell.
I pull back slightly and rest my forehead against hers. We’re both panting and I grin at her.
“Are you better now?” I ask her as I attempt to catch my breath.
She nods but doesn’t say a word.
“You’re worrying too much, Hen. This is your chance to come in here and have some fun with me.
This isn’t my idea for our first type of date.
But this is what I have to do right now.
Sometime after tonight, we will go on a real date.
You and me. Something that is fun and something that you would enjoy,” I tell her.
I’m rewarded with a wide grin. “But I count the baseball game as something that was fun for the both of us, and that was a date, was it not?”
I smile back at her. “It sure was, baby. But that one we had Drew with us,” I shrug. “I just want you to know that I do have plans for you, for us. But right now, as the owner of the Blaze, this is something that I have to attend. I appreciate you attending it with me,” I say, raising an eyebrow.
Her cheeks heat, and she shakes her head. “Ever the charmer.”
I think she’s relaxed a bit because she’s smiling at me. And I’m thankful for that because the car has slowed to a stop.
“Mr. Cromwell,” I hear from the front.
“Yeah, Eddie, what’s up, my man?”
He turns and grins at me. “Are you walking the carpet?”
I nod. “Would Maxwell have it any other way?”
He chuckles. “Well, I would say that it’s your decision if you are walking or not.”
“If only it were that easy, Eddie,” I say with a chuckle.
He nods and joins the line of other town cars and limos that are waiting for their doors to be opened along the carpet.
“You’ll be fine,” I tell her again when I glance at her wide brown eyes. “It’s going to be okay. We’re just taking a little walk.”
“The things that I do for you.” Her smile is brighter and her confidence might be returning. Which I’m glad for. This is definitely out of her comfort zone, but I wanted her with me more than anything tonight.
I turn and watch the lineup. It’s getting close to being our turn.
I look back at Hendrix. “Alright, baby, it’s about that time.
” I lean in and claim her lips quickly, kissing her, hoping that it will calm her nerves.
I go to pull back but she hangs onto me.
“There’ll be time for that later,” I promise her.
She breathes in and out, grinning at me. “Alright, I’m holding you to that.”
“I hope that you do,” I say. There’s a knock on the window that tells me our car will be the next door that they open. “Just breathe,” I say, grinning at her before reaching for her hand.
The door opens and I stand up, waving to the crowd. I hold my hand out and she takes it. I gently pull her from the car because, honestly, I’m sure if I don’t, she wouldn’t come out.
But she does.
Hendrix stands there proudly. Holding onto my hand, but grinning as she takes in the crowd of photographers and other couples that are making their way down the carpet.
I lean in and whisper in her ear, “You are breathtaking.”
She just winks at me, and we slowly start to move.
I wish I could see her. These are definitely pictures that I will be paying attention to.
I usually don’t. I ignore all the emails from the event photographer who wants to make sure that I know he caught shots of me.
Usually, the emails are just forwarded to Cindy and she does her thing.
This time, I’ll be making sure to comb through them and get one that I can frame.
This is a night that I want to remember.
I’m sure she looks like she’s floating down the carpet in her sexy-as-hell dress.
I can tell that she feels more comfortable as we move toward the building.
I steal a glance in her direction, and she’s grinning from ear to ear.
It’s a genuine smile too. There’s no tightness in it like I expected.
It puts a bit of pep in my step to think that she’s enjoying herself and that maybe she’ll want to do this again.
We reach the end and the lights of the cameras have died down. I can see that off to our right stands the chairwoman of the event. She is waiting there to greet all the guests entering the ballroom.
“Madam Chairwoman,” I say, walking over to Elise McDonald, who works at Tampa Bay Memorial as the CEO. “It’s so nice to see you, thank you so much for having me.”
It’s the polite thing to say to her because even though she needs me here tonight, I will need her when it comes time to hunt for sponsorships for the Blaze.
“August,” she says, extending both of her hands so that she can cup the hand that I have extended to her. “It’s always so nice to see you. I can see that you have brought a beautiful young woman with you tonight.”
“I have.” I leave it at that because I know it’s a surefire way to guarantee that she doesn’t ask any questions about who she is.
“Well, your father and brother are already in there, so I’m sure you’ll be seeing them soon. Great to have the Cromwell family with us tonight.”
I nod and slowly release my hand. “It’s nice to see you again, Elise, really. I appreciate all that you do for us.” I flash her a grin, hoping that she will remember my friendliness when my sponsorship request comes her way.
“Enjoy yourself tonight, August,” she says, patting my arm before moving on to the next couple in line behind us.
“So that’s how you get all this money for the Blaze.” Hendrix turns her head towards me.
“What do you mean?” I ask her.
“You whore yourself out for it,” she replies, shooting me a teasing grin.
I throw my head back, laughing. “Well, whatever it takes to get you ladies what you need.” I slip a bit of innuendo in my tone, hoping that she picks up on it.
“Just so that you’re only giving me what I need,” she says with a wink.
“Always, baby.”