Chapter 28
PETAL
“Are you nervous?”
I look over at Rake, seated next to me in the Town Car he hired. I have to say, he’s so damn dashing in his tuxedo that I’m practically vibrating.
“Do I look nervous?” I ask like the smartass I am. I smooth out the green silk of the dress he chose for me and look out the window as we make our way from his condo to the Fairmont Hotel.
If I wasn’t dressed like this, hell, I would have just walked up to Nob Hill, where the hotel sits in all its glory. It would have been a great, sweaty workout. But not one you do when you’re dressed to impress.
He snakes a finger across the top of my hand. “You look a little nervous.”
Now he’s making me even more so.
And I have no idea why. I’ve been to dozens of fancy parties in my lifetime, dolled up to the nines, in the most beautiful venues in the city.
Most of the time they’re pretty boring, and I end up making small talk with the same people I see around, anyway.
The only difference is the competition to see who has the best dress.
Something I always lose. I am so not a fashion person.
But tonight I am feeling pretty damn good. Who knew Rake had such good taste in women’s clothes?
“Are you nervous?” I ask.
He presses his lips together. “I am. A little.”
I twist in my seat so I can really see him. “Are you kidding? You’re a star athlete. A public figure. How can you be nervous about anything?”
“Sometimes social situations are nerve-wracking. It’s totally normal. You don’t know what to expect, stuff like that.”
“I never thought you would admit to something like that,” I say.
“Guess I’m not the Neanderthal you thought I was going to be.”
“Hmmm. Jury’s still out,” I say with a sniff.
The Town Car pulls into the semi-circle in front of the hotel, so I put my hand on the door handle to get out.
But Rake stops me. “Let the driver do it.”
Huh?
“I can open my own door,” I say.
The driver gets Rake’s door, but before he hops out, he looks over his shoulder at me. “For once, can you not argue?”
Dick.
Arms crossed, I slump back in my seat and wait, since in Rake’s world, opening a car door is not something you’re supposed to do yourself.
When I’m finally out, Rake extends his elbow for me to take. I walk right past him and lift my skirt to navigate the steps into the hotel.
“Petal,” Rake hisses from behind me.
I stop to let him catch up.
He takes my hand. “What is going on with you? Did I do something wrong?”
God, I’m such a bitch. I’m nervous as hell and taking it out on Rake. It’s so wrong. The man’s been nothing but nice to me. Especially when we had our little fun the other night.
The night I ran out on him. As soon as I had my orgasm, doubts began to swirl around my head, inviting big, unwanted waves of regret.
So I bolted to my own room.
I look down, pretending to search for something in my beaded Judith Leiber clutch. “I’m sorry. I am nervous. You’re right,” I mumble.
“What’s that, Petal? What did you say?” He hooks a finger under my chin, raising my face till our eyes meet.
“I’m sorry. You’re right, I am nervous. And when I’m nervous, I’m a bitch.”
My chin shakes, but goddammit, I’m not going to cry. Not here. “It’s been a lot, Rake. You know, it’s just everything. You’re a nice guy. I shouldn’t give you shit.”
He puts an arm around my shoulders and leads me away from the crowd. We find a secluded sofa to take a seat on. “C’mon. Let’s relax here for a minute.”
In spite of my best effort, one tear runs down my cheek. I wipe it away with the back of my hand, hoping I didn’t just smear black shit all over my face.
Rake pulls me into him, and I lean my head against his shoulder. “Take your time, Petal. We’ll sit here for a minute until you’re ready to go in. Unless you want to go home?”
I look at him. “No. I can’t do that to you. The agreement is I go to this stuff with you.”
He brushes a lock of hair behind my ears. “Not if it’s making you unhappy.”
I wish he’d stop being so nice. I don’t want to like this man. I really don’t. He embodies everything that bugs the shit out of me—sports, celebrity, killer good looks.
Actually, the killer good looks don’t bother me. But still. He’s freaking nice on top of all that.
I reach across his lap and take his free hand. “You have calluses. What are they from?”
“Working in my dad’s business. I haven’t done woodwork in years, but I guess the calluses stay with you.”
Fuck. I realize I barely know anything about this guy. I’ve been so stuck in my own head that I’ve hardly asked him anything about himself.
I stand up, and facing him, extend a hand. He looks up at me with a small smile and accepts.
“You sure you’re ready?” he asks.
I raise my head. “I am. Let’s do this.”
He presses a kiss to my temple. “Hey. Did I tell you how incredible you look in that dress? I had a feeling green would be your color.”
I look down at the sumptuous silk. The strapless gown hugs my torso and pushes my boobs up just enough to show them off but not enough to look tacky.
The bottom half swirls around my legs as I walk, parting over my left thigh thanks to a high slit.
I have to admit, I’ve never worn anything quite this beautiful.
“I love the dress, Rake. I really do. You didn’t have to get me one. I could have worn something I already had.”
Honestly, I’ve never felt this pretty. But saying that out loud would just be weird.
He shrugs. “Sometimes it’s nice to get something new. And it was kind of fun, imagining what you might like and what would look good.”
We walk hand-in-hand toward the sound of a large party.
“I didn’t know you liked shopping for women’s clothes so much.”
“I didn’t know I did, either,” he laughs.
“You look pretty amazing yourself.”
He looks down at me, and my skin explodes in goosebumps. How does he do that? I am suddenly all awkward and weird.
“Thank you. Nice of you to say,” he says, pretending to straighten his tie. “I appreciate your being here with me, darlin’. Thank you.”
“It’s what wives do, isn’t it?”