Chapter 15
FIFTEEN
AUSTIN
“Are you sure you want to go through with this?” I asked Jane as we lingered in the dining area after finishing an early dinner.
“Yes. I knew I’d have to do things like this from the beginning.” She flashed me a small smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Don’t worry, I’ve been doing breathing exercises on and off during the day. I should be fine.”
“Okay.” I hoped she was right. I didn’t want her to be miserable. “Shall we meet down here in an hour then?”
She nodded and made her way up the stairs. I went to my own room and spent half an hour planning out the conversations I still needed to have with some of the players on our team. Then, reluctantly, I opened my closet and pulled out the suit I saved for our biggest charitable events.
This evening, several members of the Chicago Chaos were attending a charity gala to support a youth hockey league for disadvantaged children.
I believed in the cause wholeheartedly, but I did wish I didn’t have to dress in a suit and parade in front of potential donors to bring in more money.
I’d rather just throw some of my own at it and leave the more outgoing guys on the team to do the socializing.
Unfortunately, it was one of the few downsides of being captain that my presence wasn’t optional.
I buttoned up the shirt, then undid the top one when it felt too tight around my neck.
I chose a plain silver tie and put it on methodically, the way my father had made me practice a thousand times before.
He hadn’t only been concerned with me being a great hockey player but looking the part as well.
I checked my reflection in the mirror and smoothed the front of the shirt, then adjusted the waistband of the trousers until everything was sitting the way I wanted it to.
I added a watch and a neat little pocket handkerchief, and made sure my black shoes were polished until they shone before putting them on. Perhaps I didn’t like being put on parade, but I was going to make management proud they’d chosen me to be the captain.
When I was as ready as I could be, I waited for Jane in the living room. The car would be arriving in five minutes, and I knew she wouldn’t be late. She never was. Although the longer she took to come down, the more I wondered if she hadn’t climbed out the window and run away.
Finally, with a great deal of relief, I heard her footfalls as she came down the stairs. I stood and went to meet her but stumbled over my own feet as she came into view.
Holy fucking crap.
I just about swallowed my tongue.
“J-Jane?” I sputtered, hardly able to believe my eyes.
She grabbed handfuls of her floaty pink skirt and lifted it, her gestures and expression self-conscious as she reached me.
“Is this all right?” she asked, nibbling on her lower lip, which was petal pink from some kind of lipstick or gloss.
I couldn’t help staring. In this dress that made her complexion look like peaches and cream and emphasized the curve of her breasts and the slenderness of her waist, she looked like some kind of daydream fantasy.
Her glossy, dark hair spilled over her shoulders in loose curls, falling almost all the way to her waist. Was it usually that long, or had she added some kind of extension?
Subtle eyeshadow made her eyes look mysterious, and she wore a delicate bracelet around her right wrist that drew attention, once more, to her petite frame.
“It’s perfect,” I said honestly. “You’re going to steal the show.”
Her cheeks pinkened. “I just don’t want to let you or myself down. I went shopping the other day and picked up a few new things.”
Oh shit. I should have thought of that. She’d insisted in the contract that she’d be allowed to choose her own clothing and accessories, but I’d given little consideration to the fact she might have to buy new ones.
“If you need a clothing budget, we can work something out for that,” I said.
She shook her head. “I don’t need much, and I think I’ve got the bases more or less covered now.”
I made a mental note to have Gus add another couple thousand dollars onto her payout anyway.
A sudden rap on the front door drew our attention.
I headed over and opened it. A man in a suit stood on the doorstep, a bland mask of politeness on his face that wavered for a moment as his gaze landed on me.
He must not have realized who he was picking up tonight.
Not that I was conceited enough to think that everyone in the city would recognize me on sight, but this guy clearly did.
He rallied quickly. “Hi, Mr. Harris. I’m Josh, and I’ll be your driver this evening. Are you ready to leave?”
I glanced over at Jane, who nodded. “Yes, thank you.”
Jane switched the alarm system on and then lifted her skirt again to step through the doorway and outside. She kept it pulled up as I followed her to the car, making sure the hem wasn’t dirtied by the damp ground.
Josh opened the back door of the sleek black limousine, and I gestured for Jane to precede me inside. She hiked her skirt up higher, ducked her head, and slid onto the forward-facing bench seat. I sat opposite her, not wanting to encroach on her space any more than I’d have to tonight.
The drive to the Art Institute of Chicago took a little while, but the traffic was surprisingly light. We pulled up out front and I had to remind Jane to wait for Josh to open our door before getting out.
Something unpleasant rippled through me as Josh took Jane’s hand to help her. His cheeks flushed, and I had the strangest urge to send her right back into the limousine, so no one else would get to see how gorgeous she was tonight.
I gritted my teeth and did my best to behave like a civilized person, stepping out and taking her arm without yanking her away from the driver.
I thanked him and escorted her up the stairs, moving slowly because I wasn’t sure how much experience she had walking in heels as high as the ones currently on her feet.
I sensed her glance around a few times, her spine straight and her muscles tensing, as if in preparation to flee.
“It’s going to be all right,” I promised her. “If you need a break or if you’re having trouble and need me to speak on your behalf, just squeeze my hand twice. Okay?”
“Okay,” she murmured, her gaze focused on the top of the stairs, where a small line had formed.
We joined it and waited our turn to be checked off the guest list. The central auditorium was already packed with wealthy, well-dressed patrons, as well as a handful of the charity’s employees and catering staff.
Searching the throng, I spotted Nick, Jesse, and Matt standing near a round bar leaner laden with drinks and snacks near one of the walls on the lower level.
I pointed to Jane. “Over there.”
“I see them.”
Together, we wound between clusters of guests until we reached my teammates. As we approached, Jesse reached for one of the champagne glasses on the serving table and held it out to Jane.
“You seem like a champagne sort of girl,” he said with a grin.
Given how stressed she was, I expected her to quietly take the glass, but instead, she drew in a quick breath as if to bolster herself, raised her chin, and replied, “I’m actually more of a beer girl.”
If anything, Jesse’s smile grew wider. “Well, your options are champagne, sauvignon blanc, some kind of red wine—I don’t know what because red wine is all terrible—sparkling grape juice, and water.”
She accepted the glass and sipped. “This will do.”
“Atta girl.”
I glared at him. “She’s not a dog.”
He cocked his head. “I know that. Why would you say she is? That’s kinda rude, man.”
Jane nudged my arm. “He didn’t mean anything by it. He’s harmless.”
“Well, of course I am. That’s why they invite me to these things.”
“Uh-huh,” Matt broke in, his tone skeptical. “Then what about that time you were banned from public events for a month?”
Jesse looked offended. “It’s not my fault the CEO of that pharmaceutical company didn’t like my rendition of ‘Pink Pony Club’.”
“If anything, it’s the organizer’s fault for putting tequila in the punch,” Nick added, straightening from where he leaned against the wall and choosing a drink of his own.
“I’m sure they thought it would loosen their guests’ inhibitions when it came to donating, but they should have expected that other inhibitions would go down the drain too. ”
“What inhibitions?” Jesse demanded. “I’d sing it again right here if I knew that Robertson wouldn’t skin me for it. I’m an epic singer. Everyone else appreciated my talent. That CEO was just sour because I danced with his daughter.”
Jane snickered and murmured to me, “I think it was his abs and his cute smile that they liked more than his singing. I’m pretty sure he did more than dance with that girl, too.”
I groaned. “I don’t want to know.”
A waitress came past, carrying a refill tray destined for one of the tables, and Jesse stole a pastry from it and batted his eyelashes when she side-eyed him.
“Keep it in your pants,” I hissed at him. “Our job tonight is not to make a scene. Let’s keep it PG.”
“I won’t do anything more than flirt,” he assured me, as if that alone wasn’t enough to get him into trouble.
Robertson appeared in front of us, clad in a suit that cost more than mine and shoes that I suspected were imported straight from Italy.
He waved his hands at us. “Mingle. Talk to people. Make us look good.”
With a quick exchange of grimaces, we broke apart and went in different directions.
Jane and I found ourselves in a group that included a couple of guys from the Milwaukee NHL team, who were in the city for a game tomorrow.
They smirked at us as if they knew something we didn’t, and it set my teeth on edge.
Another member of the group, one of the charity’s managers, was telling us about their selection process for the children who applied to participate in the program, so I tried to focus on her, making noises at the appropriate times.