Chapter Eleven
“No date?” Harper asked, joining me in front of the mirror.
She was wearing a floor-length emerald gown that matched her eyes. It was more bohemian and flowy than my style, but it looked beautiful on her. Thank god, Alexis hadn’t made us wearing matching bridesmaid dresses. She hadn’t even dictated what color we wear. She just wanted us here, though the invitation had specified black tie.
My own dress was a nod to the 1920s venue. The black sequined bodice flowed into a feathery skirt that ended below the knee. My hair was curled in loose waves that hung down my back, my lips painted a deep crimson color.
I dabbed at the corner of my mouth. “Nah. I was kind of hoping Preston might have some hot friends.”
Harper leaned in, whispering conspiratorially, “Have you seen his friend—the blond?” She fanned herself. “I wouldn’t mind going home with him tonight.”
I laughed to myself. “Since when do you take home strangers?” Her expression turned serious, and I frowned. “Harper?”
“I’m tired of being alone,” she huffed, spinning so her back was to the mirror. “I’ll be thirty-six next month. I thought I’d be married by now, have a kid, maybe even two.” Her shoulders slumped, and I hated seeing her so upset. “Instead, I’m all alone.”
“You’re not alone.” I wrapped my arm around her shoulder, hugging her to me. “You have me. And you have Juliana and Alexis.”
“Yeah.” She let out a breath. “But it’s not the same.”
“Maybe not,” I said, not wishing to dismiss her feelings. I may not want to get married or have children, but I knew it was important to Harper. And I wanted her to be happy. “But we love you.”
“Thanks.”
“Besides,” I added. “How many people can say they’ve visited as many cool places as you have?”
She lifted her shoulder in a halfhearted shrug. “True, but… I feel like something’s missing from my life.”
“So, do something about it,” I said, releasing her and fluffing my hair in the mirror.
“Like what?” Harper huffed. “I haven’t met a guy in forever who makes it past one date, let alone three.”
My eyes went wide, knowing Harper had a strict three-date rule. No sex before then. To me, it seemed arbitrary. But hey, to each their own. And it seemed to work for her.
“Though, at this point—” She fluffed her hair, dabbing at her lip gloss. “I’m reconsidering the rule. I haven’t had sex in nearly a year.”
My jaw dropped. “You, what? What about the hotties you meet on travel?”
Juliana’s dry spell was understandable. She was grieving. But Harper’s? That was unforgivable.
My own dry spell was dragging on, with no end in sight. I didn’t know what was wrong with me, though I suspected it had something to do with my unicorn client. When I was with Hunter, I thought I might implode from how badly I wanted him. But around other men—nothing. Zilch. Nada.
It had been two weeks of torture. And because we were still honing his style—and he was my ticket to winningCasa Beautiful—I saw him a lot. It seemed like he was always at my office or we were furniture shopping or grabbing lunch. I was still working on other projects, but it felt as if he’d become my sole focus.
“I’m usually too busy working or jet-lagged. I don’t know—” She leaned against the counter, watching as I finished fixing my makeup. “I’m just in a funk.”
“And I thought my dry spell was bad,” I muttered.
“Dry spell? You?” Of course, she’d latch on to that.
“Don’t worry.” I grinned. “I intend to break it tonight.”
It really had been too long. And the lack of sex was making me a bit crazy—making me doubt myself. Or at least questioning my decision to turn down Hunter’s offer to be friends with benefits. But he was a client. More importantly, his house was the key to knocking theCasa Beautifulfeature out of the park and beating Luther.
Plus, there were already rumors swirling about my less-than-professional reputation. Hunter wasn’t married, but I didn’t need to encourage the idea that sleeping with my clients was a regular occurrence. Or—worse still—a service I offered.Gross.
Harper laughed. “I wish I could be more like you. More…carefree. More assertive in the bedroom.”
“So, try it,” I said. “Next time you travel, pick the hottest guy you find, and go for it. You never know what’ll happen.”
