Page 3 of Tell Me It’s Forever

“Technically, it’s tonight,” I correct, my voice laced with misery. “It’s past midnight, which means I’m scheduled to go on a date with a complete stranger in less than twenty hours.”

“Gennie, sweetie, we’ve talked about this.” Her tone softens into a maternal, no-nonsense voice she reserves for when one of us is spiraling, mostly me. “It’s dinner. You sit across from a guy, eat an expensive meal paid for by him, and then you leave. You’ve been on dates before.”

“Not like this,” I whisper, pulling my knees to my chest. “You weren’t there. You didn’t see him.”

“Okay. I’m listening. Describe him.” The typing on Jett’s end stops instantly.

“I never expected him,” I begin softly. “When I walked out on the stage, I figured the crowd would be filled with local donors, like last year. But then I saw him standing in the dimly lit alcove. And when I tell you he looked like he owned the entire building, I mean more along the lines of the whole damn city.”

“Tall?” Jett asks.

“Impossibly tall,” I breathe. “His shoulders are the kind that make a woman wonder what it would feel like to be wrapped in his arms and never let go. He wore a dark tailored-to-perfection suit that costs more than my annual rent and has chestnut-brown hair and a sharp jawline, but it wasn’t how he looked, Jett. It was the way he looked at me.”

“How?”

“Like…” I swallow, searching for words, feeling a sudden flush creep up my neck thinking about it. “Like I was the only person in the room. No, like I was the meal he was starving for. Jett, I have never been looked at like that in my entire life. It wasn’t polite interest. It was hunger. Pure, unapologetic desire. He was practically eating me up with his eyes while I was standing under the bright stage light, my knees shaking so hard I thought I was going to faint.”

“Do go on,” Jett urges.

“The bidding started at ten thousand dollars,” I say, my voice barely above a whisper, catching her up on what happened since her schedule has been so chaotic lately. “A couple of others drove the price up. Then he raised his paddle.”

“How much?” This is what shocked me the most. M y past with men has been nothing short of shitty. As a result, my self-worth, self-doubt, and self-confidence took a hit so deep it’s taken me months to pull myself out with the help of my girls.

“One hundred thousand dollars.” Thick silence hangs between us for a solid five seconds.

“Shut the fuck up. I swear I miss all the good stuff. Damn it,” Jett replies.

“I’m not lying! The entire room went quiet, the auctioneer lost his place in the script, people were literally turning around to stare at him, and he didn’t even blink. He just kept his eyes locked on mine. And do you know who was standing beside him?”

“One hundred Gs?” Jett squeals, her composure completely obliterated. “For a date? I mean no offense by this because you are worth all of that and more, but, man, he must really have a hard-on for you, Gennie.”

“Way to help calm my nerves.” I bury my face in a throw pillow. “He spent an exorbitant amount of money for me? God, will he expect more? And why were Nolan and Vik with him?”

“Excuse me, what? Vik and Nolan? And he better not expect more unless you’re willing to give it to him, or else my size-eight Doc Marten boot will be shoved up his ass so fast, he won’t see what’s coming.” She absolutely would do all that and more.

“Yep, those two. They were one thousand percent for sure in cahoots.” I toss the pillow to the side.

“Okay, please tell me you got his name,” Jett all but demands.

“I did,” I mumble. “The emcee said his name when he won. The charity also sent over the confirmation details for the reservation tonight. His name is Gavin Rhodes.”

“Okay, pulling up the results now…” Jett says, her voice dropping into her focused investigative tone. I can only imagine the search engines, background databases, and social media networks she’s pilfering through. “Holy shit.”

“What? What is it? Is he a mob boss? White-collar criminal? The suspense is killing me.” I hold my breath, clutching the phone tightly against my ear.

“Gennie.” A low whistles echoes through the speaker. “Gavin Rhodes is a hotel empire billionaire—luxury resorts, five-star properties all over the globe. He’s worth thirty billion dollars, and he rarely—and by that, I mean never—attends public charity galas. There isn’t a single piece of tabloid gossip on him. No high-profile exes, no public scandals.” She pauses for a moment, and I can hear the rustle of her moving closer to the screen. “And, sweetie? The photos must not do him justice, but wow. He looks like he was carved out of marble by a sculptor who has a severe fixation on ridiculously handsome men. Look at your texts right now. I just sent you his Forbes profile photo.”

My phone buzzes in my hand. With trembling fingers, I tap the screen, putting Jett on speaker before opening my messages. The high high-resolution photo expands on my screen. Piercing gray eyes. A shadow of dark stubble tracing a razor-sharp jawline. An expression that’s cold, calculated, and utterly dominant on his face. Yet even in a polished corporate portrait, there’s an edge to him, a dangerous intensity that matches the exact look he gave me from the back of the ballroom. And there in bold letters is his name listed as CEO of The Summit House.

“He bought you for one hundred grand, Gennie.” A mischievous spark is in her voice. “You are not canceling this date.”

“Jett, I’m a marketing coordinator who wears oversized clothes, hides behind the computer screen, and prefers a good book over nights out,” I squeak, staring at his photo. “Look at him. He probably eats people like me for breakfast!”

“Then you better dress like a snack,” Jett shoots back without missing a beat. “Listen to me, you are going on this date. You are going to wear that killer little black dress that’s been hanging in the back of your closet from when you dumped the douche canoe. You are going to hold your head high, and you are going to let a gorgeous billionaire buy you the most expensive steak in the city.”

“And if he looks at me like he wants to devour me whole?” I ask.

“Then let him.” I can practically see her grin through the phone. “Now get some sleep. You have a hot date to prepare for, and I’ve got reinforcements to call. I might not be able to be there, but our girls will.” We hang up a few minutes later, and the silence of my apartment returns. I set my phone on the coffee table, the image of Gavin Rhodes seared in my mind.