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“A charity thing?” he asks. “Who’s going?”
“I don’t know,” I say.
“Blake Ford is the one who gave her the tickets,” Samantha says, starting on her other eye with the liner, working carefully with her mouth open.
Alex leans forward, eyes twinkling. “Are you shitting me? Blake Ford?”
I nod. “He’s some bigshot.”
“Somebigshot!?” Alex shakes his head, leaning his elbows on his knees. “He’sthebiggest bigshot in New York! He only owns half the buildings downtown, and he has a few business across the border, too. I’m in.” He rubs his hands together. “If Blake Ford is there…”
I giggle. “Yeah? Big deal?”
“You have no fucking idea. If I can attend and write a story about this thing, namedropping someone like Blake Ford, my boss is going to kiss my feet.”
Samantha grins. “There you have it.”
“When is it?” Alex asks.
“Tonight,” I say. “I wasn’t going to go.”
“Tonight is fine,” Alex says and stands. “I’m clearing my schedule. Let me find a suit.” He leaves the room and I look at Samantha, who looks pleased with herself.
“Well, I guess I should get ready, then,” I say and stand, too.
“I want all the details of how he charms your panties off!”
I giggle. “I’m not going to sleep with him.”
“You should,” Samantha answers. “Come on, live a little, Rach. How long has it been since you’ve had someone make your toes curl?”
I blush and shake my head. I only slept with someone once since Luc, and that was to get the asshole out of my system. After five years of dating, I needed a breath of fresh air. Luc is the reason I left Paris in the first place, to clear my head. Without him in my life, I have no reason to go back to Paris now that my father’s job has taken them to yet another country. My older sisters both decided to move with them, but I’m not up for starting over again.
“I’m not answering that question,” I say.
“Well, it’s about high time, then,” Samantha says with a wink. “Go, have fun!”
I nod and leave the apartment after confirming with Alex what time he’ll pick me up.
At home, I dress in a ruby red cocktail dress. Raven and I went shopping together before I left Paris and it was her gift to me, so I could attend functions for the company. Then, I believed I would be a part of Ruby Blue for a long time. That was before I realized I want to stand on my own two feet and ratherpartnerwith Ruby Blue than working for them outright.
The red dress has a princess neckline, and it’s backless. The silky material clings to my body, accentuating my curves in all the right places. I twist my hair up and pin it back, and put on smokey eyeshadow and nude lipstick.
A charcoal clutch and matching strappy heels finish the look and I’m ready to go.
There was a time when I loved dressing up and hanging out at posh parties, but somewhere along the lines with Luc in my life, I lost all of that. It never happens all at once, so it’s a red flag. But bit by bit, he chipped away at me, and now I’m in the process of rebuilding myself, finding out who I want to be again.
Alex honks outside, right on time.
When I step out, he whistles through his teeth.
“You’re a stunner, you know that?”
I laugh. “Thanks. You clean up nicely, too.”
He’s dressed in a black suit with a crisp white shirt.
“I have three ties, but now that I see your dress, the red one will be perfect.” He digs in the back of his car and pulls out a red tie, already knotted, and pulls it over his head, tightening it around his neck.
