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Chapter Ten
Lindsay
I may have failed to tell Phillip that it was Samantha who couldn’t use the wine and paint night tickets. She had given them to me with one stipulation: I had to call and ask him out. I had told her I would, but she wouldn’t take my word for it and had stood beside me while I made the call. I thought friends were supposed to trust friends. But I guess she knows, I needed the push.
It wasn’t that I didn’t want to see Phillip again, but when he didn’t call me on Sunday or Monday, I began to doubt that he wanted to see me again. I’m not so old-fashioned as to believe a woman can’t ask a man out, but I wasn’t about to throw myself at him.
But Phillip did answer my call and surprisingly, asked me to dinner. Usually, pizza is one of my favorites, but tonight, I could hardly eat. Phillip must’ve noticed too because he asked me several times if I was okay. Great, the one thing he really knows about me is that I eat like a linebacker.
At dinner I avoided asking him why he had left it up to me to make the next move. In retrospect, I realized he had been serious when he told me to let him know when I was ready to collect my winnings. At that time I thought he was just being cute. I’m not sure he would ever have called me. And if it wasn’t for Samantha, who knows, maybe we still wouldn’t be talking.
I owe you, Samantha.
Even though I was tired from working the last few nights, I was exactly where I wanted to be. Dinner had been nice, but not very relaxing. It could be the wine, but the atmosphere at this venue felt different.
I could see Phillip eyeing my painting. “You do know we’re painting a yellow and orange daisy, right?” he asked teasingly.
I looked at my wooden board. What I’d painted looked like a daisy, but the colors were completely off from the instructor’s sample project. It wasn’t my fault, really. While the instructor was giving directions, I was busy enjoying having Phillip so close to me. He even had his arm around the back of my chair, his hand resting on my shoulder. Someone could’ve said the building was on fire and I wouldn’t have heard a damn thing.
“I have a feeling I mixed the wrong colors together.” Because you’re distracting as hell, and I’m loving it. That really didn’t explain why my flower was brown. “Maybe I’m ahead of the class and painting a wilting, dying daisy,” I laughed.
Phillip pointed to his painting. “What’s my excuse? I have the colors right, but I’m not sure I’d even call this a flower, never mind a daisy.”
“Maybe yours is abstract art?” I joked. “Who knows, you might be able to fill an entire gallery with your portraits.”
“Or at least an entire dumpster. I am willing to accept the fact that painting is not a skill I possess,” he sighed.
“Me either.” Taking another sip of wine, I added, “But another glass of this and I might actually start to like my daisy.”
“I’ll need the entire bottle to even consider taking my painting home,” he laughed.
Samantha had called it right. This type of outing was a good date night activity. I could think of some other fun activities I’d like to try tonight that might be inappropriate for an art classroom, but since Phillip had barely kissed me, I wouldn’t get my hopes up. Oh, who am I kidding? I wore my black lace bra and matching panties!
“Maybe you should have the limo pick us up out back so no one sees us carrying these ugly things out of here,” I suggested.
“Too bad we are not allowed to have a bonfire in Boston, because these could definitely make the pile.” He leaned over and whispered, “What do you say we sneak out of here early?”
“Will we offend the instructor?” I asked.
He chuckled. “I think our paintings have already done that.” Phillip reached over and grabbed my hand. “Unless you want to stay and explain our art to the class?”
I shook my head. “Lead the way.”
When we were out of the building and inside his limo, he said, “Where to now, Lindsay?”
The sound of my name on his lips sent a thrill through me. I hadn’t planned anything beyond this. “My apartment, I guess.”
“Tired?” he asked.
I was, but I didn’t want tonight to end. “Just thought it would be a good place to talk.” God, that sounded lame.At least Samantha wasn’t around to hear it.
He gave the driver my address and settled back against the warm leather seat beside me. “I’m glad you called today.”
You are? So am I.“Couldn’t let free tickets go to waste.” I must sound ridiculous. Phillip was a billionaire and here I was talking about free tickets. Heck, he probably could’ve purchased the building. This is why he didn’t call me.
“And just think, you didn’t even have to stand in line,” he joked.
I sighed and said, “I’d never do that. I mean, for tickets for myself. It’s different when I’m getting paid to do it.”
