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Striding down the extremely quiet hallway, I’m almost at the elevator when I realize that the man who’s already waiting there is Asher. The absolutely hot man who I haven’t been able to get out of my mind since we met.
He’s concentrating on his phone but he glances up when I join him.
“Hi there, Elena.” His velvet-smooth voice could melt chocolate. “Are you getting settled in?”
“Yes,” I manage. I’m surprised he remembers my name. It hasn’t been long but he’s very obviously busy and absorbed in whatever he’s doing. “I’m pretty much done.”
“What do you think of the building so far?” After tapping a couple more things into his phone, he makes a point of putting it away. When he turns to face me, the force of his good looks hits me head on once again. For a moment I forget what he’s asked me.
“It’s lovely,” I say hastily when I manage to break myself out of my trance. “The view’s amazing. How long have you lived here?”
He frowns as if he has to think about it. “Not long at all.” His phone beeps loudly and he pulls it out to glance at it. “Damn,” he mutters under his breath.
“Everything okay?” I’m not trying to pry but I want to keep the conversation between us going for as long as possible. Asher’s so far out of my league I can’t even believe I’ve got the courage to speak to him.
But why not? We’re neighbors. He seems friendly enough and he’s certainly been nice to me. If he doesn’t want to talk about it, he can say so.
“Yes. Fine,” he says. “Nothing’s wrong, just something I need to take care of that’s a bit of a hassle. I know it’s very last minute, but are you by any chance free on Friday night?”
“Um.” What? Mr. Sex God’s asking me out? There’s no way, he can’t be. I’m still standing in stunned silence when that smile of his that makes my heart pound makes an appearance again. The elevator arrives and I’m glad to have an excuse to not answer him right away.
“Let me clarify,” Asher says as the doors close behind us. “I need someone to accompany me to a charity gala that I have to attend. If you could be my date for the evening, it’d really help me out.”
“Do you always ask out women that you’ve just met?” I ask.
He grins at me, his eyes dancing. “Not usually, but I’m really in a bind here. It’s an annual event and it’s a pretty good time. I’m expected to bring someone no matter what. I don’t mean for it to be a read date because that’s not what I’m looking for.”
My lips tighten. “We’d be together just for appearance’s sake?”
“Yes. Think of it as an evening spent together between new neighbors. If you’re interested, you’d really be helping me out. I’d be happy to take you out for dinner afterwards as a thank you,” Asher says.
We reach the ground floor. The doors open wide to three people waiting to get on. Asher stops in the lobby after we exit, waiting expectantly for my answer.
“So, a non-date date?” I ask.
“Exactly,” he says. “No strings, no pressure. Just a nice evening out.”
I haven’t had any real plans outside of barhopping with Riley since Owen and I broke up. Why would I turn down the chance to spend some time with a gorgeous, obviously successful man?
I gave him my brightest smile. “Sounds like fun. I’m in.”
“Great.” Asher’s more relieved than I expect. “I’ll send you the details tonight. Right now I’ve got to run.”
We trade numbers quickly before we go our separate ways. I’m already excited, as if it’s actually going to be a real date. I don’t care if it isn’t for Asher. It’s going to be date-like enough for me. I’m going to have a fun night out with a very handsome man and that should help chase out those annoying random thoughts of my ex that tend to pop into my mind at the worst moments.
Besides, even if it starts out as a fake date, there’s always the tiny chance that it could become real.
By the time I get back from my shift at the restaurant, I’m super tired. I used to have so much fun at work but every shift is exhausting these days. I open the leftovers I talked the chef into giving me and click the movie-screen sized TV on. I’m curling up in an enormous, soft chair when a text from Asher arrives. It’s got all the details for our evening out. After I click the link he sent me, I stare at my phone in disbelief.
For some reason I was picturing some kind of charity auction at a local restaurant. We have those at my restaurant now and then. The more I scroll, the more freaked out I get. It’s for Unmasked, one of New York’s widely known annual galas. It’s an exclusive, invitation-only event.
Definitely ball gown level. I’ve never been to anything even close to this sort of thing before. Miserably I toss my phone aside. I guess I can pull off the illusion that I belong in this building since Asher asked me to join him, but there’s no chance of me fitting in at Unmasked. It’s for the Manhattan elite. So very much not my crowd.
I should cancel. I need to do it right now so he can find someone else to take instead. My finger hovers but I can’t quite bring myself to do it. Whether I fit in or not, I want so much to go. This would be a night to remember. Something so outside of my normal life that I have to try and make it work.
Instead of replying to Asher, I tap at Riley’s number.
“Yeah,” she says, obviously distracted. “I mean, hi.”
