We got up and made our way into the bedroom. “I’m sorry for the mess,” I said when I switched on the light.
“You slept in here?” she asked as her eyes wandered all around the room. The clothes and empty bottles strewn everywhere were only the beginning. Plates of uneaten food were sitting all over the place, and the entire scene was disgusting.
“I couldn’t change it, so after a while I guess I came to accept it,” I said.
“I’ll take care of this while you’re gone,” she said. “Just in case you bring him back here later.”
“There won’t be any of that tonight,” I said. “He’s a gentleman.”
“All men are animals,” she laughed as she walked over to my closet and started rummaging through my clothes.
“Not all of them,” I said, thinking of Chance. “I’d like to think there are some good ones left.”
“No, no, no and no,” she said, swiping the hangers to the side.
“You don’t believe there are any good ones left?” I asked her.
“No,” she laughed. “I just meant those outfits won’t do. We really need to go shopping together. This one, this is wearable.”
She held up a royal blue off-the-shoulder mid-thigh dress that fit my curves perfectly. I always loved that dress and was glad she picked it out.
“That’s my favorite dress,” I said as she handed it to me.
“Why?” she asked when I took it from her.
“Because I feel good in it,” I said, looking at her questioningly.
“You should feel good in everything you wear,” she said. “Now go put it on.”
I held the hanger in one hand and the body of the dress in the other as I walked into the bathroom. Oh my God, I thought as I stared into the mirror, I’m actually going on a date with Chance tonight.
I slowly peeled away my uniform in agony. Every muscle, every bone in my body hurt as I bent and twisted to take it off. I stared at the bruises in the mirror. The ones on my face might have been hidden, but these ones still told the story.
This was the real reason nothing would happen tonight. I knew I wouldn’t be able to bear the pain of someone’s weight on top of mine, or being held too close. Even the idea of him seeing my body like this made me cringe. As much as I longed for him, sex would have to wait.
Although the pain and my nerves were getting the better of me, I managed to slip into the royal blue sheath. When I turned to look in the mirror, I realized that Allison and I may have made a mistake choosing an off-the-shoulder mid-thigh dress. Some of my bruises were peeking out.
Other than that, the dress was perfect, and I was heartbroken that I wouldn’t be able to wear it. According to Allison, it was the most wearable thing in my closet.
“Are you coming out?” Allison called. “Let’s see.”
God, I didn’t want to go out there and show her the extent of my bruises. She knew about my face, but she didn’t know about my body. I looked like hell, and I didn’t need her reminding me of it.
Slowly, I got up the nerve to turn the doorknob and walk back into the bedroom. The self-confidence I’d felt only a few minutes earlier had been shattered to the floor.
I kept my head down and stared at the floor, trying to roll my shoulders forward, hoping she wouldn’t notice. Those bruises brought me such shame.
“Alex, what’s wrong?” she asked when she started walking over to me and picking at the dress.
“Look at me,” I said, pointing to my shoulders and arms.
“Don’t sweat it. It’s nothing that a little bit of makeup can’t fix. We can take care of your legs too.”
“Makeup can cover this?” I asked her with an astonished tone in my voice.
“Makeup can cover anything, sweetheart,” she said. “I wish I had known before you got dressed, though. Now get me some paper towels and I’ll get to work.
“And why do you look so sad?” she asked. “I thought you were excited about going out with Chance.”
“I am. I’m just so ashamed of my body. These bruises, they’re hideous. I look like the Loch Ness monster or something.”
“Honey, you have nothing to be ashamed of,” she said. “Your bruises are battle scars. Be proud of them. You came out of the battle alive. Now let’s do something about this.”
I sat there on the couch while she took care of the damages Mike had done to my body. Thank God he didn’t break any bones, I thought to myself. There’s no way she could cover a cast with that gunk.
“There we go,” she said. “Go look at yourself in the mirror.”
I stood up and walked back into the bathroom. I’m not sure what I was expecting to see, but in my mind, I’d visualized a patchwork pattern over my shoulders with skin-colored makeup that didn’t quite match my own.
Instead, as I stared in the mirror, I was astonished that her work was flawless. I couldn’t even tell where the bruises were. She’d done a marvelous job and my confidence was back.
I looked into the mirror, smiling. I actually looked like me again, even if it took three pounds of makeup to get there. The dress looked exquisite, and I couldn’t wait for eight o’clock to arrive.
“Get out here,” Allison yelled. “We aren’t done yet, and he’ll be here soon.”
“Coming,” I yelled back, taking one last glance at myself before I headed back out to the living room.
“I see you managed to tear yourself away from the mirror long enough to join me,” she giggled. “Now sit down.”
I sat on the couch while she yanked my hair into all kinds of contortions. At times it felt like she was pulling it out.
“Ouch,” I yelled when it felt like she’d grabbed out a handful.
“Relax. It’s painful to be beautiful,” she said as she continued ripping at my hair. “Hey, you wear your hair up to work right?”
“Yes, I have to,” I replied.
“Never mind. You should wear it down tonight, then.”
“After all that?” I asked as I reached up and touched my aching scalp.
“Sorry about that,” she said as she started combing my long hair and pinning the top back. “There, now that’s beautiful. Take a look.”
I took her handheld mirror and raised it. The hairdo looked amazing from the front with the little wisps hanging down.
“Now it’s time to get Cinderella ready for the ball,” she laughed.
“Ah, but the ball isn’t until the end of the month,” I said sarcastically.
“One date at a time, sweetheart,” she said as she made her way back into my bedroom.
“What are you looking for?” I asked as I rummaged around, trying to find my purse.
“These,” she said as she came back into the room triumphantly.
“I can’t wear those,” I said as I looked at the blue sequined heels and matching clutch she’d brought back with her.
“Why not? You bought them,” she said as she set the shoes down on the floor in front of me.
“They’re uncomfortable. They pinch my toes and make my feet ache.”
“They’ll look great with that dress. Is impressing Chance worth it?”
“I guess,” I said as I reluctantly put them on and grabbed my other purse.
“Oh, no,” she said. “You need this one.”
“But that purse won’t hold anything, Allison. It’s impractical.”
“Tonight’s about glamour, Alex. Besides, what do you need to take with you on your date? Trust me, nothing that you can’t fit into this purse.”
I mulled it over in my mind and realized that she was right. I transferred my wallet and a lipstick over to the tiny clutch and looked up at the clock. Chance would be arriving any second.
CHAPTER TWENTY
~Chance~
A date with Alex, I thought to myself. How did I let this happen? I’m her superior. I tried to keep it professional. God knows how badly I wanted her, but I still tried not to act on it. Now here I was, getting ready to go on a date with the girl
I’d had a crush on since I was a child.
I wanted to call her and cancel. A couple of times I even picked up the phone and dialed her number, but hung up before it started ringing. I knew the date was a bad idea, but I also couldn’t stand to disappoint her.
“Where are you going all spiffed up?” Anderson asked when I walked out of my bunk to go pick up Alex.
All spiffed up, I thought to myself. I’d purposely dressed down for the date in my best pair of blue jeans and a deep purple shirt. I didn’t want to overdo it for our first date, and I felt it was best to keep things at least semi-casual for a while. If my men thought this was dressed up, I was concerned about what they’d wear to the ball.
“I have a date,” I said, trying to sound as casual as possible.
“A date,” Anderson said as he looked up from the paper.
“Yeah, a date. Does that surprise you?” I asked as I smoothed my hair back one last time.
“No. Well, a little. I really thought there was something going on between you and O’Neil. But if you’re going on a date, then...”
“We already told you there was nothing between us. Just leave it,” I said as I headed down the stairs and went to pick her up.
On the drive to her house, my nerves set in. I hadn’t dated in a long time. After my ex-wife, it seemed like every girl who wanted to date me was some sort of psycho, and we only went out once. After that, I stopped dating altogether.
I couldn’t even remember how to date. Should I bring her flowers or chocolate? What are guys doing these days, I thought. Not wanting to be a total dud, I stopped at a corner store on the way and bought both.
When I pulled into her driveway, I sat in my car for a few minutes listening to the radio and trying to calm my nerves. My palms were sweating and my pulse was racing. No other girl had ever brought out these reactions in me.
I looked at the clock on my dashboard. It was 8:03 p.m. and I was already late. I’d better get in there, I thought, or she’ll think I’m not coming. It was time to man up, get out of my car, and walk up to the door.
“These are for you,” I said before I looked up and saw the tall red-haired beauty grinning at me.
“Alex is in the other room,” she said. “She’ll just be a second.”
“These aren’t really for you,” I said when I walked in.
“No kidding,” she laughed. “I’ll put these in some water while you make yourself comfortable.”
“Where’s Emily?” I asked as I made my way over to the couch.
“She went to a friend’s house for dinner. She should be back shortly,” she said.
I sat there making small talk with the redhead while I waited patiently for Alex. Every second that went by made me wonder whether I was making a huge mistake, until she walked out looking like a goddess in blue.
“You look gorgeous,” I said, barely able to get the words out.
Her dress clung to her like a well-tailored glove hugging each and every curve. I wanted to grab her and feel my way around the fabric, but somehow I managed to hold myself back.
“You look great too,” she said when she walked over to give me a hug. I realized that I probably looked like a deadbeat in my jeans and dress shirt. I’d never thought she’d go all out like that.
“Just something I had lying around,” I laughed. “But you, you look magnificent.”
“Can you two stop swooning over each other and get out of here?” Allison teased.
“I guess that’s our cue to leave,” Alex said as she grabbed her purse.
As we headed out to my car, I couldn’t help but notice the way the moonlight danced across her hair.
“Oh dear God,” she screeched as she stumbled in her shoes.
I caught her around the waist to keep her from falling and her hair tickled my nose. The fruity scent of her perfume teased my senses and set me on fire. I wanted to inhale more of her and couldn’t wait to get her in the car.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
~ Alexandria~
When I walked into the living room and saw Chance sitting there in blue jeans and a dress shirt, self-consciousness took over. I was completely overdressed, and I felt out of place. He kept reassuring me that I looked great, but I knew that I’d gone too far.
I should have known when Allison made me wear the damn heels that I was in for trouble. As soon as we headed out for his car, I stumbled and would have fallen if he hadn’t caught me.
When I was wrapped up in his strong arms, I felt so safe, like nothing could hurt me. I wanted to stay like that forever. But he reached over to open the passenger’s side’s door for me, and I had to let go of his warm embrace and get inside.
“Where are we going?” I asked when he started to drive.
“Is it important?” he asked as he looked at me and grinned.
“No, not really. I just thought it would be nice to know where you’re taking me for our date.”
“Trust me,” he said as he winked at me.
I sat there staring at his hands on the steering wheel. Such strong hands that I so wished he’d wrap around me again. He wore an onyx insignia ring on his right hand with a C on it, and a gold watch on the same arm.
“Why do you wear your watch on your right arm?” I asked.
“Why wouldn’t I?” he asked, giving me a funny look.
“You’re supposed to wear it on the left so you can see it easier.”
“I prefer it on the right. I didn’t know there were rules when it came to watches.”
The scent of woodsy cologne filled the car and intoxicated me. I wanted to get closer to him so I could inhale more of it, more of him. I tried moving closer to the middle of the front seat, but my seat belt was giving me a hard time again.
“Everything okay?” he asked, giving me a strange look.
“Everything’s fine,” I said as I reached out and touched his hand.
He took my hand in his and held it gently. He hadn’t mentioned anything about my face since he’d picked me up. I supposed that was a good thing. Anything he could have said would have only made me reach up and touch it, and I would have become more nervous.
“We’re here,” he said as he pulled up in front of a small fish and chip diner. “I found this place last week. They have the best seafood around.”
“I’ve never been here before,” I said as we got out of his car in front of the tiny blue and white building. It looked almost like a bungalow, a house. I couldn’t imagine that it could be a restaurant, but it had a sign out front.
“Friedman, reservations for two,” Chance said when we walked inside.
We were immediately led through the small dining room to a tiny table for two. I glanced around at the wooden floors and exposed beam ceilings. With less than ten tables in the place, it seemed hard to believe that they were able to stay in business.
“Actually, can we have a table on the patio?” Chance asked the hostess before we sat down.
We were then led through the dining room out to the patio. The atmosphere out there was completely different. Nicer tables, sparkling lights, and laughing voices. This was where the majority of their clientele spent their time.
“Normally, I sit in there, but a gem like yourself should be out here sparkling,” he said as he pulled out my chair for me.
I felt like a princess for the first time in my life while we sat out there laughing and talking as the waitress brought our entrees. The stars were twinkling and the lights were shining against the crystals that cascaded from the ceiling. I felt like I was living a fairy tale.
“Did you hear that?” Chance asked when we were finishing our dessert.
“Hear what?” I asked, looking around frightened.
“The fish jumping,” he said quietly as he got up and walked to the edge of the patio.
“Fish jumping?” I asked, following him, sure he’d lost his mind.
“Out there,” he said, pointing over the railing.
“There’s water,” I said
, shocked by the discovery.
“Didn’t you realize I brought you down to the docks?” he laughed.
“I guess not,” I laughed.
“I think the fish are done showing off for tonight,” he said. “Would you like some wine?”
Alcohol and I had a love-hate relationship. I had always liked the occasional drink, but I’d also seen what it had done to my father and to Mike. As much as I didn’t mind it personally, in some ways it sickened me just thinking about it.
“I don’t know,” I said, turning to walk back to the table.
“If you want, I can take you home,” he said, taking his wallet out of his back pocket.
“No, no. I think a glass of wine would be lovely,” I said, sitting down at the table.
Chance called the waitress over and ordered a bottle of wine. I was a little bit nervous drinking around him in case I got tipsy or even a little bit silly. But I knew he wouldn’t take me too seriously, so it was all good.
When she came back with our drinks, Chance smelled the cork and nodded before she poured a small amount into his glass. He tasted it and then nodded again before she filled my glass, and then the remainder of his.
“I had no idea you were a wine connoisseur,” I said after she left.
“There are a lot of things about me you don’t know,” he laughed. Then he put his chin in his hand and said, “Don’t get too impressed, it’s just something I saw in a movie once.”
“Aw, so should I worry that you’re going to steal airplanes or wear a coconut bra?” I asked as I took a sip of my wine.
“What?” he asked, cracking up.
“In case you saw it in a movie once,” I laughed.
***
The entire time Chance was driving me home after our date, I worried about what would happen next. Would he want to come in, would he walk me to the door, would he kiss me goodnight? I had myself in a frenzy to the point where I could barely think straight. Or maybe it was the wine.
“I had a really good time tonight,” I said as I opened my door when we got to my house.
“Let me come around and get that for you,” he said as he got out of the driver’s seat.
Okay, so he was going to at least walk me to the door. One down, two to go.
He walked around the car and extended his hand to help me out of the car. I felt like an actress stepping out onto the red carpet as I put my feet down on my driveway. Within seconds, I lost my footing and landed on my ass right at Chance’s feet.