Fallen Woman(17)

I pinched my mouth together and looked at the carpet on the floor in front of me.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.”

“It’s okay. You have your prejudices just like other people have theirs. I’m sure lots of those people surrounding your limo automatically believed you were a spoiled, pompous ass. Only way they’d know the truth is if they got to know you, right?”

“Touché.” He cast his eyes down then met mine again. “You’re different, Gianna. You don’t get it, you don’t see it, and that’s good. But the majority of women I run into are not you.”

“If you haven’t given any of them the chance to get to know you, then you can’t say that with any certainty. Anyway, you’re not out with them, you’re out with me. So let’s just enjoy the evening knowing there are no strings attached, and at the end of the night, you paid for a service like you would a waitress.”

“Right.” He grinned, but I caught a hint of something in his blue eyes—possibly sinister, although I couldn’t say for certain. They were an odd blue. They didn’t match anything else about him or his personality. The color was dull, almost lifeless.

The limo stopped and the door opened, this time by the chauffeur. Drake exited first, then his hand appeared in the opening, and he stood very close as he helped me out of the car.

“There are cameras everywhere and short skirts tend to provide shots that get women noticed…and not for anything worthy.” As soon as I was out and standing, he put proper distance between us and offered me his arm.

He was right—there were cameras everywhere, but for the life of me, I had no clue why. These were just local businessmen, no one famous here. When I walked up the aisle created by black velvet ropes, I saw the sign. “Feed the Children.”

Drake noticed my stare. “We each have organizations that are important to us, Gianna. Being entrusted with wealth means giving back—at least in my opinion. This is a worthy cause, and they do more with the resources and funds they raise than just about any other non-profit out there. Ninety-seven percent of their funds go toward their mission; they only have a three percent administrative cost—meaning the entirety of the organization is run by volunteers and donations. And each chapter keeps the money in their local community so anything raised here tonight will stay in Calhoun County.”

I nodded my understanding and got lost in my head. I didn’t know the other guys any better than I knew Drake, but if they were all this fantastic, this concerned with their community, I wouldn’t be able to stop from loving every one of them…platonically, of course.

Mingling has never been my thing, but somehow, on the arm of a man I didn’t care about going home with, it seemed effortless. I was able to talk and move with the crowd. I was able to hold conversations, and at one point, Drake leaned down and said, “Where the hell did you go to school?”

I tipped my head to his ear and whispered, “Dartmouth.” I was proud. It was a moment like none I’d ever experienced. I hadn’t been recognized for my intelligence in years, and I loved blowing the mind of a wealthy man who thought he’d had me pegged.

“Does Jase know that?” he quirked his mouth in a grin, thinking he had a secret no one else was privy to.

“Yes, Drake. He knows.”

“Remind me how you ended up where you are?” The interest was amusement, which irritated me a tad, but I reminded myself every bit of this and my life were foreign concepts to Drake.

“That’s a conversation for another time.” I winked at him so he’d know I wasn’t upset, but I sure wasn’t discussing the downfalls of Ryan LeBron in this company.

The remainder of the evening went smoothly and dinner was superb. I’d always been amazed by kitchens that impeccably execute enormous meals for hundreds of people, and they’d done it here. The wine was good, as was the company, and when Drake asked me to dance, I almost turned him down.

In a traditional ballroom form, he twirled me around the room. We laughed and talked as we moved. It was fun and flawless—everyone around us lost in their own worlds, too. I noted how many people were here solo and could count them on one hand. I realized how hard it would be for any of these guys to come alone, because while the number of men here stag was almost nil, the number of women was astounding. Drake was right…they all seemed to be on the prowl.

The feel of his hand on my back, the way the lights danced on the floor around us, the hum of the people talking in the background…it all made for a fairytale evening, but Drake was a perfect gentleman. He treated me with respect, and I appreciated him for it. If this was how all these evenings would play out, I could love this part-time job.

As the night wound down—the silent auction concluded and donations made—the total raised was just short of a million dollars. All in one night. That seemed like an enormous amount of money to me, and I was ecstatic to have been a part of it, even if I hadn’t had any money to contribute.

When we got to my door, Drake kissed my cheek and gave me a slight hug. I turned to go in the apartment, and he awkwardly placed a wad of money in my hand. I didn’t bother looking at it. “Thank you again for a lovely evening, Drake. I had a fantastic time.”

“I did too. Hopefully, we can do it again sometime soon.”

“That would be nice.”