Room-maid(33)

“Oh, I know.” She giggled. “Madison, you won’t mind if I steal your date for a moment? Because I was wondering if he’d care to dance.”

Man, I was good. I’d hardly expected things to work so quickly.

“Do you mind?” Tyler asked me, that amusement still evident in his voice.

For one second, I minded so hard my vision blurred. But I was helping him out and this was the best way I knew of to get his foot in the door.

“Of course not.”

He nodded, smiling at me. “Only if you promise that we’re going to finish our dance another time.”

I swallowed, hard. I knew he didn’t mean anything by it, even though it sounded like he did. As if he’d wanted to dance with me, hold me close, and was making sure that we’d get to do it again in the future. I could only nod back, silently agreeing.

It looked like he was going to walk away when he suddenly turned and leaned toward me, his mouth close to my ear. “By the way, I say yes to you teaching me culture.” His words were hot against my skin, sending waves of tingles across my neck and scalp.

“I am going to culture you so hard,” I whispered back, trying to joke but failing in the attempt.

“Perfect,” he said. Was I imagining that twinkling in his eyes?

I’d forgotten that I’d offered to help him out with cultural stuff during our discussion about how to schmooze rich people. But I definitely wasn’t going to turn down the chance to spend more time with him.

Not knowing of the plans we’d just made, Erin gave me a smug smirk before she slipped her own arm through Tyler’s, leading him onto the floor. I found a chair nearby and sat down. This was better. Since this event was comprised of people Bitsie knew, they were far more likely to pay attention to the young man dancing with her daughter than they would have if I’d danced with him. I could already see the glances, hear their whispers.

Erin could dance with him. I was the one who was going to spend time with him. And I was the one who would be going home with him at the end of the night. Well, not going home home with him, but sleeping in the same place he slept. In a separate room. Because we were just friends and roommates, I reminded my hormones for the millionth time.

Tyler said something that made Erin laugh, and she was staring up at him like he’d just invented dancing. It was a special quality he possessed. Like earlier when he was asking me about my job. He had the ability to make whoever he was talking to feel special. Just by giving them his undivided attention.

How did a man like that, one who would sit in a car dealership most of the day entertaining a person he’d only recently met, date someone like Oksana? I mean, I knew why. I had seen most of her body, but . . . what would they talk about? World domination?

Maybe he makes her feel like she can tame lions, too, that perverse, annoying part of my brain said, and I ignored it.

The song came to an end and a twentysomething blonde I didn’t recognize came up to Erin to hug her hello. Although I couldn’t hear what they were saying, their body language made it pretty obvious what was going on. That the Erin greeting was cover for the blonde to meet Tyler.

And I was proven right seconds later when she and Tyler began dancing together. It set a pattern for the rest of the evening. He never got the chance to rejoin me. The way the women around my age were behaving, you’d think he was the only single man under the age of thirty-five at the party. His dance card was very full.

He shot me apologetic looks over his current partner’s head, but I waved them away with a smile. This was what I had set out to accomplish and it had succeeded beyond even my expectations. Especially since I saw him pass out his business card to each and every dance partner.

And he had no reason to feel bad, as I was kept very busy by all the people who came up to me under the guise of “catching up” and then asked about Tyler.

Bitsie Fernley stepped up to the podium to announce the winners of the silent auction, and the music was turned off. Tyler said something to the petite brunette standing next to him and then he made his way over to me.

“I think we should call it a night,” he said. “I’m beat.”

“Amen.” We walked out of the ballroom, collected our coats, and went through the lobby. This time I didn’t let him help me because I wasn’t sure I could handle another round of him touching me and standing close. When we were outside, he handed the valet his ticket.

“You know,” I told him, “Bitsie missed out. If she’d just auctioned off a dance with you, she would have raised all the money she needed.”

“Ha-ha.”

“I’m serious. You were unquestionably the belle of the ball tonight. Did you leave behind one of your shoes just in case?”

This time he did actually laugh. “I’m not trying to land a prince.”

“You’d be the only one.”

His car arrived and we both got in after Tyler tipped the valet. As he put his seat belt on, his phone started buzzing. And buzzing. He pulled it out and stared at it. Then he handed it to me. “Do you recognize these names?”

He had like fifty new texts. I scrolled through them while he drove. I did recognize some of the texters. Every message was some variation of I was hoping to meet with you to discuss my portfolio. Please contact me immediately.

“I knew it. Did I ever mention that I get smug when I’m right? I told you this would work.”