Virtuous(47)

“Is that right?”

“Yep. I’ll show you when we’re there.”

“I can’t believe I’m actually going to LA with you.”

“Believe it. As soon as I got your text earlier, I had my assistant, Addison, contact some of the stylists we’ve worked with in the past. She’ll have you all fixed up with a million options by the time we get there Friday night.” I glance over to find her worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. “What?”

“These stylists you’ve used in the past… You’ve done this before? Invited a nobody to an event and then had to outfit her?”

I’m touched and amused by the hint of jealousy I hear in her tone. “First, you are not a nobody. Don’t say that again. Ever. Second, I’ve used them for me, silly. Believe it or not, there’s a lot more to showing up at all these events than throwing on a tux and combing my hair. I have my favorite labels, but I need to keep up with the latest thing, and I don’t have time to be bothered figuring that out on my own.”

“Ahh, I see.”

I squeeze her hand. “You’re the first person I’ve ever asked to attend something like this with me who wasn’t already in the business in some way or another.”

“Oh.”

“Oh what?”

“Nothing… I’m just… This whole thing is incredibly overwhelming. It’s exciting, too, of course, but overwhelming for someone who’s never done anything like it before.”

“Trust me when I tell you it’ll be so much fun. You’ll feel like a queen for a day or I’ll fire ’em all and make sure they never work again in Tinseltown.”

“Stop it. You’d never do that.”

“No,” I say, laughing, “I wouldn’t, but I will make sure you’re the most pampered woman in all of Hollywood on Sunday. That you can count on.”

“I hope you know I don’t need all that.”

“I know you don’t need it, which is why it’ll be so much fun to make sure you get it.”

She takes a deep breath and releases it.

“You okay over there?” It’s taking forever to drive uptown in the late-day traffic.

“Yeah. I’m good.”

“I got tickets to ‘Wicked’ for tonight at seven.”

She spins around in her seat and stares at me. “Tonight as in today tonight?”

“As in two and a half hours from now tonight.”

“Oh my God! You’re too much, you know that?”

“You said you wanted to see it, didn’t you?”

“Yes, I want to see it, but I didn’t expect you to go out and get tickets.”

“Technically, I didn’t go anywhere. I made a phone call, and the tickets are at will-call.”

She sagged into her seat. “Are you for real? Am I going to wake up and find out I’ve dreamed this entire thing?”

“I sure as hell hope not.” I glance over at her. “Will you be okay getting home around eleven?”

“And getting to see ‘Wicked’? Yeah, I think I can handle that.”

“Just to be sure, the ‘Wicked’ thing is good? Yes?” I can’t believe how insecure and uncertain I am around her—two things that I’ve never been when it comes to women. Well, except for the bitch I married, but who wants to think about her when I’ve got the lovely Natalie to focus on?

“It’s ‘Wicked’ good, but you know what’s even better?”

“What’s that?”

“What you did for Aileen and her kids.”

I’ve been expecting her to mention that, and I’m ready for her. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“Yes, you do, so stop pretending otherwise. It was… It’s incredible, Flynn. Truly. I can’t even begin to tell you what it’ll mean to her, to all of them. And what it means to me… Thank you.”

“I still don’t know what you’re talking about, but you’re welcome and so are they.”

She encloses my hand in both of hers, and the sweet gesture is a total turn-on. Everything about her turns me on. It’s been a long, long time since I’ve been this attracted to a woman outside my chosen lifestyle. For the first time in more than a decade, I’m entertaining the possibility that what we refer to as a “vanilla” relationship might actually satisfy me.