Page 12 of Plus Size Player

Grinning, he looked down at the shoe, almost bashful for a moment. “I like to design. So, I grabbed a pair of all whites and created this. With you in mind.” He looked up, locking eyes with me. “I don’t get to design as much as I’d like, but I’ve been inspired this summer.”

My stomach flipped. “Any particular reason you’ve been so inspired?”

He licked his lips. “Yeah. One.”

The heat crept up my neck and flushed my face.

“I’m glad you decided to wear black tonight,” he continued before I could respond. “You’re going to need these in a few minutes.”

“For what—?”

“Here you are,” the driver announced, slowing to a stop.

I looked around, at first only noticing the warehouse building and the minimal foot traffic. I saw about a dozen cars—including Russ’s—and still no signage.

“Thank you, man,” Russ said to the driver before jumping out of the car.

I’d put the shoe back into the box and returned the box to the bag by the time my door opened.

“I’m not getting out of this car until you tell me why you brought me to an abandoned warehouse,” I stated, crossing my arms stubbornly. Turning to the driver, I leaned toward the front seat. “Are you in on this, Matt? Is he paying you to pretend you never saw me?”

The man’s eyes bulged, and a panicky laugh escaped him. “What? No!”

“Sir, is this a setup?” I pointed to Russ with conviction. “Are you working with this man to abduct me? Why did he just pop his trunk?”

“Oh my God, Nina, stop fucking with Matt and let him leave.” Russ ducked his head back into the car. “I’m going to increase your tip for having to deal with her bullshit.” Russ extended his hand to me. “Let’s go, Nina.”

“Sorry, Matt,” I giggled as I was pulled out of the car.

“Y’all are funny,” he commented. “I hope you enjoy your anniversary, ma’am.”

Surprised, my eyebrows shot up.

“Thank you,” Russ called out, closing the door behind me.

“Our anniversary?” I questioned as the car drove away.

“He assumed I was doing all of this for our anniversary, so I just let him believe it.” He shrugged, still holding my hand. “Let’s get you into your new shoes.”

I bit my lip as he led me the few steps to his car. “Oh, I needto wear these now?” I eyed him suspiciously, yet my smile grew. “What is going on?”

“You’ll see soon enough.”

“You lied to me. You lied to Matt.” I shook my head. “Mm, mm, mm.”

He opened the passenger-side door for me. “Matt assumed, and I let him believe what he wanted to believe. And now that I think about it, didn’t we meet on a Sunday? It could be our anniversary.” He helped me sit sideways in the car, my feet still on the ground.

“We did meet on a Sunday, at the beginning of June,” I confirmed. “It’s been two months. I’d have to pull out my calendar to know the exact date.”

Crouching in front of me, he gently pulled my shoes off. “So, I didn’t lie to Matt.” He replaced my pumps with the sneakers he’d gotten me. “And you…” He looked up at me. “I’ve never lied to you.” As he laced up and tied the sneakers, he continued. “I’m going to always keep it real with you.”

“So does that mean you’re going to tell me what we’re doing here?”

He tossed the box with my heels inside them to the backseat. “Hell no.”

“Wow.”

He stood, helping me up along the way. Bringing his face close to mine, he whispered, “Enjoy the surprise.”

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