Page 21 of With a Broken Wing
His laughter roared through the phone, and I was glad I could be tonight’s source of entertainment for him. “You’re the one who let dad talk you into going. Kiss his ass and he’ll give you more money.”
I rolled my eyes and scoffed. “I’m not kissing anyone’s ass.”
“If you say so,” he said. “The girls are going to bed, so I better go catch my wife before she falls asleep. Good night.”
The phone clicked, ending the call before I got a chance to respond. I imagined Andy climbing into bed, and I rubbed my eyes with my finger and thumb, pinching the bridge of my nose when they met in the middle.
* * *
The sun in Atlanta was hot, beating down and reflecting off the turquoise dress Andy was wearing. Always something overly colorful, but somehow it annoyed me less today. Paired with the grin on her face, you’d never know she had crumpled to the floor less than forty-eight hours ago. She really was sunshine incarnate.
Andy stepped off the last step onto the tarmac, walking towards the cars parked next to each other. It was odd there were two, rather than one large enough to seat the five of us.
She tossed her bag into the trunk and climbed into the back of one of the cars, Shelby climbing into the other. With a shrug, I walked over and tossed my bag in the back of the first car, preparing to join Andy in the backseat. Erin would assume Shelby was getting on my nerves—she had spent the entire flight whining—but choosing the first car was merely an excuse to make Andy squirm.
When I pulled the door shut behind me, forcing Scott to climb into the second car, she gasped quietly, and the sound went to my cock. I took a deep breath and adjusted, trying to hide the growing evidence of my inappropriate arousal. She averted her gaze and again I reminded myself of her age.She’s too young for me.
We rode in silence. No music played through the speakers, and the only sounds were the wheels on the pavement and Andy’s steady breathing. It almost sounded measured, like she was working to keep it even.
“I did confirm it, by the way.”
Her voice breaking the silence surprised me, and I looked at her with a raised eyebrow. She was staring at me, darting her hazel eyes and unable to make contact with mine. “Confirmed what?”
“The meeting…” She clasped her hands together in her lap in an attempt to hide the way they were shaking.
“Andy, I—” My voice caught in my throat, unable to finish the thought. Was I going to apologize to heragain?
She shook her head. “Don’t, Demetri.” She locked eyes with me for just a second. After a pause, she continued. “I also got you invited to their quarterly cocktail party.”
I turned to face her, stifling my laugh. “Thank you. You did so good. When is it?”
A flash of emotion crossed her face—a mix of shock, appreciation, and arousal. Then she dropped her eyes, her usual nerves returning to her expression. “It’s tonight. And, um, I could only get you invites for two. It starts at seven.”
I glared in her direction. “You’ll be ready to leave at 6:30, then.”
Her mouth dropped open and shut again. “I… I just assumed you’d take Erin, or one of the others.”
“That’s ridiculous.” My voice was sharp enough to cause her to lean away from me, cringing.
“I’m sorry, I just—”
I turned in my seat just a bit to face her. “You were the one they invited, sunshine, and you are the one who will go. So as I said, be ready by 6:30.”
I didn’t tell her my family was invited to this party every year but rarely attended, or that I had already confirmed my attendance at tonight’s event. Her face had lit up when she mentioned it, and it was too sweet to see it falter.
* * *
The clock on the wall in the lobby said 6:20. I stood and waited, straightening the sleeves on my black Armani suit. When there was the familiar click of high heels on expensive tile, I turned towards the sound. Andy walked towards me, wearing a yellow dress that ended above her knees.As I said, sunshine incarnate.
“You couldn’t have chosen something a little more… neutral, hmm?”
She stopped and placed her hand on her hip, cocking it to the side and scoffing. “Yeah, have we met? I don’t do neutral. You get what you get.”
With a small curtsey, she sauntered past me and towards the door. When she walked, my eyes were instantly drawn to the way the brightly colored dress hugged her curves and brought attention to her red hair, and I stood in place to watch her as she passed by. I groaned, knowing it would be a long night, but followed after her.
On the ride to the party, I couldn’t help but watch Andy fidget in the seat next to me. She flexed her milky white thighs when she pressed her legs together, and an image of my hand wrapped around them flashed across my mind. When she rolled her left hand in her right, I swallowed. I couldn’t take my eyes off the colorful woman next to me, even as she stared away from me and out the window.
“It’s okay if you’re nervous.”
