Page 50 of Dirty Little Secret, Baby
But first I have to deal with the shop. And the bet. That won’t go over well. Maybe I should just drop it, because what woman wants to be the object of a bet? It was a shitty idea to agree to it in the first place.
"Alex?" Beth asks softly, because I still haven’t answered.
"It doesn’t have to mean anything. We can go as friends. A lot of people who bring a date are married, a couple, or... well..." I stammer, feeling like a dumb schoolboy who can’t put anything into words, and I can feel my heart pounding.
"But if you don’t want to or don’t have time, then maybe it was a stupid idea and..." I add, and I wonder what kind of crap is even coming out of my mouth.
"I’ll come," Beth cuts me off, her cheeks glowing. "Talking sounds good." No hesitation. No hedging. She just says yes.
And I beam from ear to ear and can’t hide my grin. Beth’s mouth curves into a small grin, too. She seems so shy, so fragile. Completely different from last night.
I don’t want to hurt her at all, and I already regret keeping this from her for so long.
"I’m glad. I’ll pick you up at... let’s say eight?"
"Agreed," Beth says. "You’ll just knock on the shop door again?"
"I can come upstairs to your place, too. The entrance to the stairwell is next door, right?"
"No, it’s fine. I’ll come through the shop," Beth answers quickly, avoiding my eyes.
"All right," I say, and I wonder why I’ve never actually been upstairs at her place. Is she embarrassed because her apartment is smaller than my mansion? That would be ridiculous. Maybe I’ll ask her why after we’ve covered the big topic.
"I’m looking forward to it. I have to run, though. See you tomorrow," I say, go to her, and kiss her cheek. I’d love to kiss her mouth, but since neither of us knows exactly where we stand and we haven’t talked, this is probably better.
"Me too," Beth whispers softly, and I think she closed her eyes a little when I kissed her. What a sensual woman.
On the way back to the office, I run through everything again: shake hands, smile politely, then pull Beth into a quiet corner and explain that I’d like to take over her shop and turn it into a branch. But in return I’ll buy her a new place at a location of her choice. And if the mall comes together, I’ll offer her a second store there. Shoppers love flowers. She won’t be able to keep up with the demand.
That should work, right?
I want to believe it, but I can’t shake the quiet feeling that I’ve made my plans without factoring in Beth and that complex mind in her sweet head.
And what if I’m honest and tell her I put it off far too long because I just think she’s amazing?
That sounds good. That’s how I’ll approach it.
I can hardly wait, and for the first time I’m actually looking forward to a charity gala.
Chapter 21
Beth
"You look... enchanting," says Alex, who's standing before me in an elegant tuxedo as I open the door to my shop, where he had knocked just a moment before.
It’s exactly eight o'clock, and I'm glad I managed to get everything done on time today. Ben is already asleep in his little bed. I put him to bed myself, read to him, and explained that Aunt Veronica is here tonight and will give him milk from his bottle.
Of course, she isn't really his aunt; Ben doesn't have one. But Veronica is always there for him whenever he and I need her. She rearranged another shift, and my unpaid debt to her grew even larger. How on earth can I ever repay her for all these gooddeeds? I sincerely hoped I'd be able to someday. I would do anything for her.
Before this, I had sorted everything out: pumped and froze milk, set out the milk warmer, gotten ready, and swore to Veronica that I'd be back by midnight at the latest, because there was no way I was spending the night in a strange bed today.
Perhaps something like that won't happen again anyway, because today the truth will come to light. I was actually glad he asked me to accompany him. The venue seemed ideal. Important people who meant something to him were there, so he wouldn't make a big scene and would listen to what I have to say.
On the other hand, it also feels good, because the thing with us... it was so intense... so different from anything I've ever experienced. It feels nice to be his date, almost real, as if something truly connected us. And something does—that connection's name is Ben, and he's sleeping peacefully in his little bed right now. But that's not what I mean. There's more. So much to discover and explore.
And yet, I'm afraid that the truth will change everything and that this will all be over after tonight.
"You look great, too," I say to Alex, who once again gives me a kiss on the cheek as a greeting, one so sensual that my mind instantly goes back to lying on his couch underneath him.
