Page 129 of For the Boys
“Why wait for a bed?” Berkley said, voice betraying her frayed nerves. “Maybe you should take me against a wall.”
Brent spared her a quick glance before returning his eyes to the road. “I like the way you think, Daniels.”
“I’ve always wanted you to fuck me fully clothed,” she admitted. “Something about you needing me so bad that you couldn’t wait for either of us to get undressed would be really hot.”
Now it was Brent’s turn to shift in his seat, hand falling to his lap to adjust himself while he drove.
Berkley giggled. “And now you know what you’re doing to me.”
Brent growled. “How long do we have to stay at this thing?”
“Until it’s over,” Berkley said. “Which could be ten, could be midnight. Who the hell knows.”
“Berkley,” Brent said as they pulled into the parking lot outside the Colony Club. “If I don’t get you home and naked at a halfway decent time, there’s no telling what I might do.”
“Like what?”
He didn’t answer right away, instead getting out of the truck and coming around to help her out. “Like,” he said, leaning close to her, “pulling you into the first empty room we can find and having my way with you.”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“I guess you’ll have to wait and see,” he said, his final word on the subject. Berkley gave a frustrated sigh and took his arm.
Stepping inside the building was like walking into a fairytale. The ballroom was brightly lit with twinkly lights, a red carpet paving the way into the room. White flowers spilled out of centerpieces on each of the fifty tables and out of tall pots placed around the dance floor on one end of the room. On the far side, a long table was set up to feature the items up for bidding in the silent auction.
The live band played an Etta James classic softly, the lead singer’s voice creating a serene environment, and people were milling around, socializing. Opposite the dance floor, a cash bar was set up.
“This is amazing,” Brent said. “The Warriors’ Winter Gala isn’t even this fancy.”
“That’s because hockey players aren’t as snobby as lawyers,” Berkley told him.
“I suppose that’s probably true. So what do you want to do first?”
“Drinks, please.”
At the bar, Berkley got caught up in a conversation with a few of her classmates and a professor, and Brent wandered off to check out the auction table. He returned after Berkley had finished her first glass of wine, and he ordered her another just as the lead singer of the band announced that dinner would be served momentarily.
They sat down and enjoyed a meal of lemon garlic salmon with steamed vegetables, quinoa, and crème brûlée for dessert. Once dinner was completed and the plates were cleared away, there was a brief interlude for attendees to refresh their drinks before the silent auction winners were announced.
Brent left Berkley at the table to get some drinks. When he came back, she introduced him to Reece and Harper.
“Harper, Reece,” she said, “this is my boyfriend, Brent.”
Brent smiled and stuck out his hand. “Pleasure to meet you both,” he said. “It’s nice to finally be able to put faces to the names of the people monopolizing all of my girl’s time.”
Reece didn’t respond, looking starstruck. Harper smiled and said, “I think you’re the one monopolizing all of her time, not us.”
Berkley gasped. “Harper!”
“What? It’s kind of true. You’ve been all about him since you started dating.”
Reece, finally finding his voice, said, “Holy shit, you’re Brent Jean.”
Brent laughed and nodded, cutting his eyes to Berkley, who rolled hers at Reece. “I sure am.”
“Reece,” Berkley said. “Snap out of it. He’s just my boyfriend tonight, not a superstar hockey player.”
Reece snorted. “Right, like I’ll ever be able to pretend he’s just some random guy you’re dating and not a literal professional athlete.”
