Page 5 of Given to the Prez
Chapter Two
At seven on Friday, Maeve had been ready for a good thirty minutes for Doc to pick her up.It wasn’t officially Valentine’s Day.That had been a few days ago, but the bar was celebrating it on Friday, for all the couples who worked or couldn’t enjoy a special day.It was also a day for fun, and to enjoy dressing up, which is what she did.Only this year, she wasn’t wearing a costume, just a lovely red dress that shaped around her breasts toward her waist and flared out at the hips.The dress finished at her knees, and she refused to wear tights.Instead, she settled on some cute red heels that went with the dress.
She curled her long hair and put on minimal makeup as she was sporting red lips.To make her lips pop, she couldn’t go full on with her eye makeup.Everything had to be subtle, including her blush.She felt pretty.
Eden messaged her early in the day, asking how she had been.Her sister didn’t know she wasn’t at work.She didn’t want her cutting her honeymoon early to spend time with her.She was fine and happy.
There was still plenty of work for her to do, but she knew it was getting too much.All she did was work.Over Christmas, when Razor and Eden had been wrapped up in each other, she focused on new products.Her life was nothing but work—something she promised herself it wouldn’t become.This is what happened to her parents, and she didn’t want to be the same.
The door rang, and she got to her feet, as she’d sat on the sofa waiting for Doc to arrive.
He stood on the doorstep, and he didn’t disappoint.Leather jacket, black pants, white shirt, hair slicked back.He looked dangerous.She tried not to notice him.Doc was older than her by a good ten years, at least.It could be even longer, but she didn’t care.Young boys or men her own age did not appeal.
In her thirty-two years of life, she had two boyfriends.That was it.The first had been a disaster.The moment he lost his virginity to her, he’d cut and run.She had been an easy lay for him, which irritated her.
She met her second boyfriend on one of her jobs.They were together for over five years, and in all that time, he made so many excuses to never visit her.They didn’t spend holidays together.When they did meet up, it was always in a hotel room.She was busy, so was he, and yeah, she’d been young and hadn’t put it all together.She was the mistress and he had a wife and five kids.Yep, that one sucked—and she discovered that when she went to visit him one Christmas, only to find him putting up decorations with his kids and kissing his wife.She felt like she’d been sucker punched.
She did not make a scene.Instead, she blocked him and refused to continue all contact.When he finally did get to her, she simply asked him how his wife was.That was it.She was not a man’s mistress or a home-wrecker.
After that, she decided she had the worst taste in men, and she was going to die alone, possibly with cats.She hated cats and was more of a dog person.However, her busy work made it impossible to own a dog.There was no way she’d leave her dog at home while she went and did her work.Dogs came with families.A family she didn’t have.
“You look amazing,” he said.
She glanced down at herself and nibbled her lip.“It’s not too much?”
“No, you look stunning.”He held his hand.“I didn’t bring my bike.I think the first time you ride my bike, you should be wearing jeans.”
She chuckled.“Yeah, I don’t think this is going to offer me much protection.”She felt nervous.This was not a date.They were two friends going to the same dance.That was all.
Nancy called her earlier and told her to have fun, and there were no hard feelings.Maeve didn’t like that her friend didn’t seem to mind her dancing with her ex.It seemed strange to her.
She took a deep breath, then stepped out of her home, closing and locking the door, and following him to the car.
“How is Charlotte?”she asked.His daughter was the safest topic.
“Enrolled in a beginner makeup course, and currently loving it.”
Maeve smiled.“I’m glad she’s loving it.Don’t worry.I didn’t try to paint a picture or anything.I told her what it was like and that it can be quite intense, and it can be.Trust me, it is a lot to take in.”
“Did you always want to be a makeup artist?”Doc asked.
“Yeah, I did.I used to love watching my mom put her makeup on.By the time I was ten I already had a lot of makeup, and I loved going to the beauty counters when I was a kid, looking at all the pretty lipsticks and eye shadows.”She couldn’t help but feel happy about the memories.“Eden was not one for makeup.She loved computers and they were always her thing.”She shrugged.“It didn’t stop her from letting me play with her face, though.”She wrinkled her nose.“That makes me sound like a serial killer, and I promise you, I’m not.I’m an ordinary person.”
Doc laughed.
“Did you want to be a biker?”she asked.
“You can say I gravitated to the role.”
He didn’t talk about his biking life, and that was fine with her.
She knew they both had different paths.
“So, uh, do you like Valentine’s Day?”She didn’t know the first thing about small talk.
