Page 37 of Fake it For Good
“The kind that is served in a restaurant,” I teased. “A casual dress will be fine. We’ll just go to the one in the hotel.”
Our rooms were across the hall from one another. I watched her fumble to get the door unlocked. I quickly took care of it for her. “I’ll see you in an hour.”
I went into my own room, which was a junior suite. Dana had reserved suites for both of us. It wasn’t the typical penthouse I was used to staying in, but I didn’t mind. I was only going to be in Texas a couple of days. Unlike some of my fellow socialites, I didn’t always need to have the best room in the city. After all, it was just a bed.
I took a quick shower and changed into a casual suit. I had my work suits, my going-out suits, and my just going to dinner with Denton suits. I knew some people might think me a little rigid. I just felt like I had to look the part of a man that made it to the top. After the divorce, the urge to wear sweats and not shave was strong. I had to fight the depression and anger her betrayal caused. I forced myself to get up and put on a suit every day.
I checked my email and replied to a few before it was time to pick up my date for the night. I knocked on her door. She opened it and I was taken aback by the change in her appearance. She looked like a different woman.
“Come in,” she said. “I just need to put on my shoes.”
I followed her into the room, not missing the suitcase opened on the bed with clothes scattered everywhere. A black dress hung in a bag on the bathroom door. The dress she had on was stunning. There was a slit in the front and a deep-V neck that flashed her ample cleavage. The shade of dark green was perfect for her. I loved the way it accentuated her full figure without being overly tight or too loose. It was perfect.
“You look nice,” I said.
She giggled softly and slipped her foot into a black heel. “I clean up real good,” she said with a southern drawl.
“Yes, you do,” I said, laughing in return. When she raised her hand to push back her hair that was loose around her shoulders, I caught a glimpse of the ring I had given her. The jolt of possessiveness I felt in that moment surprised me. She was wearing my ring. Mine. That was the word that drifted through my mind.
“Ready,” she announced.
I pulled myself from the thoughts that started to swirl. She wasn’t mine. She was my employee. “We have a reservation,” I murmured.
“Oh, fancy,” she said with a laugh.
We went down to the ground floor and were quickly seated at the table I had reserved an hour ago. The reservation was probably not needed, but I didn’t want to take a chance we would be turned away. We ordered wine and settled in. The atmosphere was very intimate with low lighting and soft music. The tables were arranged to provide maximum privacy in the dining area. The glow from the candle placed at the center of our table cast her in a soft light that only enhanced her beauty.
“Do you do a lot of traveling for your business?” she asked.
“I guess it depends on what you call a lot,” I answered. “I would say once or twice a month I have to fly out of town. Our main factory is in New York, but we do have a center in California. I prefer to keep the production close. I want to be able to keep an eye on things.”
“Did you start the company or inherit it?”
I smirked. “I inherited nothing. My parents were just average people trudging through life. My dad was a plumber and my mom was a teacher.”
“You mentioned before your parents were gone,” she pointed out.
“My dad died about ten years ago of a heart attack,” I told her. “My mother followed him a year later after what had to be the shortest bout with cancer I’ve ever heard of.”
“I’m sorry,” she said. “That’s too young to lose your parents.”
“Thank you. You told me at our first meeting that you have no family. Does that mean your parents are no longer here?”
“Yes. They’re both gone.”
“Sorry,” I said.
She shrugged it off. “It was a long time ago. You didn’t inherit the company. Does that mean you started it or just worked your way up the ladder?”
“I started it,” I told her. “I got my AA in business. I thought about going for my bachelor’s, but the school thing was expensive, and I didn’t see how it was going to help. I dabbled in a lot of different ventures before I happened upon a guy selling wooden blocks on a street corner. It gave me an idea. I did some research and decided I could sell toys made right here in the United States. I started scouring craft fairs and artisan markets. It took a while to get the capital needed, but I started buying in bulk and selling them online. Then I opened my first storefront and came up with some of my own ideas. It just evolved from there.”
“That is very cool,” she said. “That’s genius. You turned a nugget of an idea into an empire. Very impressive.”
Her compliments meant something. They made me feel special. People were always blowing smoke up my ass, but when she said it, I could tell she was truly impressed. “Tell me more about your experience with toys. You said you work with kids.”
“I do,” she said. “I work with one organization, but I volunteer with several orphanages and shelters.”
“What drew you to do that?” I asked curiously.
