Smiling, I just shake my head. “It just hit me… How much I—”
“Bex, you made it!” Aaron says, striding to meet us in the center of the now-empty lobby. “Corey, you should really head in there. Everything is starting in—”
“I’m here for one thing only, and that’s not til midway through the show,” Corey says, smoothly cutting his friend off. “Can you give us a minute, please?”
“Of course,” Aaron says, nodding to us as he walks back to Drew and Christian, ushering them forward, through the doors to the theater.
Corey cups my face in his hands and swallows hard. “What were you saying?”
“I’m sorry I haven’t reached out,” I begin. There’s a stinging pressure behind my eyes, and I take a deep breath, willing myself to get through this without crying. After all, I’m pretty sure this mascara is worth more than one night of tips—I’m not letting it slide off after only a few hours. “A few days ago, I was at Jessica’s studio getting fitted for this dress. Britney had come to pick me up, and as we took the escalator down from the third floor in the complex, she sort of knocked into me and my phone went flying into the fountain below.”
“I see,” Corey says, hands still softly framing my face.
“And I didn’t have your number saved any other way. And these last few days have felt like a blur, and now that I’m thinking about it, I could have just asked Aaron—”
“Bex, shhhh,” Corey whispers, pressing a chaste kiss to my lips. “Calm down. You don’t need to be sorry for losing your phone.”
“Oh. Well, I’m also sorry about tonight. This week has been a shit show. First, things were stolen from the youth center. Then it was the photo printer. And earlier this afternoon, one of my students was caught stealing supplies from another room.” I rush through another apology, my emotions getting the better of me. “Mitchell. Mitchell!” I cry, the tears forming at the corners of my eyes now. “The poor kid just wanted to get some money by selling the stuff. Money for his sister’s asthma medication. I couldn’t just let the cops take him!”
Corey wraps me in his arms, and I allow a few tears to slip out onto the lavender fabric of his suit. There’s something about the warmth of his embrace, the way he envelops me in his arms, that gives me strength.
“And there’s something else I wanted to tell you,” I say quietly.
Corey pulls back and stares down at me. I could get lost in the depth of his dark eyes, a glimmer beneath the surface that hypnotizes me and pulls me in.
“I wanted to save this truth for when we were face to face.” I swallow hard, praying I can say what I need to say without my voice wavering with tears. “I’m falling for you, Corey. Hard. And like, so fast, it scared me at first. I denied the truth to myself, my friends… and you. But I don’t want to deny it anymore.”
His hands tangle in the waves of hair falling over my shoulder, then move down lower to grip my waist. “Bex, I—”
“Wait, let me finish,” I smirk at him apologetically. “I projected my own insecurities and fears on our relationship. That I wasn’t good enough to be in your world. That a woman who looks like me could never be with a man like you.”
“I hope you’re about to tell me that you recognize that’s all bullshit, right?” Corey says, tilting his head down at me.
I nod and let out a laugh. “Never thought I could be that woman. This woman,” I say, stepping back and gesturing at the sexy silk dress that drapes over my every curve. “Who wears a custom silk dress by Jessica Blackwood…” I step closer, standing on my tiptoes, and whisper in his ear, “With no Spanx.”
“Bex,” Corey growls, his grip tightening on my waist, hard enough to leave bruises. And god, do I want him to leave his mark on me. Tonight, tomorrow, forever. “You think it’s cute whispering shit like that in my ear? When I don’t have time to sneak you into the coat check room and have my way with you?”
“What if I said… yes, sir?” I bite my lip as he emits a feral groan.
My hand is in his and he whirls us toward the coat check, but we’re stopped by Drew stepping out of the theater.
“Corey, man, c’mon. You need to get in here.”
I giggle as Corey drags me toward the theater door, waving a shy hello to Drew and slipping into the crowded theater to experience an adult film awards show.
Lord, grant me patience to make it through the next hour. We’re about halfway through the show, getting closer to the presentation of Corey’s lifetime achievement award, and there’s a pause for a commercial break. It’s not a televised event, but it’s being streamed online, so, of course, there are commercials. This pricey thong is soaked, and I’m shifting my legs uncomfortably, praying to god I’m not going to leave a mark on this beautiful, delicate dress.
Of course, Corey’s making it difficult. When he’s not holding my hand, he’s stroking the soft, sensitive skin of my forearm. It seems involuntary, his need to touch me, like if he’s not touching me, I might simply vanish into thin air. He slips his hand down to rest over my knee, then he plays with the hem of my dress.
“Corey,” I warn, my voice barely a whisper.
“Hmmm?” He’s not even aware of what his hand is doing. We are three rows back from the stage, sitting on the end of our row. Corey begins tapping his hand against my knee until I place both of my hands over his. He stops and looks at me apologetically. “I’m sorry, baby. I just wish this would move along faster.”
I almost ask him why. If I were being honored at an awards show, I’d want to soak up every moment. Sip some more champagne. Talk to my friends. Beyond Drew, Aaron, and Christian, Corey has hardly said more than a brief hello to any of the industry attendees here tonight. I feel a mix of sadness and relief at this thought.
Sadness because I wonder if he really has true friends in the industry. After all this time, surely he’s made some connections? Ritchie Goode’s in-your-face personality from the night we met flashes in my mind. Hmmm, maybe not… The relief is partly due to not having to make small talk with a lot of people in a short amount of time. That shit is exhausting.
At that moment, a tall, lanky stage assistant approaches Corey. “Mr. Moro, you’re next. Our commercial break is up in thirty seconds. They’ll have someone come out and introduce you, then you’ll go accept your award.”
