“Whoa, you look absolutely amazing,” Kirk said as I took the step off the escalator.
“You clean up pretty nicely yourself there, Mr. Brewster.”
He stood there for a moment, gawking at me.I guess the dress is doing the trick. He finally snapped out of it and handed me the roses. “These are for you.”
“Thank you.” I held them up to my nose and inhaled deeply. “I love the aroma of freshly cut roses.”
“That’s what Johnny told me,” Kirk admitted with a smile.
I threw my arms around Kirk’s neck and leaned in. I craved to feel his lips against mine. Kirk’s arm slipped behind my lower back and pulled me closer until our lips touched. The kiss was tender and passionate. My right foot tried to pop, but my dress was too tight to fully pop. It didn’t matter. In my heart of hearts, I was having what everyone longs for…the first kiss with their true love. I don’t know how I knew Kirk was my soulmate, but in the deepest crevasse of my soul, I knew he was the man for me. There was a taste of peppermint on his breath. We stood like that for an eternity. The theater melted away and it was just the two of us. I opened my eyes for just a second. Kirk was leaning into me. And I swear his right leg was kicked back, putting his weight on his toe. So, one of us had a foot-popping experience.
I broke away from Kirk. “Whoa,” he said, still a little breathless. “That was amazing.” He leaned for another kiss, but a voice clearing beside us forced us to break away faster this time. I turned my head and was surprised to see Carlos and Vladislav Nicolai standing there.
“I’m here because a little birdie told me you may need a makeup touch-up,” Carlos said, glancing at Nicolai.
“And I’m here because your car is waiting,” Nicolai said with no emotion.I guess he’s a big softy after all.
Carlos swooped in and retouched my makeup. I reached up and rubbed a lipstick smudge from Kirk’s lips. When I was presentable by Carlos’ standards, Nicolai opened the front door of the building and ushered Kirk and me out into the waiting town car.
“I’ll be there soon,” Carlos said. “Please, no hanky-panky in the car. I will not be there to fix your makeup when you exit the vehicle.”
“Yes, Dad,” I yelled to Carlos as Nicolai shut the car door behind us. When we were finally alone in the car, I looked down to find that we were holding hands. I hadn’t realized what we’d done until we entered the car. It was different and yet so normal.
“Did Carissra come?” I asked. “In the shock of seeing you in your tux, I forgot to ask about her.”
“She apologizes for not being here now, but she was beat. Johnny promised to see her back to our apartment before he and Amani join us at Sardi’s.”
I nestled in beside Kirk and let out a contented sigh. “I’m so sorry it took me so long to realize how much I liked you,” I told Kirk, looking into his brown eyes.
“You don’t know how long I’ve wanted to kiss you, Erika Saunders,” Kirk admitted. “I was attracted to you the minute I met you.”
“Really?” I said, gasping. “Why didn’t you make a move?” I asked with a playful shove.
“I kind of thought you were out of my league. You’re a big hotshot star. I’m a normal, average Joe schoolteacher.”
“Kirk, I don’t know if you stared at yourself in the mirror after putting on that tux, but you are anything but average. In fact, you will probably be the hottest guy at the party tonight, so don’t even think about going home with someone else.” Even with the streetlights that filled the car as we drove, I could see Kirk blush.
“Are you ready for this?” I asked.
“For what?”
“The spotlight.”
“What do you mean?”
I took a second to gather my thoughts and gave him a brief rundown of what it would be like when we stepped out of the car at Sardi’s. “There will be reporters. There will be lots of cameras and flashes. Just plaster on a smile.”
“Oh geez,” Kirk said. “I guess I hadn’t thought about that part.”
“No worries,” I said, squeezing his hand. “I’m going to be right there by your side.”
Chapter 29
Thecarslowed,andI saw the red carpet running from the street into the building. The snow fell lightly, but not enough to keep the paparazzi away. Thankfully, the length of red carpet we had to walk wasn’t very long, so we wouldn’t be standing outside long. “Are you ready for this?” I asked Kirk again right before the doorman opened our car door.
Kirk didn’t have time to respond. He lifted one leg out of the car and onto the carpet before pulling out all six feet and two inches of himself from the car. I could hear the flashing lightbulbs from inside the vehicle. I scooched myself over on the leather interior and offered Kirk my hand. With his hand firmly grasped, I slowly slid one of my legs out, placing the heel firmly on the carpet. I pulled my weight forward as Kirk gently helped me out of the vehicle. Without skipping a beat, I smiled brightly for the cameras. Kirk stood there holding my hand, unsure what he was supposed to do next. I slipped my hand from his, slid it behind his back and drew him closer to me. He was my arm candy for the night, and I wanted the world to see.
“Ms. Saunders, who’s your new man?” a young woman yelled from the other side of the red velvet rope, which was held up by a series of polished brass stanchion posts.
