“Well, I guess that’s it,” Alex said, then hesitated, an embarrassed look on his face. “This is probably completely inappropriate, I mean this was supposed to be a work meeting, but I can’t let you go without… the thing is, and I want you to know I didn’t plan this, but I’m attracted to you and not just a little bit.”
“Oh, I don’t know what to say,” she stammered, caught off guard for a second. “I’m umm…very flattered, but I’m not looking for a relationship right now. I’m trying to focus on graduating and getting my career started.”
“Do you think you’d ever be interested?” Alex asked. “I hate to push you, but it makes a difference, I mean, if I were your boss…”
“You’re not making this easy, but I’m sorry, I’m not really attracted to you,” she said, shaking her head. “It’s nothing personal…you’re a really good-looking guy and all…I just don’t mix business and pleasure…it’s never a good idea…”
“Okay, it was worth a shot,” Alex said, his voice full of disappointment. “This doesn’t change anything about the paper; I’ll still talk to my dad and let you know.”
“Thanks, Alex, I’m sorry about…well, you know,” she said, desperate to get away. “I’ll look forward to your call.”
When she pulled up in front of the frat house ten minutes later, she didn’t get out right away, instead, she sat licking her wounds and wondering if it would be horribly rude to cancel at the last minute. Getting all dressed up and spending the night with Ryan was the last thing she wanted to do right then. She was still smarting about the way her meeting with Alex had ended. Even if he was being honest about developing feelings for her over coffee, it didn’t matter, the job at the paper was spoiled, she’d never know now if she got it because of her own merits or because Alex wanted her.
A knock on her window scared her and she let out a little scream, then turned to find Abby standing next to her car, bouncing up and down in the cold. “Are you going to sit in your car or come inside?” she asked. “I just got here, but Stephanie is already upstairs. Hurry up; it’s freezing out here.”
She grabbed her stuff and got out of the car. “Sorry, I was brooding,” she said, then sighed. “Why are men such a pain in the butt?”
“Oh no, what did Ryan do now?” Abby asked, linking arms with her. “They can be such children sometimes.”
“It wasn’t Ryan,” she said, feeling a little strange to be automatically linked to him. “I just went to a meeting about a job after graduation, and I thought it went perfectly until the guy interviewing me told me that he’s attracted to me.”
“Uhhh, that’s awful,” Abby said, shaking her head. “Now the job is ruined, you can’t take it even if he offers it to you.”
“Exactly, and I was so excited,” she said, then sighed. “But there will be other jobs. I wouldn’t want to work for someone like that anyway.”
“Well, try to forget about it for the night, we’ve got exactly two hours to get you dolled up,” Abby said, leading her into the house. “This is going to be fun. Stephanie and Cooper decided to go with you at the last minute, so you’ll have some company. I kind of wish I was going now, too.”
“You could have your tickets back, I’m sure Ryan won’t care,” she said, following her up the stairs. “Where are we going?”
“There’s a parent’s apartment up in the attic, we’re taking it over for the afternoon,” Abby said. “Thanks for the offer, but I’ve been busting my butt for the chance to work with Dr. Bradwell, even if it would be fun to get all dressed up with you guys.”
Stephanie was waiting for them in the living room when they walked in, a big smile on her face. “I’ve got everything all ready,”she said. “This is going to be so much fun. I’ve never done this before. Where should we start?”
Two hours later, she stood staring at herself in the mirror, not sure if it was really her she was looking at or if a beautiful sophisticated woman had taken her place. The dress Abby had chosen for her was the same color as her eyes, making them stand out even more. Her hair was swept up in a complicated style, and Stephanie had applied just enough makeup to accentuate her features without making her feel overdone.
“These are all you're missing,” Abby said, carrying a shoe box over to her and opening the lid to reveal a gorgeous pair of strappy silver heels. “The heel isn’t too high; I think you should be able to handle these.”
She slipped them on, then looked at herself in the mirror again. “I don’t know what to say,” she said, feeling her eyes tearing up. “I don’t look like me, I look like…a model. I’ve never really cared that much about clothes, but I feel so pretty. This really isn’t so bad.”
Abby and Stephanie laughed, “Sometimes it’s okay to be a girl,” Stephanie said. “I spent a lot of years hiding my looks so people would take me seriously, but I finally realized I can be smart and beautiful at the same time.”
“Darn right,” Abby said, giving Stephanie a hug. “Are you two ready? It’s time to go.”
CHAPTER 13
***RYAN***
Ryan and Cooper had been waiting at the bottom of the stairs for ten minutes when they finally heard the door leading up to the attic open and close. “It’s about time, I don’t know why they’re making such a big deal about this, it’s just dinner,” he said, looking up the stairs. “This is feeling way too much like…well…a date, and I’m more or less engaged. If Erin finds out…”
“Will you stop worrying? You just said it yourself, it’s just dinner,” Cooper said, patting him on the back. “Women just like to make a big deal about this stuff; it’s easier to just go along with it. Besides, I figured out pretty quickly that there’s usually something skimpy and lacey under one of those fancy dresses.”
The thought of Paula wearing something like that did things to his body that it shouldn’t have, and he groaned as the creature inside him shook off its slumber to come to attention. He gathered his strength to control both the thoughts and his dragon, but just at that moment, Paula appeared at the top of the stairs. The wave of desire that hit him only a second later was more than he could control. His dragon, now fully awake, began to send signals that were almost impossible to ignore, and it was all he could do to keep breathing.
He must have groaned because Cooper laughed and pounded him on the back again. “I think that you’re beginning to understand why it’s worth the wait,” he said, giving him a shove toward the bottom of the stairs. “Go on, right or wrong, she’s yours for the night.”
His dragon took those words to heart, and a series of images flashed through his mind as Paula came down the stairs toward him, sending another wave of desire shooting through him. Fighting to catch his breath, aware that each step she took brought her closer to him, he wasn’t surprised when his hands began to tingle and the need to touch her began to grow stronger by the second.
He'd never felt anything like this before, but he wasn’t a fool, he knew what was happening and he tried to back away, willed his body to turn and flee, to take him anywhere but there. Instead, when Paula got to the bottom of the stairs, he found himself reaching out for her hand, not at all surprised when he felt the tingle of electricity when she slipped it into his. Unable to stop what was happening, he looked over at Cooper for help, but his friend just beamed at him and shrugged his shoulders.
