I can’t leave Reed alone.
I took care of that. He’s going to hang out with your friends and their nephew until nine.
How did you…?
I have my ways. Be ready. See you at six.
I don’t knowwhy I’m nervous. Blair and I have spent time together doing date things. It’s just that they’ve almost always had something to do with her brother, or he was with us.
Tonight? No kids allowed.
Straightening my tie with shaking fingers, I climb out of the warm cocoon of my car and make my way to Blair’s apartment building. There are more people around than normal. I’m assuming it’s because people are still getting home from work, and we’re into the hustle and bustle part of the holiday season. Either way, I keep my head down because I’m getting a few more lingering looks than I’d like.
The suit I’m wearing probably makes me a bit more easily recognizable than my normal casual attire. The league doesn’t make us wear game-day suits anymore, but that’s a recent development, so our fans in the Twin Cities are used to seeing me in clothes like this.
I breathe a sigh of relief when I get to Blair’s door, happy to be away from curious eyes. But that doesn’t mean my nerves are gone. My heart races and my palms are sweaty as I knock. This is the first time I’m taking a woman out somewhere romantic. Hell, I’d almost go so far as to call this my first real date. Everything until this point has been done with the intention of sleeping with the women I’ve gone out with. I didn’t give a shit about getting to know them or impressing them. I didn’t care about making them want to see me again. In fact, it was better if they didn’t.
Blair is different.
She steals the air from my lungs when she opens the door in a scarlet long-sleeved velvet dress that hugs her curves like it was made for her. The neckline is cut in a sweetheart shape, showingenough cleavage to make me hard as a fucking rock, while still leaving plenty to the imagination. The skirt hits halfway up her thigh, and she’s wearing dark tights to keep her warm.
Her hair is down and curly, except for a section on the left side of her head, where three braids keep her curls away from her face, ending just behind her ear. It makes her dangling gold earrings a focal point, along with the shimmering gold of her eyeshadow and her smoky eyeliner. Her lips are a rich red that matches her dress.
“You look absolutely stunning,” I rasp, struggling to find my voice.
Blair smiles more shyly than normal and looks me up and down. “You don’t look so bad yourself.”
“Are you ready?” I hold out my arm to her like some old-fashioned gentleman. Her lips twitch, but she takes it, stepping out of her apartment and securing the door behind her.
“I’m ready. Where are we going?”
“La Vie D’Or. It’s this French restaurant that’s supposed to be amazing. Is that okay?” I had been so confident in my choice, but now that I’m walking my girlfriend out of her apartment building toward my car, I’m second-guessing everything. Is it enough? Too much? Does she even like French food?
My head is spinning so hard that I don’t even notice that I’m about to run into a blonde woman just outside the main door of the building. Blair says my name in warning, but it’s too late. I shoulder-check the poor woman, causing her to squeak out a cry of alarm and stumble back a few feet.
“Oh my god, I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”
With one hand still holding Blair’s, I grab the woman with the other to keep her from falling flat on her ass in the cold. Her blue eyes are wide when she looks up at me, and a blush covers her cheeks.
Blair is as concerned as I am and reaches out for the woman. The blonde holds out a hand to indicate that she’s okay, and I let her go. “Are you all right? This big oaf didn’t hurt you, did he?”
The blonde shakes her head, but she stares at me as she answers. “No, of course not. I’m fine.”
There’s something vaguely familiar about her.
“Good. That’s good. I’m sorry again. I obviously wasn’t paying attention to my surroundings.”
Blair squeezes my hand, no doubt hearing the strain in my voice. The last thing I need is to cause a scene and have people snapping photos of us before our date. Not that I’m in any way opposed to the whole world seeing how fucking stunning my girlfriend looks tonight, but I know Blair isn’t quite ready to go public with our relationship. For some reason, she seems to believe that her boss wouldn’t be happy about us being together.
“Well, if you’re okay, I’ll get out of your way. Have a good night.”
The blonde chews on her lower lip, watching me. Dammit. She probably recognizes me, but she can’t figure out where she recognizes me from. Time to go.
With an awkward wave, I pull Blair away from the apartment building and to my car. My hands tremble as I open the door and help her in before buckling her seat belt for her.
“Hey,” she says, eyes searching my face. “It’s okay. No one was hurt.”
“I know. I’m sorry, I don’t know why I’m so nervous.”
