Yeah but they’re all in the office working on fixing some computer crisis and I’m all alone in the living room
Wear your light blue dress. That’s sure to make his heart stop.
Westin
Great, murder on my first date.
Josie
Don’t be so pessimistic
Westin
I thought you were all sad and abandoned by your alphas
Josie
Bitch
But you’re right. Maybe I’ll just walk into the office naked.
I snorted a laugh, imagining the look on her guys’ faces when she made good on that threat. I was sure Josie would be occupied for the rest of the night.
I glanced at the time and realized I had less than ten minutes to finish getting ready. I pulled the dress Josie suggested out of the closet—it was pale blue satin with tiny straps, a low back, and a skirt that came down to my mid-calf with a slit in the side. I’d worn it for the bakery’s grand opening cocktail party. I slipped it on, struggling with the zipper for a moment, and then stared at myself in the mirror. The low back made it a bit risqué. Was it too slutty? Did I care if it was?
I put on a bit more mascara and was trying to decide between black ankle boots and heels when Henry texted me to let me know he had arrived. Of course he was perfectly on time.
Nervousness shot through me.
It’s just a date.It can’t be that scary.
But Ilikedthis guy, and I wanted him to like me.
I brought both pairs of shoes with me and ran down the stairs barefoot, opening the door just as Henry went to knock, his fist floating in the air. His eyes widened as he dropped his hand.
“Fuck,” he muttered under his breath as his eyes slowly ran down my body.
I shifted my weight, briefly worried I’d chosen the wrong thing. Then his eyes met mine, and they were dark with desire.
Now it was my turn to smile. I twirled in the dress, showing off the low-cut back.
“I wasn’t sure what to wear. Is this okay?”
Henry swallowed and rubbed his hand on the back of his neck. “I’m not sure I’m going to be able to string together a coherent sentence if you’re next to me looking like that, but fuck yes, gorgeous. It’s more than okay. You look incredible.”
All my doubts from earlier melted away. “You look really nice, too,” I said, taking in his black suit. My cheeks heated as I took in his shimmery silver tie. Was it a coincidence or had he worn it to match my hair?
“I look like a troll next to you,” he said with a broad grin. Then he took in my lack of footwear. “I’m happy to carry you around this entire date, but if you want to walk at all, you might want to think about wearing some shoes.”
I held up the two pairs I was considering. “I wasn’t sure which ones. The heels are prettier with the dress, but the boots are better if we do a lot of walking.”
“Bring them both,” he said with a shrug.
The solution seemed so simple now that he said it. In fact, this entire interaction felteasy.
I slipped on the heels and locked the door behind me, but as I started to walk towards Henry’s car, he stopped me with a touch to my shoulder.
I had to tilt my head to meet his gaze, and he caressed my cheek. The tenderness of his touch was so vulnerable I wasstruck by the urge to hide behind my usual mask. I imagined running my hands down his chest, pulling him inside, and dropping to my knees. It felt a little sad that I was more comfortable giving a stranger a blow job than going out to dinner.
