“Go dance,” I called over the music to a pouting Ella.
She stood with her back to the wall, arms crossed over her chest defiantly. “No.”
She may have acted like she didn’t care, but her gorgeous black dress and teased curls told me different. “C’mon. Take a guy out there and dance with him. You’ll make his night.”
Her narrowed eyes landed on me. “Would you stop pushing? What’s the matter with you?”
I bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from smiling. “All right, I’ll leave it alone.”
The emcee, a popular radio host from our local radio station, took to the stage. He was a handsome man in his forties with dark hair cut neatly and smiling brown eyes. He took the microphone and called into it, “Good evening, all, and welcome to this year’s D&D!” The crowd cheered. He went on, “How awesome does this place look tonight?”
The crowd went off again. One guy even wolf-whistled, and my ego inflated my head two sizes.
I peered around the room and smiled. It was exactly as I had pictured it to be. The crew we hired to decorate did an amazing job, sitting this event on the fence of chic and fun. The colors of the evening were white, black, and gold, and I was more than impressed with the venue and its catering services. The deejay was a guy who Ella had hired before for a Christmas party, so we knew he’d be well received, and the radio station was extremely accommodating.
The emcee calmed the crowd and spoke with a smile. “A quick thanks to Ella and Mia from Addison Limited for their time and all the hard work they put into the ball.” He looked over to the both of us, pointing, as a spotlight just about blinded me. “There they are. C’mon. Give them a round of applause.”
I stepped back into Ella, mortified at the sudden attention, and she clutched my arm, chuckling. The crowd did their thing, clapping, cheering, and whistling, before the emcee took the unwanted attention away once more. “Good job, ladies! Now, we’re going to pump up the jams; party like it’s your birthday, and remember: you’re here to mingle, so get out there and do your thing.”
The deejay played Sir Mix-A-Lot’s “Baby Got Back” and the crowd cheered in appreciation.
The night was turning out better than I expected. I’d checked and double-checked that everyone was on top of their designated jobs, and thankfully, there weren’t any screw-ups or double bookings on the day. Having Ella by my side made my confidence boost. She was becoming my security blanket. She had years of experience on me, and her knowledge on all things events was astounding. I was in complete awe of her. She was a great friend too.
Which was exactly why I did what I did.
She turned her back to the dance floor and sighed. “Can I get out of here? This is depressing.”
I watched the man approach from behind. I said a stern, “No,” as he tapped her shoulder.
Without turning, she shook her head. “Beat it, buddy,” then whined, “I’ve been here long enough, Mia. Please, let me leave.”
I almost stomped my foot, but kept my cool. “Someone wants your attention.”
She rolled her eyes. “I didn’t come here to dance.” As the fingers tapped her shoulder again, she repeated louder, “I said I didn’t come here to dance.”
I fought my smile and said softly, “Maybe you should turn around.”
Her shoulders bunched as the fingers lightly tapped her once more. I watched her silently fume. Steeling her shoulders, she turned to face her secret admirer. “Can’t you take a hint?”
Laughter bubbled into my throat, but I stopped it by clamping my hand over my mouth tightly. Ella’s face turned confused as she looked up, then up, then up some more until she looked into his eyes. “Hey. Hi. Hey. Um…”
“Mike,” the bartender from the bar we’d gone to spoke gently, his voice rough. He held out his hand and took Ella’s without permission, not shaking it, just holding it, cradling it, as though she were the most precious thing he’d ever seen.
“Mike,” she repeated dumbly. Snapping out of her stupor, she responded softly, “I’m Ella.”
He smiled then, and it beamed. “I know, sweetheart.” He winked at me and I waved, smiling. “A little bird told me that if I made it tonight, you’d dance with me.”
Ella turned to face me, never pulling her hand from Mike’s tattooed hand. “Oh, is that right?”
My eyes widened and I shook my head at the same time Mike nodded. “Yep.” He must’ve seen the hesitation in her eyes, because his smile gentled. “You’re not gonna make a liar out of your friend now, are you?”
But still, she hesitated. And I knew exactly what she was thinking. I stepped forward and gripped her arm. “Can I speak to Ella alone, Mike? We’ll be just a second.”
He released her, albeit reluctantly, and I pulled her a short distance away. She shook her head, clearly distressed. “No. No, Mia. Why?”
“Because he likes you! And you can hide all you like behind that crazy hair and attitude, but this is me, El. I know you like him.”
She turned her sad eyes up to me. Blinking away tears, she choked out, “He thinks I’m easy. He was there. He saw what happened; that’s the only reason he wants me. Just for a bathroom fuck.”
Then I turned mama bear on her. “Hey!” I nearly yelled. “Do you think I’d let a man hurt you again? I was there too, honey. I saw what happened. I held you in my arms after it happened. Do you think I want to see that again?” She didn’t respond. “Mike is good people. He’s our people. He’s sweet, and funny, and…” I glanced over to him, watching as he stood tall, his muscular arms crossed over his chest, scaring anyone within an arm’s distance away. “…he’s a little rough around the edges, sure, but he’s honest and he likes you. You, Ella.”
I saw jealously flash in her eyes. “How do you know how he is?”
I grinned, glee apparent. “Possessiveness is a good color on you.” She flipped me the bird and I laughed. “I may have gone down to the bar with my brother last week. We caught Mike at the end of his shift and he remembered me; well, he remembered you. He came over to our booth and asked about you. He seemed genuinely concerned.”
Her face softened. “He did?”
I nodded. “Yes. And he was a little overly concerned about whether I gave you his note too. I asked why he didn’t put his number on it, and you know what he said?”
She shook her head, eyes wide. “What did he say?”
My heart melted at the memory. “He said…” I fought a dreamy sigh. “He said, ‘It wasn’t the gentlemanly thing to do.’”
Ella’s hesitation disappeared. She smoothed her hands down her dress and turned on her heel. I followed at a quick jog. For a little woman, she was quick. She stopped toe-to-toe with Mike, reached out, and took his hand. “Would you like to dance with me?”
He looked down at her like she was the only person in the room. His lip lifted in the corners and he entwined his fingers with hers. “Thought you’d never ask.”
They walked onto the dance floor and slow danced to “Mickey” by Toni Basil. In fact, they slow danced all night long, getting closer and closer until I couldn’t tell them apart. And just like that, my night had gone from good to great.
I wasn’t to know it wouldn’t stay that way for very long.
Not until I saw him.
I glanced around the room, mouthing the words to OutKast’s “Hey Ya!” when I spotted him. He was dancing with a pretty, short, petite redhead with thick-rimmed glasses and a killer smile.
He was laughing at something she said then he turned to face me. And he did something horrible. He smiled.
Matt Quinn was working. He was working at my event. With a pretty redhead. And later, he would take her home and fuck her. Because that was what Matt Quinn did.
The very thought turned my insides. He knew all of this, and he had the nerve to smile at me? My stomach clenched painfully as my heart thundered in my chest. I felt faint. Blood roared through my ears and my palms began to sweat. Was this payback for my going on a date?