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Damian
Sunshine was getting to the hotel at six, but Damian wouldn’t get there until eight. The limo would take her to the Ryder, where she’d be greeted, shown to her room, then informed that she could order room service or dine in the dining room. Her meal was paid for, whatever she wanted, on him.
He was trying to give her the kind of romantic night every young woman should have when losing her virginity but without the actual man there for the romance. That’s not what this was, but he wanted it to be a night for her to remember.
There was also a note waiting for her on the bed in their room, instructing her to be ready and waiting on the bed for him at eight o’clock sharp. He was spending his evening getting himself ready. He’d trimmed his mustache and beard and put in a washout dye to turn it from his normal grey to a darker color. He gave Braden a bunch of shit for dyeing his hair, but this was different. It was only for one night because he didn’t want to be easily recognizable.
Damian preferred to keep his financial situation out of other people’s business. The Ryder wasn’t the kind of place he would normally frequent, and with his tattoos covered and all his hair dyed dark, he didn’t look much like himself. At least not himself as he was now.
He looked a little like who he’d been when he’d met Anita. Looking not quite as old made him feel a little better about the young woman he was going to be meeting. He might not actually be younger, but hopefully, the age gap wouldn’t be as noticeable.
Staring in the mirror, he hardly recognized himself.
When his phone rang, he jumped. Katrina. Should he answer? He should. Just because he was going out and doing something for himself didn’t mean that he should feel guilty.
“Hey, sweetheart.”
“Hi, Dad! How are you?”
“Good, how are you doing?”
“I’m good. I just wanted to call and say hi and let you know that I’m going to be performing ‘My Angry Vagina’ and ‘Reclaiming Cunt’ for the Vagina Monologues.” The glee in her voice as she informed him let him know she was really looking forward to his reaction.
He held back his groan and rubbed his forehead.
“That sounds great, sweetie. I’m so proud of you.” Which was true, even if he was also unsure about going to see her in this.
Katrina laughed.
“I can hear the enthusiasm,” she teased. “I’m also doing some of the dialogue back and forth, but ‘Woman 2’ doesn’t really have the same ring as ‘Reclaiming Cunt.’”
“No, I suppose it doesn’t.” He couldn’t help but smile as he shook his head, turning away from the mirror because it was odd watching his reflection when he didn’t look like himself. She giggled again, clearly pleased with herself for discomfiting him. “Is that all?”
“Why?” Curiosity entered her voice. “Are you in a hurry to get somewhere? It’s Sunday evening. I figured you’d be completely free.”
Ah, shit.
Normally, he tried to keep her on the phone longer, no matter what they were talking about. He’d tipped his hand because he was off his game.
“I… ah, have plans for the evening. Dinner plans.”
“Dinner plans? Like a date?”
Thankfully, she sounded excited rather than upset. In fact, he was a little taken aback by how excited she sounded at the idea of him going on a date.
Hell. It couldn’t hurt to tell her that he was. He meant to go on some real dates, eventually. This would get her set up for the idea of him being out there and looking. If she even needed that, considering she sounded more excited than he would have anticipated.
“Sorta. It’s not a big deal. But, um, yeah, I’ve been thinking I might start trying to date.” The words sounded weird coming out of his mouth, but they also came with a sense of relief.
Tonight wasn’t a date. Not really. It wasn’t about that. But it was the beginning of the next chapter of his life when he would be trying to date.
Katrina squealed.
“Aw, Dad! That is a big deal! It’s okay, though. I won’t go overboard… I’ll wait ’til you have someone you want me to meet, but I just want you to know that I’m really happy you’re getting out there. You deserve to be happy and have everything you want.”
She wouldn’t be saying that if she’d known how long what he’d wanted had been her best friend, but he appreciated the sentiment.
“Thanks, sweetie. I don’t know that I’m going to be ready to introduce you to anyone for a while. This is all pretty new to me.”
