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Chapter Eleven
Holly
Iunfolded myself from Ursula, my prized possession, in the parking lot of Fifth Park Place. Yes, I named my car after the villain in a princess movie. I might not believe in fairytale endings, and maybe it pisses me off when Reid calls me princess, but I’ve always felt a connection to the mermaid trapped in a life of royalty that spent her time collecting unique and lost things, restoring them into something useful.
This car was the first big purchase I made that was all mine after paying off my business loans, and she’s a beauty. She makes me feel sexy, and maybe a little bit badass – sue me.
I didn’t go home to change; I just didn’t have the time. My office look became my event look that has now become my date night look. Wearing slacks to a first date gives off a certain message anyway, right? It says I’m not willing to part my legs wide enough for you to slip your hand up my thigh under the table. That’s not necessarily something I’m opposed to, but I’m not whoring it out on the first date, especially not with the spoiled, rich country club brat that’s no doubt waiting inside for me.
Remind me again why I agreed to this? Oh yeah, I need to stop thinking about Reid Chapman slipping his hands up my thighs, that’s why.
I checked my phone to verify that I’m only fifteen minutes late and made my way into the lobby of the restaurant.
“Holly Adkins, meeting…” I hesitated as I spoke, having already forgotten the name that Til sent me on the drive over.
“Oh, Ms. Adkins, I have you down right here. I’ve just seated Mr. Karrington.” Karrington, of course. I rolled the pretentious name around on my tongue in distaste. He’s probably a III, no doubt.
I followed the perky waitress into the dimly lit restaurant, watching the sway of her hips as they filled out the black dress, she wore that fit her like a second skin. Her dark brown hair flowed down her back in big, loose curls, and I just could make out a little ink that slipped from underneath the strap of her dress. If Karrington doesn’t work out tonight, maybe I could pick up a little untethered distraction from somewhere else, it’s been a while…
“Here we are, Ms. Adkins, I hope you enjoy your evening.” My train of thought was interrupted as I was halted abruptly in front of a small round table hidden in the back corner of the restaurant.
Oh my damn. Thank you, Tilly, thank you so very much.
My attention was diverted again as the man, already seated at the candlelit table, pushed back and stood to his full height, which towered a full foot over my petite frame. His brown eyes sparkled dark, almost black, with just a hint of danger as he took me in, and all of a sudden, I was beginning to wish I’d just worn the damn dress. He wore a custom-tailored navy suit with a price tag that undoubtedly rivaled what I paid for Ursula. That part was not surprising, but the way it fit over his sculpted body – well, he got his money’s worth out of it.
“The elusive Holly Adkins, I’m Duke Karrington III, it’s so nice to finally meet you in person.” I internally groaned as my vagina threatened to shrivel up and blow away in a cloud of dust. Ignore the III. Ignore the III. Why did he have to be a III?
He walked around the table, barely brushing my arm as he passed, and pulled my chair out for me to sit. No sparks, no butterflies gently fluttering in the pit of my stomach, nothing. Dammit.
This man is gorgeous, he has better hair than I do, with his chocolate brown locks meticulously styled and his facial hair trimmed to perfection. He is exactly my type, except he’s not. Something is missing.
Do. Not. Think. It.
No, Holly.
“Duke, nice to meet you as well. I’m sorry, but I have absolutely no idea who you are, other than the fact that you obviously must know my sister Tilly and her husband Kris.” I spoke bluntly, ignoring every etiquette lesson I’ve ever attended. My mother would be mortified, but my mind is too busy trying to work out its own issues, leaving no brain capacity to focus on formalities.
He smiled as he sat back down across the table and summoned a waiter who seemingly appeared out of thin air to fill our glasses with wine, his teeth were sparkling white, clearly bought and paid for. Typical.
“You know, you’re funny. It’s rare I meet a woman in our circle that actually has a personality. Most of the women I meet are so self-absorbed they can barely string a sentence together, let alone infuse a little humor into a conversation.” Well, at least we can agree on something.
“Thank you...I think.” I lifted my glass of wine and was pleasantly surprised when the red he pre-selected was more sweet than bitter. Perfect choice.
“I’m a doctor. Kris and I perform procedures at the same surgery center. I met Mistletoe a few months ago, and she hasn’t stopped talking about you since.”
The wine I was sipping shot straight up my nose, and burned like a thousand suns as I snorted at his use of Til’s full name. My mother is the only person on the planet that calls her Mistletoe.
“Are you okay?” He asked, raising his eyebrow in question, the action making his perfectly carved face look even more handsome. It’s a shame I can’t get my tingles on board with this man.
“I’m sorry, I’m fine. It’s just, I rarely hear people refer to Tilly as Mistletoe. It’s kind of a joke between us. I apologize, what kind of doctor are you? If you don’t mind me asking.” I collected myself, and tried to regain a bit of my composure. I don’t want to come off as a total flake, even if I’m not particularly interested in this man. It's unfortunate really, because he is beautiful to look at.
“Oh, I didn’t realize. It’s funny, no one ever corrected me. I guess the joke was on me.” He laughed, the sound genuine, suffice to say I didn’t hate it.
“To answer your question, I specialize in orthopedics, I know it’s not feet but…” He trailed off the corner of his mouth tipping up into an adorable grin.
“Thank God, it’s not feet. No offense to Kris or anything, but I just can’t imagine investigating toe jam all day.” I cringed, and yet I felt myself relaxing into our easy conversation. Maybe I’m not going to go to bed with this man, but he’s easy to talk to and a welcomed distraction from the constant push and pull of every interaction I’ve had with Reid over the past few weeks.
Normalcy, maybe that’s exactly what I need tonight.
