The bathroom was completely transformed. A hairstylist and makeup artist had taken up residence at the sink counter, and there was a beautiful new gown hanging from the stall door. She'd never seen so many lights in a bathroom before.
Carter's head popped through the door, watching her expression.
“Have fun,” he said. “I'll see you in twenty minutes for what comes next.”
And he closed the door and left her to get pampered.
Chapter 22
Carter
Carter sat in an uncomfortable office chair, playing on his phone for the twenty minutes while he waited for Mia in the bathroom. He spun around in lazy circles, wearing out the poor bearings in the chair and doing his best to distract himself with emails and phone games, but his mind kept going back to Mia.
She was something special. He'd never met anyone like her, and even what he had planned for her today wasn't enough. He wanted to help her fulfill her dream. He wasn't quite sure how to go about it, but if anyone could figure out how to make something work, it was Carter Williamson.
He looked up as the bathroom door squeaked, and Mia stepped out. It was worth the wait. It always was with her.
His eyes went up and down her body not just once, not twice, but three full times. He didn't even feel guilty about staring. She was absolutely stunning. The gold dress fit her perfectly and made her look like a movie star. Her brown hair was curled up and pulled into a complicated looking knot at the back of her head. He wanted to take her home and keep her for himself, but he'd worked too hard on this to do such a thing.
“This is amazing, but why am I dressed up?” Mia asked. She grinned at him, and he lost his breath for a moment. That smile lit up a room.
“You are going to a fundraiser,” he explained, standing up. His stomach was twisting with excitement to see her reaction to what he had set up. He'd been working on it for the past week and had pulled out all the stops.
“A fundraiser?” she asked, smoothing the gold satin of her dress. “A fundraiser for what?”
He handed her the invitation for the event. It was printed on golden paper that matched her dress with an elegant script that screamed high-society and money.
“All proceeds go to foster kids,” he said as she looked it over. “Your kids are the benefit.”
Her mouth fell open, and her hand shook slightly. “How did... but...”
He loved that she was speechless. She seemed always to have something smart to say, so the fact that she had no words was exactly what he was looking for. He took advantage of the moment by giving her a quick kiss.
“It's at the theater downtown, so you'll need to head over there to schmooze and wow the guests,” he told her. Given how beautiful she looked, that wouldn't be hard. “I have everything set up, so all you have to do is smile and thank them for their very generous donations.”
She frowned, her brown eyes looking over him. “But you're not dressed. Are you not coming?”
He shook his head. “Security. I can't go.” He wished with all his heart that he could. He wanted to be the one on her arm tonight. He wanted to walk around with her and make her smile and then take her out of that dress. But, his security team said it wasn't possible.
“I'm by myself?” She sounded nervous, and her hand reached up to play with her necklace.
“My business partner will be there,” he explained. “Ethan White is your date this evening.”
Mia bit her lip. “You set me up with someone else?”
Carter stepped forward and touched her hair with his fingers. She was so damn beautiful it hurt. “He's under strict orders not to fall in love with you.”
“Poor guy,” she said, looking up at him. “I'll try not to break his heart. I can't help it that men fall for me whenever I smile.”
“I certainly did,” Carter told her with a grin of his own. He loved the color that filled her cheeks, and he tried not to think of the implications of what he just said. He was certainly falling in love with her, but he wasn't ready to declare it, and certainly not at her office just outside the employee bathroom. To cover himself, he quickly pulled out his phone and called up a picture of Ethan. “This is him. He'll meet you there.”
She studied the picture for a moment and then smiled. “You sure you can’t come with me?”
He was so tempted. So incredibly tempted. He'd wear the jeans and polo shirt he had on right now and borrow a tie there, but his security team would be furious. There had been another threat, and he was risking a lot just coming to her office. Vegas was built for the wealthy, so keeping him safe there had been easy. An affair like this was just too easy to breach.
“Go have fun and get some donations for your kids,” he said, putting on a happy face.
She looked him over and then kissed him. It was soft and gentle. He didn't want to mess up her makeup, but she felt so amazing that he didn't want to stop either.