“Oh! Your dress,” he called out. He scurried off and, a moment later, returned with garment bag on a hanger. “He requested that you change prior to going into the bar. There is a bathroom just inside, on the left.”
“Of course,” I said, taking the dress from him.
I walked inside and quickly found the bathroom, taking notice of the black curtains hanging down from the ceiling, blocking my view of the rest of the bar. They’d never been there before, and I paused for a moment, considering taking a sneak peek. No, it’s probably best to play along with whatever little game he’s up to, I decided.
I locked the bathroom door and tugged up the plastic to reveal a short, black dress with a low-cut neck and a low back with a silver zipper. It was fitted with a beautiful lace overlay, and there was even a set of lacy lingerie to match. I changed as quickly as I could, smoothed the dress over my thighs, and took in my reflection. Charlie had always had good taste in all things, clothes included, and this was no exception. The dress hugged every curve of my body perfectly, leaving nothing to the imagination. “That man,” I muttered, but I couldn’t help grinning; a thrill ran through me in knowing Charlie would be aware of exactly what was hiding beneath the fabric of the dress, because he’d picked it out himself.
I pulled a brush from my purse to touch up my hair, then applied some makeup. As I left the bathroom and parted the black curtains, a nagging voice in my mind said that my true feelings for him might threaten to bloom.
“Oh wow,” I whispered as my eyes took in the bar that no longer looked like a bar. Rose petals covered the floor and a table set with fine silverware and a black tablecloth. The lights were dimmed, and rather than the country-rock that usually blasted through the place, soft music was playing in the background. Candles flickered along the walls and the bar.
At the center of it all was Charlie, dressed in his tux, holding a single rose in his hands. His eyes glimmered as he took in the sight of me, and I obliged him with a quick twirl. “You look stunning,” he said huskily.
I warmed even more
at the compliment. “No shoes,” I said with a laugh as I glanced down at my bare feet.
He cringed. “Well, I know you hate heels, so I wasn’t sure what to do about that part.”
“You chose right in choosing nothing at all,” I said, wiggling my toes in the soft rose petals and giggling as the champagne really began to kick in. “What is all this?”
He held the rose out to me and gave me a soft smile.
I took the flower, letting my fingers brush against his before I pulled it up to my nose to smell its sweet scent.
“Well, I was told I’ve been wooing you wrong, going about things the wrong way,” he said. “I wanted to make up for it, tenfold if need be. How am I doing so far?”
“Not too shabby,” I said, glancing around the bar again. “You’ve done a hell of a job. It’s beyond romantic.”
He laughed and leaned closer. “It was the only place I could afford to clear out for a night,” he admitted in a whisper.
The strong scent of his teakwood cologne filled my nose, even more alluring than the fragrance of the rose, and I breathed it in deep.
“Eddie owed me a favor. I don’t have my inheritance yet, remember?”
A man cleared his throat nearby, and I laughed at Eddie in his Sunday best, the same jeans he always wore, only topped off with a dress shirt and bowtie. “Yep, and after tonight, he’s gonna owe me three. Damn, girl! No offense, but you look fine.”
I smiled at the compliment. “Thank you. So do you, Eddie. I love your tie. You should wear it more often.”
He grumbled under his breath as he poured two glasses of deep red wine. “Dinner will be served shortly,” he announced before he retreated back to the kitchen.
“You really didn’t have to do all this,” I said as Charlie scooted me in at the table.
“I most certainly did,” he argued and sat down across from me. He hesitated and looked at me strangely as if there was much more he wanted to say but just couldn’t build up the nerve.
I held my breath, wondering if Charlie was finally going to admit to how he felt about me, if he was going to tell me he thought of me as more than a BFF and an easy fix to his problem. I even bit my lip as I nervously waited, afraid I might say something stupid too soon.
Instead of professing his love for me, though, Charlie picked up his wine glass and held it over the table. “A toast...to you.”
“Why me?” I asked with a smile and held my glass up too.
“Because you’ve been a true friend all these years,” he said and clinked his glass against mine.
We sipped our wine, and I debated coming clean right then and there, just spilling the truth out for him in Eddie’s bar. Before I could say anything, though, Charlie held out his hand for mine. “Would you care to dance?” he asked, jumping to his feet.
He pulled me to my feet, and we danced to slow music. He drew me close against his body, and I closed my eyes. I saw us in my mind’s eye, together, just as I’d always wanted. He moved his hand to the small of my back, and everything in me screamed for him to move lower. I wanted to stand on my toes and kiss him hotly, to show him that I was ready to give into our passion just as much as he was, but I wasn’t sure Eddie would appreciate us going at it in the middle of his bar.
The dance lasted through another song and then another. Neither of us said the word, but his hands bunching up the back of my dress spoke volumes. I melted into his touch, desperately wanting to just give in and see what could happen.