I opened my closet and looked around. I had nothing I could wear that would work for a black-tie charity ball. I had been to a couple of upper-class parties with clients, but nothing as formal as the one we were going to tonight.

I needed to go shopping. I dialed Kina’s number.

“Come shopping with me,” I said. “I have a hot date, and I need to look the part.”

“Oh, with who?” she asked.

“Just a client,” I said. “But I need to spend money to fit in, so we’re talking boutiques.”

Kina agreed right away, and I picked her up on the way into town.

“We have to go to JDO Couture,” Kina said. “You said you needed to spend money. That’s the place to go.”

I smiled and let her direct me. We parked and walked into the boutique. It was the kind of place that made you feel like a goddess walking in. A shop assistant came to us with a broad, dark red smile.

“Welcome to Jus d’Orange Couture, ladies. How can I help you?”

“I’m looking for something formal,” I said.

“And sexy,” Kina added. “She wants to look sexy.”

I glanced at Kina. She was smiling at me.

The shop assistant brought me an array of dresses in my size, which was extra impressive because I hadn’t told her my size. Then, I was led to a dressing room where I could try them on.

“So, a date with Hanson Bell, huh?” Kina asked, sitting outside the dressing room.

“It’s not a date,” I said, trying to get into the first dress. “It’s business. It’s for him. If it were a date, it would be for me.”

“So, if it’s business, whose place do you go to for sex afterward?”

I shook my head.

“I’m not going to sleep with him,” I said. “He’s a client. It’s a rule.”

“Is it your rule or the company’s?”

I turned around and looked at myself from all angles. I stepped out of the dressing room to show Kina.

“Probably the company’s, but I don’t sleep with my clients.”

Kina shook her head at the dress. “I don’t think this is the one.” She looked at me. “You wish you could sleep with him, right? He’s a football player. I can just imagine what his body must be like.”

I locked myself in the cubicle again.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” I said. “I’ve seen what there is to see. If you see one set of abs and a big dick, you’ve seen them all.”

Kina giggled. I wiggled out of the dress and tried another one. “Besides,” I added. “If it’s this hard to get in and out of these dresses, I don’t know how I’ll have time to get around to the sex.”

Kina giggled again. “What time are you meeting this guy?” she asked

“Six.”

“That’s early for a charity thing, isn’t it?”

“It is. We need to cover some details first. We’re going to dinner.”

I walked out of the dressing room again to show Kina dress number two.

“Dinner before? And then a romantic formal event where you save poor kids lives by donating money to a hospital wing? Sounds like a date to me. And I know for a fact that you have sex after the first date.”

I smiled, shaking my head. It was strictly business.

“So, this one?” I asked. “Or do I have to keep trying? This is hard work.”

“What do you think?” she asked. “How do you feel in it?”

I turned to a mirror and looked at myself again. With the right pair of shoes and elegant jewelry, the dress would do fine. If Hanson had managed to get the right kind of suit, we would look good together.

Of course, that wasn’t what it was about. But still, it couldn’t hurt.

***

I showered and used enough product on my hair that it would stay where I put it. It was a bit longer now than when I’d first cut it, and I could style it around my face into something softer and elegant than I usually wore it. I preferred my hair short. I liked it out of the way, and I wasn’t the type of woman that wanted to seduce a man with my locks. Still, I wanted to look feminine, and tonight, I had managed.

The dress was tight around my body, accentuating my curves and showing off my back and shoulders. The bodice clung to my body all the way down to my hips before it flared out in a skirt of organza. Crystals decorated the bodice. With it, I put on silver jewelry, black shoes, and grabbed a matching clutch. I put on smoky makeup with dark red lipstick.

I turned around in the mirror and liked what I saw.

The doorbell chimed at the front door, and I opened it. A man in a black suit and chauffeur’s hat stood in front of me and bowed slightly at the hips.

“Miss Townsend,” he said. “Your car awaits.”

I threw my phone, lipstick, keys, and a credit card into my clutch and closed the door behind me. I followed the chauffeur to the street. A black limousine waited for me on the curb, and I stopped in my tracks. The chauffeur walked to the back door and opened it for me.

“Miss?” he said.

I swallowed, looking at him. This was a bit much, wasn’t it? 

When I slid onto the leather seats, I changed my mind. It may have been a bit much, but this was nice. I could get used to this, dressing up, being driven around by a chauffeur in a luxury car, and going to an expensive restaurant.

We stopped in front of Zuma and Hanson Bell stood outside, waiting for me. He smiled when I got out of the car. He looked me up and down before he thanked the chauffeur and gave him a time to collect us again.

“You look ravishing,” he said.

I couldn’t help but blush. When was the last time a man called me ravishing?

“You clean up pretty well yourself,” I said.

Hanson wore a tuxedo, complete with bow tie and satin lapels, that made him look classy and refined. He smiled and held the door open for me. The hostess led us to our table.

I had never been to Zuma before. I’d only read about it. It had high ceilings and a bar to the side where Japanese chefs prepared sushi and other foods. We sat down at a light wood table with soft green leather seats, and a waitress brought us our menus.

“This a great place,” I said, looking around. It was full. “How did you get reservations so easily?”

Hanson shrugged. “I’m Hanson Bell, remember?”

I nodded. Right. Privileges and all that. I glanced at the menu.

“I don’t know what to decide on,” I said. “Everything looks so good.”

“Let me decide. I’ve been here before.”

I nodded. I didn’t usually let men take the lead. I hated being indecisive, but I wanted to get down to business. I couldn’t forget what I was doing here. The limo and dressing up and the expensive restaurant made it all feel like too much of a fairy tale.

I waited until Hanson ordered for us before I started.

“Okay, so about tonight,” I said. “I already told you what it’s all about. We’re going there so that you can mingle with the people who influence our society.”

Hanson frowned.  “I’m going to be out of my league, then.”

I chuckled. “Maybe, but if people start associating you with people that influence society in a good way, they’ll start labeling you that way, too.”

He nodded. “Okay, I can understand that. I become good by association, then.”

“It’s a mindset,” I said. “And you’re showing them that you’re attending a cause that matters. People love a winner, but they love a hero more.”

“Selflessness,” Hanson said, pulling a face like the idea left a bad taste in his mouth.

“It’s for the children,” I said. “It’s a good cause. Don’t you like children?”

Hanson shrugged. “I do. I guess one day, I would like my own. Just not now, you know?”

I nodded.

“What about you?” he asked.

I looked at him. This wasn’t exactly where I’d meant to go with this.

“I like children,”’ I said. “I just don’t want any of my own.”

Hanson frowned. “Why not?”

“Personal taste, I guess.” That, and that it was a responsibility I would never be able to take on.

“Every woman wants children. It’s in your nature.”

“That,” I said. “Is a sexist comment. It’s exactly what you need to watch out for when you focus on your public image. We’re not breeding machines or objects of pleasure.”

Hanson held up his hands. “I was really just asking why you don’t want kids,” he said. “No offense implied.”

I nodded. “It’s fine. All I’m saying is that attending these kinds of events isn’t so bad. You’re really doing it all for yourself in the end. It’s a gift that keeps on giving.” I was changing the topic. I needed to.

“You’re making it sound so glamorous,” Hanson said.

I chuckled. “It is. You can’t tell me you don’t feel good, being dressed like this, on our way to a place where everyone is doing something good?”

“I can tell you that seeing you dress like that makes me want to help you undress again.”

I laughed, unable to hide my surprise. He’d been so good until now, I’d stopped keeping my guard up.

“You can’t do this,” I said.

“You have a beautiful smile.”

I was blushing. I felt the flush creep onto my cheeks, and there was nothing I could do to hide it. I didn’t even have long hair to hide behind.

“I’m serious, Bell.”

He held up his hands. “If it’s going to make you address me by my surname again, I’ll stop it.” His face was serious, but his hazel eyes were still smiling at me, and they made me feel a little unbalanced.

When the food arrived, I was grateful for the distraction. I had to take a moment to pull myself together again. This man knew exactly how to get a woman to unravel.