Alicia
We arrived at the Solas Enterprises Annual Ball early so Ryan could be there to greet all of the guests as they arrived. Almost everyone would be fashionably late, so we didn’t need to rush. We each grabbed a cocktail from the bar—martinis were the drink of choice for the evening. Ryan linked my arm through his and we stood near the entry as a line began to form. Everyone wanted to greet Ryan; more than a few people were curious about me.
“Your dress is absolutely lovely,” a woman in her seventies said. “You’re a vision. I love when young women know how to dress to accentuate their natural beauty.” She gripped my hands tightly and moved her face toward mine. “I already told Ryan you’re a keeper,” she said, emphasizing her point by squeezing my hands.
I thanked her, letting her know that I thought Ryan was a keeper as well. She smiled and walked away.
“Way to charm the senator’s wife,” Ryan leaned in and whispered to me. I looked up at him and he winked. “She’s right; you are a vision. And blue is definitely your color.”
I looked down at my dress and felt myself flush with both embarrassment and excitement. I felt like a princess in the dress Ryan had brought me. It was a deep, dark blue with silver sparkles. It hugged every curve I had in the best ways possible. When I had put it on, he looked me up and down and pronounced that I looked like a beautiful, starry night.
I looked up at him and cocked my head quizzically. “I thought you said red was my color.”
“You look absolutely exquisite in anything, any color, any shape, any style. It’s not the wrapping; it’s the gift.” He squeezed my wrist and briefly held my hand. Before I could say anything else, our brief interlude was over and another gentleman in a very sharp tuxedo was talking to Ryan, shaking his hand, and complimenting him on such a well-planned evening.
After about an hour, we were able to move around the room, mingling amongst Ryan’s guests. The event was a huge success; more than three hundred people had shown up, all with hearty appetites…but then again the food was delicious.
Ryan was making connections with a variety of different people interested in working with Solas Enterprises as investors, partners, vendors—every connection imaginable. Ryan was truly in his element and I felt myself getting turned on as I watched him work the room in his tux. I was attracted to everything about him: his smile, how he held himself, the ease with which he talked to people, his awareness of their businesses, and how he called everyone by name. It was easy to see why he was so successful, and that he worked very hard to make the money he spent on me and on his activities.
He proudly introduced me to everyone we met, and I began to learn names as well. Everyone smiled, and several people commented on how nice it was to see him so happy. Each conversation we had left me feeling more and more joyful that Ryan and I had worked things out.
I took a break to get some more drinks for us, and when I returned Ryan was talking to Roger and Lori. My stomach jumped as a flurry of nerves hit me; I hadn’t seen them since everything happened. That had been weeks ago, but I was sure that they were still angry with me. Ryan saw me standing just out of earshot and waved me over.
“Hi,” I said shyly to Roger and Lori.
“Hey, Alicia!” Roger said brightly. I was relieved and surprised to see him smiling at me, as was Lori. “Great party, huh?”
“Oh. My. God. Alicia, that dress is so gorgeous!” Lori enthused. “Did Ryan pick it out for you?”
I studied her face to see if she was trying to be mean, suggesting I couldn’t afford it on my own, but there was nothing but kindness in her eyes.
“He did.” I smiled and smoothed my hands over my hips. “He’s got great taste, doesn’t he?”
“He sure does,” Lori nodded and smiled.
I got the feeling that she was referring to more than just the dress, and I felt my anxiety disappear. I don’t know how or why, but Roger and Lori seemed to have forgotten about the blog and didn’t seem unhappy about the demise of the Diamond Club. I wondered if they were maybe finding the same kind of freedom Ryan and I were finding by being a couple, just the two of them.
“I heard you’re going to be a published author soon,” Lori said.
I felt myself blush. “There’s a contract in the works. I haven’t signed anything yet, because my agent has two houses trying to outdo the other’s deal.”
“That’s incredible,” Roger said. With a proud smile, he added, “Let Lori design your dress for your first signing. Her business is starting to take off.”
“That’s incredible!” I said. On an impulse, I leaned forward and hugged her. Then I realized what I was doing and started to pull away, but she gripped me even tighter.
“Your encouragement helped,” she said in a soft voice. “Up until then, I’d been listening too much to…other people. One person in particular. And she kept telling me I couldn’t do it. But you said I could, and I believed you. Thank you.”
When she pulled away, her eyes were glistening.
“Did you see Dylan yet?” Roger asked Ryan. “He and Reena said they were going to come around seven—just in time for dinner, of course.”
I looked at the large clock in the hall and was surprised to see that it was already after seven. The time was flying. Just as we were talking about them, Dylan and Reena came through the crowd, smiling.
“Hey, hey, lookie here!” Dylan said. “It’s almost a full family reunion!” Reena was on his arm looking gorgeous in a flowing orange cocktail dress.
“It’s so good to see you!” Reena said to Lori, Dylan, and Ryan. She looked at me and smiled, blushing a little. “Hi Alicia, how are you?”
“I’m good, Reena. How are you?”
She seemed as skittish around me as I’d felt at first around Lori and Roger, but I couldn’t blame her and hoped she’d warm up during the rest of the evening.
After some chitchat with the others, Ryan and I made our way to the area of the room where dinner was being served. At the head table, we were served first, and Ryan poured us each a glass of champagne.
“To us,” he said, raising his glass in a toast.
“To us,” I said, clinking his glass. We chatted throughout dinner and he pointed out potential clients and connections to me as we ate.
After dinner and dessert, the band began to play and couples started to take to the dance floor. I watched the women in their beautiful dresses moving, floating, across the floor. Ryan squeezed my waist.
“Do you want to dance?” he asked, leaning in to me.
“Hmmm,” I said, playfully. “We’ve never danced together before—vertically, anyway.”
“You’re a bad girl,” he whispered into my ear. “Dance with me.”
He led me to the dance floor and took me into his arms. As we moved together I knew the next part of our lives would make an unbelievable story of both magic…and adventure.