~Joy~
“This is the best day ever,” Noel says as we walk into Neiman’s. She looks like a kid on Christmas morning.
I look like I’m headed to the guillotine for a crime I didn’t commit.
“This is hell on Earth,” I mutter as I trudge behind her, barely looking at the clothes on the racks. “Maybe I should just wear a dress that I already have.”
“No, you said yourself, he’s seen all of those multiple times. This is a real date, and it should be something nice. Sexy. Alluring.”
I roll my eyes behind my sister’s back. “That’s a little dramatic. I really just don’t want to suck.”
“You’re going to take his breath away,” she promises me as she leads me into the evening gown section, and we comb through rack after rack of sparkles, silk, and satin in all colors of the rainbow. Within three minutes, I’m completely overwhelmed.
Noel has four dresses draped over her arm and hurries to find a sales girl.
“We need a dressing room, please.”
“Of course. I’m Claire, and I can help with anything you need.”
I want to apologize to Claire ahead of time for my sister’s over-exuberance and my lack of interest, but I keep my mouth shut and follow the woman into a dressing room.
“Do you need any help?” she asks me.
“No, thanks.” Getting in and out of a formal gown is old hat to me after years of attending functions with Jace.
I strip out of my sundress, already prepared by wearing a strapless bra, and reach for the first gown.
It’s black and has a tapered hem, starting mid-thigh in the front and skimming my heels in the back.
It also makes my boobs look nonexistent.
“You have to show me every one,” Noel calls through the door.
“Even if it sucks?”
“Yes. I have to know how it sucks so I can find you something that doesn’t suck.”
I open the door, and Noel covers her mouth with her hand, her eyes going wide as she cringes.
“Yeah, that’s not you.”
“Not unless I’m a twelve-year-old boy who loves to dress in drag.”
She giggles and flips her hand at me, gesturing me back into the room. “Next.”
I can’t get out of the black number fast enough and change into a red dress that rests on one shoulder with a giant rose. Aside from the ugly rose, it’s not bad. It hugs my curves in all the right places.
When I open the door, Noel nods, tapping her lips with her finger. “I like it.”
“This rose is gaudy.”
She nods again. “I agree, but the fit of the dress is great. Is it comfortable?”
“Are these dresses ever comfortable?”
“Good point. Try the blush-colored one. I think it might be a winner.”
I do as she asks and shimmy into the light pink dress. It’s sleeveless but has straps on my shoulders, and a V-cut that dips down past my cleavage. I have to strip out of my bra altogether.
When I walk out of the room, Noel gasps and her eyes fill with tears.
“If Jace reacts like that, this will all be worth it.”
“Joy,” she breathes. “That dress was made for you. The color is stunning, and the way it dips between your breasts? Jesus, I wish I had boobs like you.”
“And I wish I had breasts like you,” I reply with a wry grin. Noel’s curves are kicking. “But I agree. I love this one. I think I’ll need some dress tape to keep it in place around my boobs, but otherwise, it’s great. Wait, how much is it?”
She rolls her eyes. “You can afford it, no matter how much it is.”
“That doesn’t mean I’m not concerned with how much it costs.”
She just shakes her head and shoos me back into the room. “It doesn’t matter, it’s yours. Go change so we can go to the shoe department.”
I walk into the room and unzip the dress. “I already have shoes,” I call out to her.
“Not for that dress.”
“Black heels go with everything.”
“No,” she says, her voice hard. “They don’t. They definitely don’t go with that dress. You need nude heels, and I know there are some Jimmy Choos downstairs that will be divine.”
“Who the hell is Jimmy Choo?” I mutter to myself as I slip my sundress back over my head and check the price of the gown, almost swallowing my tongue when I see the tag.
“Noel!”
“What? What’s wrong?”
“This dress is two thousand dollars.”
“Oh, good, so it’s not too bad.”
I stomp out of the fitting room and stare at my sister in horror. “Not too bad? It’s almost the same as my mortgage payment, Noel.”
She doesn’t even bat an eye. “I will not have you going on this date in anything less than something amazing. You can afford this dress, and it’s gorgeous. Jace is going to fight a hard-on all night.”
Okay, so the thought of that makes me happy. Ridiculously happy. I used to want to look nice for Jace because I didn’t want to embarrass him in front of his important colleagues.
Now, I just want him to be unable to resist me and think I’m the sexiest woman in the universe.
My, how times have changed.
“Okay, we’ll take the dress.”
“And no bitching about how much the shoes are,” she warns me. “Because they’re going to be hella expensive, and totally worth it.”
“Gird your loins,” I whisper to my credit card and prepare myself for the shopping shitstorm that’s about to happen. “I wonder how Jace is doing with the puppies?”
“They can’t even walk yet,” Noel reminds me. “They just eat and sleep, and their mama does pretty much the same, so I’d say he’s fine. He’s a surgeon, after all.”
I laugh as we take my shopping bag down to the shoe department. “You know, being a surgeon doesn’t mean that he’s stellar at everything.”
“Is there something he’s not good at?” she asks. I have to really think about it.
“He was never good at writing papers.”
“Life stuff,” she says. “Is there any life stuff that he sucks at?”
“He’s not a great cook, but he doesn’t suck. I know. He’s a really bad bowler.”
She smirks. “I stand corrected.”
“Holy fuck, we’re not going anywhere.”
And . . . all of the shopping torture was completely worth it. Jace is standing on the other side of my threshold in a black suit that molds to his body, wearing a grey tie. The suit isn’t one I’ve seen before, so it looks as if he went shopping, too. That makes me smile.
The way his grey eyes roam up and down my body leaves me flushed and turned on.
My God, he’s hot.
“Come on in.” I step back and close the door behind him, then move to get my clutch. But Jace hooks his hand on my waist and pulls me against him.
“I’m serious, I want to strip this magnificent dress off you and fuck you into next week.”
“We have tickets,” I remind him softly against his lips. “And dinner reservations.”
“I don’t give a shit.”
“I might get naked for you later,” I say before I kiss him quickly. “But it’s a first date, so we’ll see. I’m not usually that kind of girl.”
“This isn’t our first date,” he says, furrowing his brow.
“Everything before was as friends,” I remind him, then step away to grab my clutch and check on Angela. She’s just been outside, has eaten, and is in the whelping box with her babies.
“I should have brought you flowers,” he mumbles with a frown.
“You’re forgiven,” I reply. “Dad’s going to stop by in a couple of hours to check on Angela, so she and the babies should be fine.”
“Let’s go before I talk you into staying.” He holds his arm out for me to take and escorts me to his car. We drive into the city, leave the car with a valet, and walk into a restaurant I’ve never been to before. It’s fancy—maybe the most opulent I’ve ever been.
Once we’re seated and given our menus, our waiter appears to take our drink order.
“A bottle of champagne for the table,” Jace says, smiling at me. He knows I love the bubbly. “And we’ll start with the oysters.”
“Yes, sir,” the waiter says, bowing before leaving us to look over the menu.
“Aren’t you fancy?” I say with a grin.
“I want you to have a good time.”
“I already am,” I reply and reach over to squeeze his hand. “Thank you in advance for tonight.”
He lifts my hand to his lips, keeping his gaze on mine as he kisses my knuckles. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything as beautiful as you are tonight.”
“How can you fluster me after all these years?”
“I could ask you the same question.”
The waiter returns and makes a show of popping the cork on the champagne, pouring us each a glass and setting the bottle in a tall ice bucket at the side of the table.
The Cristal has just the right amount of bubble, tickling my nose as I take the first sip.
“That’s a new suit,” I comment as I peruse the menu. “You look quite handsome in it.”
“Thank you,” he says with a smile. “I went shopping with Noel.”
I lower my menu and stare at him in surprise. “No way.”
“It’s true. I wanted something new, and Lia was busy. Noel was excited to go.” I giggle, and he tips his head to the side, watching me. “What’s so funny?”
“My sister is a piece of work.” I sip my champagne. “She took me shopping for this dress. She basically arranged our entire wardrobe for tonight.”
He smirks. “Sounds like her.”
“We’ll have to get a photo and send it to her.”
“Deal.” He returns his attention to the menu, and when we’ve both decided on what we want, the waiter returns to take our order.
“Any word—” I begin but am interrupted by a tall brunette woman in a shockingly red dress with a slit up to the side of her hip. Her lips are painted the same red hue, and her blue eyes are pinned on Jace as she sets her hand on his shoulder and smiles.
“Jace, so lovely to see you.”
“Hello, Maria. This is—”
“I haven’t seen you around the hospital lately,” she says, clearly not interested in who I am.
“No,” he says, shaking his head. “I’ve been on leave.”
“Well, hopefully not for too long,” she says with a wink. “We need to arrange for another romp in the supply closet.”
Her blue eyes rake over him, from his face to his shoulders and dipping lower.
This isn’t like the girl flirting with him at the grocery store. No, that was harmless and even funny.
This isn’t funny.
He fucked her.
“Not going to happen, Maria,” he says, the smile gone from his face. “This is Joy, my girlfriend.”
“We’ll see,” she says, winks, then walks away, her hips swaying in her tight dress.
Before either of us can say anything at all, the waiter arrives with our dinner. He places the plates before us, offers freshly ground pepper, and tops off our champagne. I immediately drink half of my glass.
Jace’s eyes are pinned to mine, apology and anger shining in their depths. And frankly, I don’t know how I feel.
Embarrassed, which is stupid because I don’t have anything to be embarrassed about. I’m surprised. And I suppose, reminded that I don’t know everything there is to know about Jace and his past.
Once the waiter is gone, neither of us reaches for our utensils to eat. I’m still sipping my drink, and Jace just watches me, his chest rising and falling as he breathes.
“I owe you an apology.”
“Why?” I ask, setting my glass down and reaching for my fork to dig into my chicken Alfredo. “Have you fucked her since we’ve been together?”
“Of course, not,” he says with a scowl.
“Well, then, you don’t have anything to apologize for.” I take a bite. “Because if we need to be sorry for every person we’ve slept with since we were nineteen, tonight isn’t the time for that.”
He narrows his eyes, and his hands curl into fists on the table. “No. It isn’t.”
I swallow hard and take another sip of my drink. “It’s also not your fault that she’s a bitch. And rude. That’s on her.”
“You’re entirely too calm about this.”
“Why?”
“Because if a man you’d been with had done what she did, I would have laid him out flat.”
I smile before taking another bite of my meal. “Well, I might have given a thought to breaking the hand that touched you.”
“That would have ruined her day,” he says, finally taking a bite of his own dinner. “And maybe her career as a surgeon.”
The fact that she’s a surgeon only twists the knife in my chest. I’m successful in my own right, and I don’t need to compare myself to her, but damn it.
“Do you want to talk about it?” he asks.
“Do you?”
“I’d like to clarify some things so we can get on with our evening,” he says with a nod. “Because now it’s awkward, and that pisses me off.”
“Okay.” I wipe my mouth with a napkin. “Tell me.”
Jace reaches over for the bottle of champagne and fills my glass, instinctively knowing that I probably need it.
He’s right.
“She’s a surgeon at the hospital, and I’ve had sex with her exactly twice.”
“When was the last time?” I ask, holding my breath and watching his face, which doesn’t change in the slightest.
“Almost a year ago,” he replies immediately and reaches for my hand. “You’re right, we don’t need to go into who we’ve been with in the past. It might kill me. But she gave me no choice because she was rude to you, disrespectful, and made a show of touching me.”
“Really wishing I’d broken that hand,” I reply and then smile at him. His face is tense with worry, which only makes me love him more. “We’re fine, Jace. Really.”
“I’ll always be honest,” he says. “I don’t have secrets from you.”
“I know.”
It’s true. We don’t have secrets, and we don’t lie to each other. It’s one of the things I love the most about our relationship.
“My trust for you isn’t an issue,” I assure him. “My man is hot, I know that. I’m secure enough to not fly into a jealous rage every time someone hits on you.”
“You could fly into a tiny jealous rage,” he says with a laugh, the tension easing from his face. “It’s kind of hot.”
“I didn’t know what to do,” I admit. “The grocery store was easy. She didn’t do anything wrong. She saw a handsome guy and said hi. This woman was a different story. But she’s gone. I have the guy, and if she pulls anything again, I’ll punch her in the cunt.”
His eyes bulge, and he chokes on the bite of food he just took, making me smile smugly.
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say that word before.”
“We’re both full of surprises, aren’t we?”
“That was amazing,” I announce as we pull up to my house. The light on the porch is on, signaling that my dad was here to check on Angela and the puppies. “Seriously, all of the hype is well worth it.”
“Agreed,” he says with a grin as he follows me up to the front door. I reach out to unlock it, but he turns me to him, and right there on my porch, he grips my shoulders and lowers his mouth to mine, nibbling the corner of my lips seductively.
My knees are weak. My panties are soaked, and my nipples are hard and pressed against the fabric of my dress.
He kisses along my jawline to my ear, tugs the lobe with his teeth, and whispers, “Are you going to invite me in?”
“I didn’t know you needed an invitation.” I swallow hard, unable to take a deep breath. Jesus, he’s potent.
“It’s our first date,” he reminds me.
“Right.” I swallow again just before he drags his tongue along my lower lip. His hands roam over my back and move down to my ass, then slide up again, making it difficult to think. “Jace, would you like to come inside?”
“Very much.” He grins as I reach behind me for the handle, open the door, and stumble inside. I’m so turned on, I’m clumsy.
I set my clutch on the table by the door, then immediately tend to Angela. She’s whining, wanting to go outside. Once she’s back in and snuggled up to her babies, I turn to find Jace leaning his hip on the island countertop, his jacket already off, and his arms crossed over his chest.
“Is she taken care of?”
“Yeah.”
He nods, his eyes holding mine, and I’ve never been so nervous to be with him in my life. He’s suddenly taller, broader, more imposing than I remember. And the look in his eyes says we’re about to have a night that I’ll never forget.
He crosses to me and drags his fingertips up and down my upper arms, spreading goosebumps over my entire body. His fingers graze my collarbone and move up my neck until he’s cradling my face in his hands. I’m completely under his spell.
“You’re gorgeous, Joy.”
“So are you,” I breathe.
“I just have one request.” His lips brush mine softly. I’d promise him anything in this moment.
“What is it?”
“Take. This. Off.”