Page 54 of Beyond the Hate

Damn. I didn’t think. “I’m sorry.”

She sighs. “It’s fine. I shouldn’t have brought it up. It was bitchy of me.”

I grasp her hand. “You’re not a bitch.”

“It’s nice of you to lie.”

I didn’t lie but we don’t have time to debate this. “We need to be going.”

She waves away my concern. “There’s no reason to worry about being on time. This is Smuggler’s Hideaway. No one will be on time for the dress rehearsal for the end of the summer ball.”

I clear my throat. “Actually, there is no dress rehearsal.”

“I should have known my friends were lying to me. We’ve never had a dress rehearsal before. Why now? This is what I get for skipping those committee meetings.”

She steps back and reaches for the doorknob. I stand in the doorframe before she can shut me out.

“Don’t make me go to this event without a date. The vultures will be out.”

“What event? You admitted there’s no dress rehearsal less than a minute ago or did you forget?”

I ignore her taunt. “The event is a fundraiser to raise money for women’s rights.”

“A fundraiser? On Smuggler’s Hideaway?”

I tug on my bowtie. “Not exactly.”

She crosses her arms over her chest, pushing her breasts together, and I nearly say fuck it. Screw the fundraiser. There are more exciting things I’d rather be doing.

But I promised Paisley I’d show her there’s more to us than our chemistry. I can’t fail at the first hurdle.

“Explain yourself before I shut this door in your face.”

“The fundraiser is in D.C.”

“D.C. It’s already six o’clock. How are we going to drive to D.C. in time for this event?”

“We won’t be driving.”

“How else…” She trails off with a shake of her head. “You have a plane.”

And she’s clearly unimpressed. At least, I never have to worry if Paisley is with me for my money.

“It’s not my plane per se.”

She lifts her eyebrow.

“I share it with a few other people.”

She snorts. “It’s still your plane.”

“If I agree it’s my plane, will you accompany me to this event?”

“The event is to raise money for charities that support women’s causes?” Paisley can’t hide her interest. I know how important women’s causes are to her. It’s the reason why I accepted an invitation to the fundraiser.

“Yes. I have some brochures in my car.” I motion to the vehicle waiting at the curb.

“Car? It’s a limousine.”

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