Page 7 of Adrian (Love Under the Lights 3)

“If you come with me tonight, you can annoy her right back by bragging about how you got to go there on opening night,” I pointed out, not above using her dysfunctional family dynamics to get the answer I wanted.

“Yeah, no,” she snorted. “My mom and I don’t have that kind of relationship. The annoyance is a one-way street with all the traffic headed in my direction.”

From the few things she’d mentioned so far, her mom sounded like a real piece of work. “Then come with me so you can mentally hold it over her head the next time she gets on your nerves. It’ll probably exasperate the fuck out of her if you don’t react how she expects because you’re too busy smiling over the win she’ll never know about.”

“That is actually not a horrible idea.” She tapped her chin with her index finger before shaking her head. “But I still have to say no because I definitely don’t have anything appropriate to wear in my closet, and it wouldn’t really be a win over my mom unless I didn’t stick out like a sore thumb.”

There wasn’t a chance in hell this woman would ever stick out for anything other than being the most beautiful woman in the room without even trying, but if clothes were her only sticking point, then I was more than willing to fix that for her. “I can solve that problem with a quick phone call to Jen. My assistant is a miracle worker.”

Her blue eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Are you offering to Pretty Woman me so I’ll come to dinner with you tonight?”

“This might be Hollywood, but you’re not a sex worker, and I’m not a wealthy businessman looking for a paid escort.” I chuckled and shook my head, wondering how long it had been since I’d had this much fun talking to someone. “For a non-movie person, you were awfully quick to make a movie reference.”

“Just because I’m not big on current movies doesn’t mean I’ve never seen one,” she scoffed with a roll of her eyes. “I love the classics. Aside from that, Pretty Woman isn’t just a movie; watching it is a rite of passage.”

“I’ll give you that,” I conceded with a smile. “And if it helps to convince you, I’ll tell Jen not to call any shops on Rodeo Drive.”

She shook her head. “I don’t even know you. There’s no way I’m letting you buy me an outfit.”

Talk about a breath of fresh air. It felt like everyone I’d met lately was out to get anything they could. “Since it’s Il Piatto’s opening night and it’s owned by a celebrity chef, she should be able to get something for free from a designer who’ll be thrilled to have their clothing worn to the event by a woman as beautiful as you. It’ll be better than any marketing they could pay for.”4CaseyI searched Adrian’s eyes for any sign of deception and was stunned when I didn't see any. I didn’t like to think of myself as an insecure person, but I definitely wasn't used to being called beautiful. When I received compliments, they were usually about my brains and not my looks. It’d been hammered into my head growing up that my sister was the pretty one, not me. But Adrian seemed to be genuine in his belief that a Hollywood designer who could supply clothes to celebrities would be happy for me to wear something of theirs for free. He was probably right, just not for the reason he thought. I’d be on his arm, and he was pretty enough for both of us.

I was being offered free dinner, free designer clothes...and time spent with Duke’s handsome owner. I'd have to be brain dead to pass this chance up, even if the introvert in me balked at the idea of going to what was sure to become one of Hollywood's hottest restaurants.

“If you're sure that it wouldn't be too much of a bother for Jen to make some calls…”

I didn’t even finish what I’d been about to say before Adrian flashed me a grin full of male satisfaction. It was so blinding that I almost forgot how to speak. Not that it mattered since Adrian was already running with my half-answer. He pressed his finger against the screen of his phone before putting it up to his ear. “Hey, Jen. Casey has agreed to come to Il Piatto's opening with me tonight, but only if you can help find her something to wear that won't cost me a dime. She's not comfortable with me spending money on her.”

Jen said something that made him chuckle. “Yeah, I know dinner is free.” He shook his head and looked down at his feet. “No, you're right. I'm getting off easy for our first date.” His head lifted, and his brilliant blue eyes aimed right at me. “I agree. I’ll definitely owe you more than one when you pull this off for me.”

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