Page 30 of The High Price Of Loneliness

Samantha smiled as she sat down to first take a look in the mirror and asked, “So, tell me all about this big event tonight!”

Angelica smiled, radiating with excitement. “Oh my gosh, Samantha, where do I begin?” Samantha began getting Angelica ready for a bit of a color refresh, touching up her blonde highlights.

Angelica said, “I was on a dinner date last week with a blind date.”

Samantha interrupted, “You met him on a blind date?”

Angelica shook her head ever so slightly while Samantha was doing her color magic. “Well, no. Not exactly. Wait until you hear what happened.”

“The blind date was a bit of a horse’s tail, and I knew by the time we sat down for dinner that I had no interest in dating this guy. But when he left me at the restaurant dining table to go to the restroom, it happened,” Angelica said, painting the scene for her.

“What happened?” Samantha asked, now finally finished with coloring Angelica’s locks.

“This very tall, dark, and handsome man gets up from the bar and walks directly over to me. Then, he has the nerve to sit down in my date’s chair!”

“You’re kidding me! What happened next?” Samantha said, entranced by the intrigue of the bold stranger.

“He said, looking right into my eyes and smiling, ‘I want you to get rid of this guy and come back here and meet me,’” Angelica said, trying her best imitation of Gray’s deep male voice.

“Oh my god!” Samantha laughed incredulously at the very forward approach.

“That’s what I said!” Angelica blurted out. “But he was so charming and handsome, and he wasn’t strange about it or weird. He was just looking at me with those deep blue eyes and repeated his request as my date returned.”

“So, what did you do?” Samantha asked.

“I didn’t do anything, my blind date did,” Angelica recalled, shaking her head wearily. “He acted like a total ass blaming me for talking to other men. I didn’t do anything. I was just sitting there minding my own business when Edward came over.”

“So, is that who you are seeing tonight, this Edward fellow?” Samantha asked.

“Yes. Edward Gray,” Angelica said nonchalantly.

“Wait. Do you mean ‘the’ Edward Gray?” Samantha asked. “The billionaire philanthropist from Longboat Key?”

“Well, I could tell he has some money, but I don’t know anything about the billionaire part. And yes—he lives on Longboat Key,” Angelica said, still in her unassuming tone.

“Honey. Edward Gray is the most eligible bachelor on the west coast of Florida,” Samantha informed her. “He is quite the catch. And you have a first date with him tonight. That’s so exciting!”

“Well. Actually, we have been seeing each other almost every night since we first met,” Angelica confessed. “He is a very focused man.”

Samantha gushed over her while finishing her color highlights. “I am so happy for you, Angelica. And I want to hear all the juicy details!” she said as they switched over to the hairstylist chair for some minor trimming.

“Oh, Samantha, I’m dying to tell you, but I can’t,” Angelica said, remembering her Confidentiality Agreement. “I gave my word I wouldn’t.”

“Oh, you can tell me anything honey, I won’t say a word,” Samantha encouraged.

Angelica was dying to tell someone about Edward, the Red Playroom, the Agreement, the shopping spree, the way he made her feel in and out of the bedroom, and how she loved being the center of his attention. His powerful male energy and tonight’s black-tie affair were almost too much to resist.

“You promise?” Angelica asked in earnest, as though secrets told to a hairdresser are safe in any small town—especially one like Sarasota.

“Of course!” Samantha leaned in to hear the juicy gossip and details as she put the final finishing touches on Angelica’s long, gorgeous hair for the black-tie event.

Angelica’s first transgression of Edward’s trust occurred that day, but more was to follow.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

The Black-Tie Affair

Angelica wrapped up at the salon and spa at four-thirty, and Edward would be there to pick her up in just an hour. She raced through traffic, glancing at her watch as she sped home to slip into the black backless gown and get ready. “Don’t be late!” she said to herself out loud. Some habits just seem to die hard.

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