Fallen Woman

Chapter 8

I was more anxious for Jase to pick me up than I was on my wedding day. I had skipped lunch to leave early and was glad I did. By the time I got home and hung out with the kids for a little while before leaving them with Miss Pearl, I was in a mad dash to be ready by seven o'clock.

Nothing could have prepared me for the sight of Jase Lane in a tux. He was as taken aback as I was, but obviously by two different things. His eyes radiated, and his hair was freshly cut-the dark coffee color was cut close to his scalp on the sides and spiked up just a tad in the front. I noted the scar above his brow as I scanned his face, finding the grin I've come to admire. And holy crap, it's amazing what a good tailor can do with a tuxedo. He was stunning-like can't formulate words, model-beautiful...just stunning.

"You're breathtaking, Gia." The way he shortened my name sent a streak of heat straight to my lady parts. "I thought the dress was pretty on the hanger, but damn." He took my hand and twirled me around, stopping at the back. "Holy f*****g hell." The warmth of his hand marked my skin as he completed my turn and brought me in for him to kiss my neck. To an outsider, we appeared to be a couple madly in love-Jase courted, and I swooned.

"You like?" I asked, devouring the attention he fed me.

"I love," he hummed against my neck, and it took everything in me not to beg him to ditch the party and come inside. "Are you ready?"

With a nod, I stepped out of my doorway and locked it behind me. My keys jingled on their way into the tiny gold clutch I'd found buried in my closet, and I took his elbow.

"So what kind of event are we going to?" I should've asked before now, but it didn't matter. I wanted to go, and as long as it wasn't illegal, I was down for it.

"Literacy Guild." He kept his eyes on the road, but the way the corners of his mouth tipped up told me this meant something to him.

"Are you actively involved? Or is this one of those things they asked you to in hopes of a large donation?"

"Very involved and huge donations."

I turned into him, waiting for him to offer more.

"I was a nerd as a kid."

I didn't believe that for a second. He was exquisite as an adult, and there's no way this man was anything less as an adolescent.

"I escaped with books. Anything I could get my hands on, I'd read it. When things were bad at school and kids picked on me, I'd run away to the worlds authors created and become one of the leading characters." He peeked over at me before he continued. "Once I had the ability to invest in something other than myself, I started volunteering. I can't tell you how many hours I spent at different literacy facilities teaching people to read, making copies, filing, and anything else they'd let me do. I kept it up through college, and when I made partner at Faston, the Literacy Guild became the charity I always gave to. I believe in what they do and want to make sure they have the resources to keep doing it."

This man was too perfect. There had to be a flaw somewhere, but I hadn't been able to find it. "Why are you still single?" It flew out of my mouth before I could stop it. I slapped my hand over my trap, but the words had already escaped.

He laughed before replying, "As I pointed out, I was a nerd in school. I didn't come into my own skin until my mid-twenties, and by then, I could never tell if women were interested in me or my bank account. I've dated some, but when women start pushing for marriage a month or two in, it's not me they're interested in. I figure if it's meant to be, it'll happen, but in the meantime, I hang out with my friends, and I work a lot."

"You haven't mentioned your friends."

We stopped at a red light while he stared through the windshield. I could see him contemplating what he wanted to share. "Not a lot to tell. There's a group of us-you'll meet them all tonight. Drake, Holland, Max, and Willum. Great guys. For the most part, we all grew up together but led similarly sheltered lives until post-college. We're all single and all well-to-do now. None of us trusts the opposite s*x, and we're overly involved in work."

"Wow. You guys are really hung up on this anti-woman thing. Are you gay?" I snickered, but he didn't seem to think it was funny. "I'm sorry. I was kidding. And honestly, Jase, I wouldn't care if you were."

He squeezed my knee, reassuring me he hadn't taken offense, and pulled up to the valet in front of the Billough Club. I wasn't aware of the hype this event garnered, but from the front of the building, it seemed to be a who's who-cameras went crazy as we got out of the sedan. Jase met me on the passenger side of the car to offer me his arm and escort me inside. The flashes from the bulbs were almost blinding. When I came close to losing my footing, Jase wrapped an arm around my waist to keep me stable. Everything about being with him felt comfortable-as if he knew the move I was going to make before I made it. He anticipated my thoughts and needs. I'd never been this in tune with Ryan, and I hated that I felt this way about a man who didn't see me the way I did him.

It didn't take Jase long to find his clan, all of whom were there stag and seemed completely enamored with me. They were engaging and respectful, but even with as hot as they were, they lacked the refinement of men who had dated a lot. It was cute to see them fawn over me with just a hint of immaturity. I could see how Jase loved these guys, but I still couldn't believe any of them were single. They had to be seriously jaded, and I wondered which one of them got burned.

"That would be Willum," Jase whispered in my ear.

"What?" I asked, turning to him.

"You asked which one got burned-Willum did."

"Holy crap, I said that out loud?"

He must've seen the horror on my face.

"Yeah, but don't worry, none of them heard it. Right after college, he married the first woman who paid any attention to him. Slone Harway-holy s**t, she was gorgeous, like put the memory in your spank bank and recall it often, gorgeous. None of us had a clue what to do with a woman like that, and Willum was still a virgin. Once they had s*x, that sealed the deal, and nothing anyone could've said would've gotten him away from her. Thank God his father had the wherewithal to insist on a prenup with an adultery clause because that w***e violated it every way from Sunday and crushed him in the process. It was enough for all of us to take note and put up tall walls. But trust me, we love women." He winked at me with that half-smirk that melted my panties, and I about came undone. He didn't have a clue what he did to me.

The mingling lasted more than an hour, and Jase introduced me to countless people, but I found myself retreating to the safety of his troop. I didn't know them, but they were protective, and somehow, even though everyone in the room wanted their attention, they maintained solidarity in their own little bubble. Finally taking a seat, I was surprised we were all seated at the same table-front and center of the room.

I leaned over to Drake, who was next to me, and said, "You guys must be pretty special to get this table."

His raucous laugh caught me off-guard. "Did Jase not tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"He's the guest of honor."

I imagined he got that invitation based on the size of his contribution, and my heart swelled with pride, knowing my friend cared this much about less fortunate people.

"What does that make all of you?"

"Honorable mentions." Drake gave me a huge toothy grin, and I instantly marked him as a friend mentally. He was ruggedly good-looking and seemed uncomfortable in his monkey suit, but I loved that these men were here supporting each other. I held his stare for just a moment, taking in the humor in his crisp blue eyes. My attention was called away by the waiter offering wine selections, and the rest of the night became a blur.

When Jase was recognized, I was dumbfounded by the number of zeroes in his contribution. I couldn't fathom wealth like that-Ryan and I were well off, very comfortable, but Jase and his friends were stupid rich. He stood and gave a short speech about how the Literacy Guild saved his youth, and I was beyond touched by his heartfelt sentiment. People laughed, but I believed every word he said. He wasn't making up lines to get a reaction. People were drawn to him and couldn't fathom he'd ever been anything but successful.

He wasn't terribly interested in staying to socialize, so after dessert and coffee, he asked me if I was ready to leave. Only along for the ride, I nodded my agreement, but I would've rather spent the entire evening staring into those steely gray eyes than move a muscle. His friends offered their goodbyes, and we waited outside for the valet to bring his car around.

"Thank you for coming tonight, Gia."

I would've been this man's slave if he just kept saying my name.