“I have an idea,” he said to her, and that tone of voice meant only one thing: he was about to suggest something big. “Let’s go together, Celeste. You and me, as a date. Let’s not waste the biggest night of the year, c’mon.” He was already geared up to fight her resistance it seemed, defensively trying to persuade her.
She leaned back on the couch, folding her legs up under her as her cat wandered over, making itself at home in her lap. She brought a hand down to stroke her gently as she thought over his words.
“I’m not really feeling like getting ready,” she said, but her jaw tightened and anger welled up inside her. She wasn’t going to let Larry ruin her mood, or her night.
“You know what? Fuck it. He’s a dick. This is the last time he’s standing me up.”
“Great!” came Dwayne’s voice in response, a little delayed but excited. “I’ll come ‘round and pick you up at seven then?” he questioned more than stated, unsure of how much time she would need to prepare for the big outing.
That gave her just over three hours to get ready and, as she gently picked up the cat and put her on the floor, she couldn’t help but smile. Part malicious, part excitement.
She was going to get Larry back good.
“See you then,” she said with a dark smile that Dwayne couldn’t see.
Celeste had been on the fence about Larry for a few months, and as she pulled on the sexy leopard print dress, she was feeling ready. She pulled back her dark hair, eyes shimmering and rimmed with dark eyeliner.
She looked hot, she wasn’t even going to argue that point with herself for once. With a spritz of french vanilla perfume, she put on her hoop earrings. Grabbing for her bag, she took out her cellphone and sent Larry a quick text.
We’re done.
It wasn’t anything fancy, but she didn’t care. He deserved to be broken up with over text, and that left her free to really ring in the New Year with a bang.
Walking down the stairs, she stepped into her stiletto heels and looked herself over in the hallway mirror.
Dwayne and she had been friends for years, but his relationship with Lydia had been really solid until the past few months. Now they were off more than they were on, and Celeste wasn’t going to pass that opportunity by.
When she got down to the front door, she found Dwayne waiting for her, standing beside his black BMW, the vehicle looking shiny and pristine, clearly the newest model. Though more eye catching than the car itself was the man, a fine suit on underneath his overcoat. Dwayne was a tall, well-built guy, Celeste knew he hit the gym every day, and how he filled out his suits always spoke of it.
“Well damn,” he said, with a sharp whistle as he looked Celeste over. “I had no idea what I was getting into,” he remarked approvingly, shaking his head in disbelief, drawing the eye up to that handsome, broad face of his, his jaw so well-defined.
He pulled open the passenger seat for her, though his eyes were unable to leave her long legs.
And she couldn’t have been feeling better about herself at that moment. It was amazing what a change of clothes and fortune could do for a person, and when she slid into the seat, she felt like a real catch.
“Thank you,” she said with a gracious grin.
Her heart thud, though, and she was already wondering how the evening would go. She was so excited. More excited than she could ever remember being on a date with Larry.
Just a few hours ago, Dwayne was her hot friend who she’d always wanted but never tried to get. Now they were spending New Year’s Eve together, and she’d be lying if she didn’t know what that could spell for them.
Dwayne climbed into the driver’s seat beside her, the door slamming shut as his car revved up. He couldn’t resist taking another look over at her, from head to toe and back again.
“Well, maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing Lydia and me broke up after all,” he said right as he pulled the car out onto the dark streets of New York. “I mean, I traded up for this evening,” he said with a cheeky smile that only enhanced his handsome features.
Of course, even more than his good looks, the fact that him and Lydia had broken up stole the show.
Celeste’s head turned to him and she knew there was nothing she could do to hide her surprise. She was absolutely shocked by that, though perhaps she shouldn’t be.
“When’d that happen?” she asked, stretching her legs out. Her dress barely hid her ass, rhinestones sparkling between her clavicles and pointing the way to her large breasts.
“Been building for a while,” he said with a shrug of his broad shoulders. “But I was blind about it. Kept trying, even though clearly she just wanted to move on. I was actually gonna surprise her with this car for the holidays, but she said she wanted to see her family on the other side of the country. Alone.”
Dwayne gave a wry laugh about that and stroked the steering wheel.
“For the better, huh? Giving gifts to a spoiled, billionaires-daughter doesn’t really feel rewarding anyhow,” he said glibly.
Most of the time she forgot how wealthy Dwayne was, though she couldn’t help but appreciate the leather interior of the vehicle, or the fact that it was his coaxing that made her save up to afford the swankiest party in town.