Cinderella Screwed Me Over

Jake offered me his arm. “Ready?”

All day I’d thought about this. There had to be a happy medium. I didn’t want to stay away from him anymore, and we had a good time together. I can do this. All I gotta do is relax and enjoy the night. No pressure, no strings attached.

I didn’t sit and type up all my case studies just to get burned again for the same stupid thing. I’d broken the rules before, and I always paid for it in the end.

I ignored his arm and pulled open my door. “Ready.”

…

I’d circled the room a couple times, talked shop with Patricia—due to all the champagne she’d had, she was friendlier than usual, though she managed to insinuate I was slacking on the Seventh Street job she’d told me she wanted to take point on—and said hi to a few clients. Virginia was always recommending me to people, so I’d also done some networking. Jake seemed to know everyone, too, and I’d lost him somewhere along the way.

The orchestra played in the corner of the room, there was a large area in the middle for dancing, and couples swirled around the floor. Tables draped in white tablecloths dotted the edges of the room. Sweet peas filled the vases in the centers, scenting the air. During dinner they’d had the keynote speaker, people had pledged lots of money to the hospital, and now everyone was up enjoying their evening. It was about as close to a ball as I’d ever been to.

Virginia came up and put a hand on my shoulder. She had on a black-and-white dress and was wearing her signature string of pearls. “Darby, honey, you simply must meet this man. He’s handsome, successful, and perfect for you in every way.”

I looked around the room, trying to find Jake. The place was packed, making it hard to find him in the crowd. “Thank you, but actually I—”

“I won’t take no for an answer.” Virginia gave my arm a gentle tug. “You at least have to allow me to introduce him. If after a few minutes you’re not completely intrigued, I’ll let you make an excuse to take your leave of us.”

I’d learned that when it came to Virginia, it was easier to go along than to argue, so I allowed myself to be led away to what was sure to be an awkward encounter with a boring, self-centered, but oh-so-handsome-and- successful man. They were Virginia’s specialty.

A woman with a familiar face I couldn’t put a name to waved as I walked by. I waved back, trying to recall how I knew her.

“Here he is!” Virginia said. I peeled my eyes away from the mystery lady to meet the guy she was sure I’d be intrigued by. “Darby Quinn, I’d like you to meet Jake Knight. This charming young man has been a lifesaver.” Virginia gestured to me. “Darby is a very successful interior designer. She transformed my places into the most beautiful works of art. And look at her! I’m sure you’ll agree she is lovely.”

“I definitely agree.” Jake stepped next to me and slid his arm around my waist. “In fact, I thought she was so lovely, I asked her to accompany me here tonight. She tried to resist, but as you pointed out, I’m just so charming.”

Virginia put both hands over her heart as she stared at us. “I simply knew you two would hit it off. I’m so glad to see that you’re together.”

I shook my head. “Oh, we’re not—”

“Thank you,” Jake said, dropping his arm from my waist and taking my hand. “Now, if you don’t mind, I think I’ll steal her away for a dance.”

He led me to the dance floor, we assumed the formal position, and then we were twirling around the floor with the rest of the couples.

“Your last name is Knight?” I asked.

“Is something wrong with that?”

“No.” Just that I’m anti-fairy tales and you’re a Knight. It’s not ironic at all. “Your dancing skills are rather impressive.”

Jake spun me out and brought me back in. “I’ve had to attend functions like this for a long time. My parents were on the board of everything. Still are, actually.”

I wanted to ask more about his family. From the sounds of it, he’d probably always had a trust fund, which most girls would’ve swooned over. But since I’d learned the value of hard work, I found most guys born with silver spoons were lazy. Jake managed a restaurant, though, which I assumed wasn’t easy.

Jake slid his arm tighter around me, pulling me close enough I was pressed against his firm body. My heart rate screamed into the danger zone, and with how close we were, I was sure he could feel it thumping against his chest. And speaking of chests, I wanted to relax fully into the dance and lean my head against his. I wanted to close my eyes and melt into the perfect moment before it ended.

He tilted his head, the hint of a smile playing on his lips. “Hmm. I kind of expected you to try to take the lead.”

“Do I seem like the type of girl who can’t follow simple dance moves?” I was relieved my voice didn’t come out as breathless as I suddenly felt.

“Not can’t.” That butterfly-inducing grin spread across his face. “More like won’t.”

I did my best to act unaffected, lifting my chin and throwing in a touch of haughtiness. “Well, if you didn’t already know how to dance, I would go ahead and take the lead. But since you’re doing a good job, you can have it.” I moved my hand from his shoulder to the back of his neck, a thrill shooting through me when he swallowed hard. “For now.”

…

The elevator doors slid open, and Jake stepped off with me instead of riding up to his floor.

Now, I know I’ve gone on and on about how I don’t believe two people can work out, but I am not into one- night stands, flings, or meaningless trysts either. Some girls claim they can do it, and maybe they can. One of my former coworkers claimed she could and then she’d cry when a week had gone by and the guy didn’t call. So, I’m sure you’re asking the same question I’ve asked myself: If you don’t believe in relationships or flings, what do you believe in?

I wasn’t exactly sure. What’s between monogamy and promiscuity? The basic idea was to have a string of semi-long-term, low-risk relationships. Like serial monogamy. I know it sounds impossible, but I was still working on it. All I knew was unavoidable daily awkwardness was something I wanted to stay far, far away from.

Yet Jake possessed a certain je ne sais quoi. And I’d had more fun with him tonight than I’d had in a long time.

Don’t even think about it, Darby. You see him every day. You eat at Blue all the time. Friends is the way to go.

I probably shouldn’t have flirted with him all night, then.

Or pressed my body against his. Heat wound through my core just thinking about it. And if he can dance like that… My heart jolted and my pulse pounded. Man, it’d been a long time since I’d even kissed a guy.

Remember the rules. Stick to the rules.

Shaking off the memory of how his firm body felt next to mine, I dug into my purse and took out my keys. I unlocked the door, then twisted around to end the date. “I had a good—”

Jake’s lips cut me off before I could go into why it was probably for the best if we didn’t go out again. It was a quick, chaste kiss, over before I had a chance to latch onto it, but it still sent a spike of electricity through me. He stepped away, said good night, and then headed back toward the elevator.

No words came out as I watched him. The farther he got, the stupider it seemed to yell out a good-bye. So I walked into my condo and locked the door behind me.

Well, that was about the worst preemptive breakup speech I’ve ever given.

Chapter Nine