Haven was still talking. “You can’t just spring an invitation like this on someone. There are things women have to do to get ready. It can take weeks of planning. For example, I don’t have anything to wear, and I’m sure I can’t get an appointment with my hairstylist. She’s always booked up. Even I have to schedule my time with her weeks in advance.”
He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. “Take my black card. Go buy whatever you need and call your stylist. Tell her I’ll pay her double whatever her average Friday receipts are. Hell, triple it if she’s difficult but don’t tell her that.”
“Ellis, that’s a lot of money.”
“I don’t care. I need a date. By the way, it’s a roaring twenties theme. Can you be ready by eight?”
“Come ooonnnnn—Are you serious?!”
“What?”
“You’re asking for the impossible.” Haven checked her watch. “You’re giving me like five hours to get ready.”
“That’s not enough time? I can pick you up at nine but no later than that.” His cheeky smile sealed the deal.
“Ugh. You’re impossible! Let me start making some phone calls. I have no idea where I’m going to get a roaring twenties themed dress, but I’ll do my best.” She pointed her finger at him. “If I look like Cinderella before her fairy godmother’s makeover, don’t blame me.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. I knew I could count on you.” He grabbed her by the shoulders and placed a kiss on her cheek. “You’re the best.” Ellis backed out of the room. “If you run into a roadblock text me, and I’ll call some people I know.”
Haven watched him leave. Something was changing inside of her when it came to him. Her pulse would quicken the moment he was around. Considering, she had one foot in a relationship with Dylan, and Ellis had no intention of settling down, spending more personal time with him probably wasn’t a good idea.
Chapter 14
The limo pulled up in front of Haven’s apartment. It was the first time Ellis had been to her place. The quaint little neighborhood seemed to be a hipster-type community with twenty-something-year-olds milling about and walking to and from. He supposed if someone Haven’s age had to live in an apartment this might be the place to be.
She texted him earlier to let him know she was all set. He checked the apartment number on his phone as he took the elevator to the eleventh floor. Ellis had gone back and forth in his mind about extending the invite to her for this charity event.
He honestly didn’t need a date. But, without her, Ellis would spend the entire night dodging Aurora Wellstone’s advances. It had been a colossal mistake to take her out a few years ago. She was already clingy, but sleeping with her would have made it impossible to get rid of her. He could only thank God for the good sense for not having slept with her. If her father hadn’t been such good friends with his parents, Ellis would have shut her down more harshly than he already had. To maintain that relationship, he’d remained cordial.
As far as tonight, Ellis figured having a buffer to run interference might not be a bad idea, but it didn’t have to be Haven. There were any number of beauties he could have called. However, she was the most appealing. Ellis wouldn’t have to give unnecessary praise, stroke her ego, or make her feel as if she were the only woman in the world to get through the evening. She had zero expectations of him.
You know that’s not the only reason you asked her—you’re attracted to her. That nagging little thought wouldn’t stay buried in the back of his mind. It continued to make unwanted appearances at inopportune moments. Ellis rolled his head around to loosen up his muscles. Tonight could either be incredibly fun or a clusterfuck.
The elevator doors opened, and Ellis walked off looking for apartment number 3B. Once he found her door, he realized that weird feeling in the pit of his stomach was nerves. He shook his head and smiled to himself. Damn, man. This isn’t even a real date. It’s Haven. Get it together.
Ellis knocked—three quick taps on the door. He heard several locks being undone before it opened.
The smile on his face froze. His mouth suddenly felt like cotton. The wind had literally been knocked right out of him.
Haven saw the expression on his face and immediately thought something wasn’t right. She glanced down at her outfit to see if something was out of place. “Is . . . is something wrong?”
Ellis recovered quickly and was able to form what he thought was a friendly smile. “Umm . . . no. Not at all.” What he really wanted to say was that she looked hot, mouth-watering, and sexy as hell.
“Oh. Okay.” She released a breath. “Come on in. I just have to grab my wrap. It’s cold outside.” Haven had spent a fortune, at least by her standards, trying not to embarrass Ellis in front of all of his social and business associates. She was more than pleased with her efforts, until now. The look on his face didn’t say he liked her outfit. Initially, it was shock she saw on his face, and now, it was a mask. Haven couldn’t tell what he was thinking. She could only hope he wouldn’t kill her when she
