“Oh, come on. What are you trying to say? That you can’t go out and have fun with him for one night? Are you worried you won’t be able to control yourself? Is that it?”
I snapped my head in her direction for an instant before looking down the road again. I chewed the inside of my mouth. A sudden dryness came to the inside of it.
“What? No. That’s not what I’m saying, Jillian. He’s just not the kind of guy I want around Simon.”
Jillian moaned. “Oh, give me a break, Ava. What—are you gonna marry the guy now?”
I shook my head at her little insult.
“I think you’re taking this whole thing way too seriously, Ava.”
“Well,” I began, gesturing towards the backseat with a nod of my chin. “What choice do I have? He comes first. End of story.”
Jillian folded her arms across her chest. “Well I’m sure that you’ll be in the front row on his wedding day. Old, single Aunt Ava.”
I grimaced at her for a moment before I spoke once more.
“Something kind of funny did happen. When we went for a walk.”
Jillian looked at me. “What?”
“Do you remember when I told you he slept with those women after his exam at Dr. Wilcox’s office? The Russian girls?”
Jillian chuckled and shook her head. “How could I forget?”
“Well, one of them came up to us while we were talking outside of the garage.”
“Really? What happened?”
I spent the next several minutes telling her about the encounter between Dyson and Anastasia. I told her how he more or less brushed her off, demanding that she not bother him while we were talking to each other.
“Oh my God,” she said. Jillian glanced towards me again. “What happened?”
“She stomped off.”
“What did Dyson do? Did he go after her?”
I shook my head. “No.”
“Ohhh, see? I told you he’s into you, Ava,” she replied, barely able to contain her excitement. “I don’t get why you’re being so difficult about this whole thing.”
I had to admit his attempts at being charming were beginning to soften me towards him, but not enough to even think about letting my guard down. I was under no illusion—he was only after one thing from me. And so, while Jillian might have a point that it would be fun, the downside was too great.
I waved her off. “It doesn’t matter whether he’s into me or not. I can’t just look past that kind of behavior. I’m sorry. I can’t.”
Jillian shook her head. “Ava… He’s a single guy. He’s a race car driver. Why are you holding all of that against him?”
“Now you’re beginning to sound just like Dyson,” I began, shaking my head. “I’m not, by the way. He can be a playboy all he wants. It doesn’t affect me in the least.”
“Well, I don’t know.” Jillian said. “I guess I can kinda see his point of view.”
Just then, we turned onto the street leading towards our apartment complex.
“So, what are you suggesting? That I go out with him?”
“It’s just dinner, Ava.” Jillian groaned. “A meal.”
I let out a deep exhale.
“Okay,” I grumbled, pulling my car into the parking space. “I’ll do it, if for no other reason than to shut you up. Are you happy now? You win.”
“No,” she replied immediately. “You do.”
AVA
After Jillian’s tongue lashing, I took Simon into the apartment and put him in bed before I went to get ready. Jillian promised me if he woke she’d be sure and give him something to eat.
Before I left the racetrack, Dyson and I had exchanged numbers. If I decided to come, we’d agreed to meet at his hotel in the lobby. After one last moment of doubt, I texted him and confirmed I’d be there.
Left with no excuse, I searched my closet for the most flattering dress I owned. After a quick shower and a bit of last minute teasing from Jillian, I headed downtown to meet him.
Once in the hotel parking lot, I made my way towards the entrance. Approaching it, I noticed a sizable crowd of people in the lobby. It was large enough I couldn’t use the revolving door to get in, but instead, I had to use a side entrance.
Entering to a noise-filled room, I scanned the surrounding area for Dyson. Not seeing him right away, I continued around the periphery of the group, until, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed his unmistakable presence. It seemed the crowd was gathered for him, circling around and attempting to take pictures, get autographs, and the kinds of things that fans do. Once I saw him standing there, I backed away and decided to watch for a few moments.
I’d never actually been around someone famous before. Up until that instant, the only Dyson Vix I knew was the smooth talking playboy. However, with a crowd full of adoring admirers of all ages, and both sexes, gathered around, he seemed quite different all of a sudden.
I watched him interact with men, women and children. He posed for pictures, signed autographs, and smiled the entire time. Surely that took some getting used to - sharing your private time with complete strangers whenever they recognized you. It wasn’t something that interested me in the slightest, but he appeared to revel in it.
Just then, he happened to glance in my direction and our eyes met. After a couple more handshakes and pictures, he excused himself and began to make his way towards me. While he approached, I became aware most of the crowd turned and looked in my direction.
I felt my pulse quicken a bit and my hand tighten around the strap of my purse. Just as I was about to turn away from the crowd of prying eyes, Dyson smiled and called out to me.
“Hey! Ava!”
I waved at him with a small waggle of my fingertips. Seconds later he closed on me.
“Glad you could get out,” he said, now standing about a foot away. “I’m starving. How about you?”
I nodded, relieved he’d rescued me from the stare of strangers.
Fifteen minutes later, Dyson and I sat in the hotel restaurant. Even though we’d ditched the crowd, it seemed as if there were always eyes on me. Or maybe I was just being paranoid. I wasn’t really sure. In any case, my discomfort didn’t go unnoticed. While we waited for our server to return with the wine, Dyson spoke.
“Everything all right, Ava?”
I reached for my ice water at the center of the table. Wrapping my fingers around the cold glass, I smiled and nodded at him.
“Mmm hmm. Fine.”
Dyson leaned back and narrowed his eyes at me. “Funny, cuz you don’t seem fine.”
While he spoke, I took a sip of my water. “Why do you say that?”
“It’s totally normal, Ava, you know… To be a little bit uncomfortable.”
I shrugged and placed my glass back down on top of the table. “I really don’t know what you’re talking about,” I lied.
Dyson nodded. “Uh huh. Well, it’s not always this bad. Only when I’m racing. It’s way worse in Europe where Formula One is bigger. But here, in the States, I can get around without too many people bothering me.”
I smiled and looked away from him for a moment.
“So it did bother you?” he said, confident he’d figured me out.
I shook my head. “It didn’t bother me. I suppose I wasn’t prepared for it.”
“Yeah, you get used to it.”
“You might. It seems to suit you.” I replied.
“What do you mean?”
“Oh, I just mean that you seem like the kind of man that would constantly love to be the center of attention.”
Dyson remained motionless for a couple of seconds. Eventually, he leaned in towards me, bracing himself against the edge of the table with his elbows.
“Well, I suppose if you were the one dispensing the attention, I’d like that quite a bit.”
He lingered there, looking at me.
I sensed a rush of heat flash across my face and neck, thankful it stopped there before going any lower. I hoped he hadn’t noticed. With any luck, the restaurant was just dark enough. A few seconds later, he eased back into his chair without comment. If he did see it, he seemed content not to mention it.