Bossed by the Single Dad: A Steamy Older Man Younger Woman Romance Page 8

  “C’mon, son,” Ian bellowed behind me as Cole came up to bat. He missed the first time he swung, and a strike was called by the high school kid who was the umpire. The next two pitches were balls, but Cole connected with the one after that. It rolled straight between short stop and second base, and Cole made it safely to first base.

  Ian and I cheered and shouted, hugging each other before we sat down again. Still smiling, I scanned the crowd, glad that there were a lot of parents to cheer the boys on. But then I encountered one face that didn’t look pleased at all.

  Lydia.

  Crap, I hadn’t known she was here. But of course, she was Cole’s mother. And mothers supported their children—and, apparently, glared at their ex-husband’s new girlfriends.

  The look she gave me might have made a more delicate person curl up and die. And I didn’t understand it, either. They were divorced. Ian could date whoever he wanted. So could she, for that matter.

  After the game—which Cole’s team won—we took Cole out for hamburgers. Ian had spoken to Lydia after the game, and I’m pretty sure he invited her, but she apparently wanted nothing to do with it. She left after giving Cole a quick hug.

  Cole devoured two hamburgers and a plate full of fries. He really was growing quickly—I could imagine him with an appetite to rival Ian’s in a few years. And when he was done with everything except his chocolate milkshake, he turned to his father.

  “Can I ask her, Dad?”

  “Sure.” Ian smiled as I looked at him questioningly.

  “There’s this thing at school. A charity dinner. Everyone’s going to be all fancy-shmancy and wear nice clothes. It’s just for adults, not kids—but me and the guys are going to work on setting it up, and Jon’s going to make this big poster, and Dave—”

  “You’re burying the lede, son,” Ian interjected.

  “It’s next Saturday night,” Cole said, without missing a beat. ”I was hoping you could come. The more people we invite, the more money the charity gets. Besides…” he paused, his face reddening a little. “Then you can see my school.”

  Aww. That was so sweet that he wanted me to see his school. “Of course I’ll go.”

  Cole beamed.

  Later, when Cole was visiting the first baseman who was also here with his family, I looked sideways at Ian. “Just how fancy is this thing?”

  Ian squeezed my hand. “Pretty damn fancy considering it’s an elementary school fundraiser.”

  Uh-oh. “As in… evening wear? Or formal wear or whatever you call it?”

  “That’s what I heard.”

  Crap. What on earth was I going to wear? I didn’t have any nice dresses. The closest thing I had was a long black skirt I’d worn to my great aunt’s funeral. Somehow, I didn’t think that would be appropriate.

  “It’ll be fun,” Ian said, and I raised an eyebrow at him. “Okay, maybe not fun, but it’ll be far less boring with you there at my side.”

  I couldn’t help returning the smile he gave me. This man was amazing. And he genuinely wanted to be with me.

  But I still didn’t know what the hell I was going to wear.

  “Here.” Ian handed me a little white envelope.

  “What’s that?”

  “Something for you to wear for the charity dinner.”

  “I’m pretty sure it’s not going to fit,” I said, holding the tiny envelop in my hand.

  Ian laughed and leaned over and kissed me. “Smartass.”

  “You love my ass.”

  “Hell yes I do. Go ahead and open that.”

  I grabbed an unused table knife and slit the sealed envelope open. Inside was a little black gift card with a gold emblem on it. “What’s this?”

  “A gift certificate. So that you can get a nice dress to wear to the dinner.”

  “You didn’t have to do that,” I protested as I turned the card over. It said it was for $500. I gasped as I re-read the amount.

  “Yes, I did. I’m attending the dinner with the most gorgeous woman in the world. She needs a knock-out dress. One that I might get to peel her out of later.”

  I was still staring in astonishment at the card. This is too much.”

  He shrugged. “I didn’t know how much a dress would cost.”

  “It doesn’t matter, it’s still too much. I can’t accept this.”

  “Yes, you can.” Ian kissed me on the nose this time. “Besides, it’s non-refundable. If you don’t use it, it’ll just go to waste.”

  Non-refundable? “Where’s it from?” I squinted at the tiny emblem but couldn’t read the lettering.

  “That dress shop on the outer road off Route 15. On the way to the mall.”

  My heart sank as I pictured the storefront. It was a fancy place for trendy women. No way would it have plus sizes. I wouldn’t fit into anything there.

  “What’s wrong? Want me to go with you? You can try stuff on and give me my own private show.” His voice had dropped to a suggestive leer designed to make me laugh, but I was too distracted to do so. I didn’t want to let him know that I couldn’t use his very generous gift.

  Cole re-appeared at that moment, and I was pathetically grateful that Ian’s focus turned to his son. The last thing I wanted was for him to see me blinking back tears.

  Where on earth could I get a nice dress?

  I asked Barb for any ideas the very next day. I also asked her about getting an advance on my paycheck. I didn’t have a lot of extra money to spend on new clothes.

  “Why don’t you just go there and see if you can get Ian’s money back? That way you could use the money at another store.”

  “He said it was non-refundable.”

  “That sucks. Leave it to a man to not think of things like that.”

  I nodded, but deep down inside, I was glad Ian hadn’t thought that those clothes might be too small for me. He thought I was perfect—I didn’t want to remind him that the rest of the world didn’t see me that way.

  Barb frowned for a minute, and then she shrugged. “You could still try. It never hurts to ask.”

  That wasn’t entirely true. It would hurt my pride. But I’d do it for Ian.

  Later that evening, a paper-thin redhead with penciled in, arched eyebrows shook her head at me. “I’m sorry. I can’t give you a refund.”

  Crap. Where was I going to get the money for a nice dress? If I could even find one in my size.

  The redhead smiled which made her look far less aloof. “But that just means you get to spend it. There are worse things than having to spend five hundred dollars here.”

  I gaped at her. Couldn’t she see the problem? Did she think I was going to spend the whole gift certificate on shoes or the necklaces hanging on the back wall? “It’s just that I need a nice dress. For a fancy dinner.”

  She beamed, gesturing around her. “You’ve come to the right place.”

  Ugh, what was it going to take for her to understand the problem? I decided to be direct. “You don’t carry larger sizes.”

  She paused, her smile turning into a quizzical look. Her eyes raked up and down me as she studied me, slowly circling me. I felt like an idiot, but I held still under her scrutiny.

  At last she spoke. “I’m pretty sure you’ll fit into some of our dresses.”

  I gasped. “You sell plus sizes?”

  “No,” she said. “But I don’t think you need it. If I can just find something that’s got some extra room in the bust and the hips…” Muttering to herself, she moved walked off, weaving through the racks of clothes.

  I watched her go, astonished. Did she really think I could fit into something here? There was no way… was there? It was true that my clothes had become loser since I started working out, both at the gym and with Ian and Cole. And I felt more toned. But not enough to fit into clothes here.

  Taking a few steps to the side, I peered into a full-length mirror. The more I looked, the more I spotted the differences. My posture was better—I was holding myself more upright. Shoulders dow
n. Chest out. Stomach in. Ian was always harping on proper form when we worked out at the gym. And my stomach looked a little smaller, perhaps. And my arms more toned. Still… I doubt those small changes made much of a difference in a store like this.

  “Miss?” The saleswoman was waving me over to the dressing room, another big smile on her face. “I think I’ve found the perfect dress.”

  Ian

  Oh. My. God.

  I waited at the base of the stairs while Nikki descended the steps. I was fairly certain my mouth had fallen open.

  She looked incredible. Beyond incredible. She was gorgeous, yes, a perfect ten in my book. But that dress elevated her into the stratosphere. A twenty. A fifty. She was stunning.

  She stopped on the last landing six steps above me, and held her arms out, modeling the dress for me.

  “You’re a goddess,” I said. And she was. The dress was midnight black yet it somehow sparkled in the light. It hung off her upper arms, leaving her shoulders bare. The dress plunged into a deep cleavage, enough to make my mouth water. Then it hugged her close, clinging to her waist and flaring out for her hips. Then it hung straight down, but somehow got fuller at the bottom. More material, maybe? But it meant that you couldn’t see her sexy legs at all until her thigh pushed through the sky-high slit every other step she took. She was wearing sexy black stockings and silver shoes with high heels.

  She smiled as she saw that I was impressed.

  Something about her face was different, too. More makeup? Less makeup? Something was different, and I wasn’t well-versed enough in the secret ways of women to know what. But she looked incredible. Her eyes sparkled. Her lashes looked longer and fuller. She wore glittery jewelry at her ears and her throat. And her honey-colored hair was down, just the way I liked it.

  She descended the rest of the way, and as she held onto the bannister for balance, I noticed a light, silvery shawl she had draped over her arms. God, I needed to take her to fancy places more often.

  I took her hands when she was standing in front of me. “You look amazing.”

  She smiled. “You look pretty damn amazing, too.”

  I scoffed, but I was pleased she thought so. I had on a dark charcoal suit that Barb had helped me pick out. It had been so long since I’d worn anything other than a dress uniform to formal events like this. But I was retired now. And about to take an incredibly stunning young woman to dinner. “Can I kiss you?”

  “Of course.”

  “Some women don’t want a kiss after they’ve spent a lot of time on their makeup.” My ex-wife had been one of them.

  In response, Nikki wrapped her arms around me, pressing her breasts hard against my chest, and kissed me quite thoroughly.

  When we came up for air, I saw that I’d smudged her lipstick a little. She smiled when I whipped out a handkerchief and fixed it.

  Taking her arm, I led her out to the parking lot.

  She clung to me, perhaps to make sure she didn’t fall in those heels. “Thank you so much for the dress.”

  “You’re very welcome. I’d been planning on making some kind of joke about how if I bought it, I’d get to peel it off you later. But that was before I saw you in it. You look amazing. You should wear that every day.”

  She laughed, a light musical sound. “That works for me. I love this dress.”

  The banquet was set up in the gymnasium, but the students had done a surprisingly good job of making the cavernous room look welcoming and intimate. Nikki and I mingled for a while with the other guests. She’d accepted a glass of champagne from a passing waiter, and her cheeks were flushed and pretty. I was on my second glass—I figured that having my hands occupied, one at the small of her back and the other holding a glass—would make it less likely that I’d punch some of the men who were staring at my date. In a way, I was pleased they were impressed. But part of me still wanted to go ballistic on the next guy I caught staring at her cleavage.

  On the whole, though, it was pleasant to mingle with other parents, some of whom I recognized from baseball. One man rushed right over to me—fortunately, not to ogle my date. He’d seen me compete on an obstacle course last week and wanted to talk to me about it.

  The low lights flickered, and guests were instructed to find their tables. Nikki and I searched for #5, our assigned spot. It was a round table for six, and when we got there, only one chair was occupied. As we approached, I could see the back of a woman’s head—a small woman barely visible over the back of the chair.

  And then I knew.

  Lydia.

  Fuck. I hadn’t thought of this. They must’ve assigned tables according to who the students invited. And Cole had invited both of us. Shit.

  Nikki looked sideways at me, her eyebrow raised. She obviously hadn’t noticed Lydia yet. I shook my head, indicating nothing was wrong, but that was far from the truth.

  Should I walk up to my ex-wife with my girlfriend on my arm? Lydia knew Nikki, of course. They’d met a few times. My ex didn’t seem to like my current girlfriend very much, but that wasn’t very surprising, was it?

  But Lydia was clearly alone, and my being here with Nikki would piss her off.

  Nikki hesitated at my side. She’d obviously just spotted Lydia. “Maybe we should go,” she whispered.

  Her reluctance decided me. Lydia and I were both adults, and we were here to support our son. So was Nikki.

  A half hour later, things were less tense. The champagne kept coming, and the dinner was excellent. Not bad for a school-run charity event. Then again, with the price of the tickets, it should’ve been good.

  I sat between Lydia and Nikki. It had seemed like a good idea at the time. If we’d sat across from Lydia, she likely would’ve spent the whole evening glaring at us. Lydia and I spoke politely from time to time, mostly about Cole. Nikki mostly talked to the couple on the other side of us, old friends of Lydia who had a daughter at this school. The last member of the group was the former vice principal.

  All in all, it wasn’t a comfortable evening, but it did give me lots of time to stare at my date out of the corner of my eye. She was so damn lovely. The way she looked. The way she laughed. She reminded me that there were still so many good things that could happen in life. A few months ago, I’d thought that my best years were in my past. But now, with Nikki, and with my son, it felt like there were endless possibilities.

  It was the young woman next to me who made me feel that way. The young woman I was falling head over heels for.

  Suddenly, I knew that tonight was the night. In the weeks since we’d started dating, she’d gotten far more comfortable with touching me and being touched. And with pleasing each other with our hands and mouths. But tonight it was time. Time for me to take her fully and claim her as my own. I looked over and she smiled at me. She was ready—I was sure of it.

  Tonight was going to be amazing.

  Nikki

  It had been the most amazing evening so far. Even with Lydia there. Being on Ian’s arm made me feel confident. Important. Invincible. It was a rare feeling for me, but I was enjoying every minute of it.

  I checked my hair and makeup in the mirror of the restroom, making sure not to dip my shawl in the sink. Trying to use the restroom in a dress this tight hadn’t been easy, but I didn’t care. I loved this dress.

  And Ian—Ian looked incredible tonight. He’d gotten a haircut, and while I liked his hair loose and tousled, the slightly shorter style seemed to emphasize his military past. He stood up so straight in his dark suit that it was easy to imagine him standing at attention in a uniform filled with bars and medals.

  In short, he looked hot as hell. And the looks he kept giving me tonight made gotten me hot as hell. We hadn’t yet gone all the way, but I was pretty sure we would tonight. I wanted to, and I know he did. The thought of him deep inside me made me shiver with desire, a warm flush snaking through my body.

  I couldn’t imagine a more perfect end to this evening. I just knew it was going to be an amazing night
.

  Until Lydia walked in.

  Spotting her in the mirror was disconcerting. Turning around and seeing the hatred in her face was even more so. “Lydia, hi.”

  “That’s Mrs. Hayes to you. I don’t let teenagers call me by my first name.”

  “I’m not—” I cut myself off. Ian’s ex was clearly in no mood to hear it.

  “I warned you to stay away from him,” Lydia continued, and though she wasn’t quite steady on her feet, her words were clear and harsh. I tried to think back to the table—had she had a lot to drink? I didn’t know which was better, if she was speaking to me this way when she was drunk or sober.

  “He can choose who he wants to date.”

  “Yes, he can. He’s free to do that. Free to do whatever the hell he wants. He’s got a pension—and he inherited a lot of money from his father, did he tell you that? If my father-in-law had died before the divorce, I would’ve gotten half. Then I could buy an apartment complex and play handyman all day, flirting with every female under fifty.”

  “Ian’s not like that—”

  “You think I don’t know what he’s like?” Lydia made her way to the counter and set her small black purse on it. With my high heels, I was almost a foot taller than her, but that didn’t seem to intimidate her at all. “For over a decade, he was an officer first and a husband second. I followed him all over the goddamn world, from one military base to the next. Always starting over. Setting up house while he was off saving the world. Always meeting new people. Never having a single real friend until my son came along. And does that mean anything to Ian? Hell no. Two years before retirement and he wants a divorce.”

  “That—that must’ve been hard,” I said faintly. I wished desperately that someone else would come in. “I should really—”

  “Now it’s my turn,” Lydia said, so loudly that I almost dropped my clutch purse. “Now I’m the one with the career. I’ve got friends. I’ve got a life here. Did you know I went to grade school here? Right here in this school. This is my hometown. Ian only settled here because I moved here with Cole. I’m finally surrounded by friends—people I’ve known since childhood. And what does my asshole ex-husband do? He shows up with a woman half his age. Flaunts her in my face.”