Hooked #3 (The Hooked Romance Series - Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page A

floor
that evening, I knew. I was going to look fabulous.
    Finally, I decided upon a dark maroon dress—one I
hadn’t worn in years, one I had hardly ever worn. The neckline lurched down
over my breasts, and the back was lace, allowing my taut back muscles to be
seen. I stepped into high heels, attempting to practice dancing in them a bit
over my sad wooden floor. Boomer looked at me with vague curiosity. What the
hell was I doing?
    I prepared my make-up perfectly, smearing rouge over
my face, and giving myself a bit of lipstick—just enough to make me look sophisticated,
fit for a benefit. I imagined the types of people who attended benefits; old
women and men with millions, their sons and daughters with millions in equal
measure. I had to look like them, to seem like them. I would never be like
them, of course; I had too much passion, too much love for art, for dance, to
ever sell my soul to any sort of money god.
    Five minutes before he was meant to, Drew knocked on
my door. I was staring at myself in the mirror, and I watched as my face took
on a sort of stressed expression. I sighed deeply, attempting to release my
anxiety. It was going to be fine, I told myself. Drew and I were simply going
as friends, and certainly he would respect that. He had to. I wouldn’t let him
accept anything else.
    I walked toward the door and flung it open,
revealing my glorious dress and curly hair. My posture was perfect, holding my
breasts high into the air.
    Drew looked stunning as well. He was wearing a
tuxedo, and his hair was glossed over to the side to reveal a perfect, far-left
part. He smirked at me, eyeing my dress, my body. He brought out his elbow,
offering it to me to take. “My lady. My friend. May I escort you to the ball?”
    I wanted to play his games; it was all I wanted, in
that moment. I swung my hand back and grasped my handbag. I dipped my arm into
his elbow, nodding in a sophisticated manner. “Oh, darling. My dear. I shan’t go anywhere without you.” I laughed
in spite of myself. I couldn’t help it.
    Drew cackled for a moment before leading us to the
stairwell, where we necessarily had to part and waft our way down, my heels
clacking and echoing.
    Outside the apartment building sat the Porsche—the
stunning car that had taken us to Mel’s place all those evenings before. Before I had known so much. I turned my neck gracefully
toward Drew, eyeing his movements. He sent his arm languidly through the air,
grasping the handle of the door and pulling at it. “My lady,” he sighed, bowing
to me.
    I settled into the seat and waited for him on the
other side. He fell into the driver’s seat and revved the engine, speeding off
into the Saturday Night Chicago World. My head flung back on the seat, and my
eyes scanned the horizon and the flashing lights. It had been so long since I’d
felt the world rush around me like this. I kept my lips together and simply
allowed the feeling to fall over me.
    The benefit was downtown at the McCormick Place. The
glass of the beautiful building sparkled in the stunning nightlights. As we
pulled up to the convention center, a valet driver approached the car. He
opened my door and offered me his hand, escorting me from the illustrious
Porsche. I watched as the valet’s eyes lurked over the car with fits of
jealousy. “My lady. You are looking very beautiful
tonight,” he murmured toward me, his eyes still on the car.
    Drew pushed himself from the car and tossed the keys
to the valet. “Be safe with her,” he spewed, handing the valet a tip casually
beneath the waist.
    The valet accepted and leaped into the car, whisking
it away to some unforeseen location. I looked up at Drew with a sense of
wonder. All around us, the most beautiful people in the world were walking
toward the convention center where the benefit was held. Women
in long dresses; men wearing tuxedos. Everyone was a different age, a different
size. They all were sparkling with diamonds and pearls. Their smiles