Unexpected Chance Read Online Free PDF

hand and my glass of wine and told Julie
and Brett to follow us.
    I needed to know, so I asked. “Does it bother you that Tyler is
with Leah?”
    “No, what they do is their business; it doesn’t affect me. Leah
is just well . . . Leah and Tyler is a guy, so . . . yeah, that about sums it
up. So I don’t care who they’re with.”
    That was good to hear.
    He brought us all upstairs to a VIP area, which was much quieter,
and we could actually hold a conversation. It was very nice: plush jewel-toned
couches and chairs with a table in the middle and an arrangement of white
orchids in the center. Julie sat down next to Brett, and we sat opposite them
on a different couch. That’s it. There it was again, that scent. It was
definitely orchids.
    “So The White Orchid. What made you pick that name? Don’t get me
wrong. The flower is beautiful, and they smell lovely, but it doesn’t seem like
a typical name for a club.”
    Alex’s eyes fell a little. “They were my mom’s favorite flower. She
passed away when I was twelve, but I remember that she always loved her
orchids. It’s just a way for me to keep her close to me.”
    I felt tears prick my eyes. Holy shit, why did I bring that up? “I’m really sorry, Alex.” I felt awful.
    He rubbed circles on the back of my hand that he was holding. “It’s
okay. It was a long time ago.”
    I forced a smile and nodded. I still felt like crap.
    “I’m glad you came to the dating event tonight, and I’m glad that
I met you. I would like to get to know you better if that’s okay with you. You’re
so different from the women who usually come here. You’re like a breath of
fresh air.”
    My mind was trying to comprehend that he was talking about me. He
wanted to get to know me?
    “Let me take you out sometime.” That was more of a statement of
fact than a question.
    I literally shook; my knee bounced a mile a minute. “That would
be great, Alex.” My heart told me there was something special about him. I also
knew I wasn’t naive and that I was not the type who would tolerate dating a man
who was tempted to be with multiple women, not to mention worrying about how
many women were trying to attach themselves to him. But I shouldn’t get ahead
of myself. He asked me out on a date, not to marry him. Then I thought about my
original purpose . . . research. I can do this. I just won’t get attached .
I wondered if he was a romantic. He obviously didn’t have to woo a woman to get
her attention.
    “Great. How about tomorrow? It’s Sunday and the club is closed. We
can grab lunch and then go to the park.”
    “Okay, that sounds great, Alex. I should probably get going,
though; it’s getting late, and I have to call a cab.”
    “I have a driver here; I’ll have him take you home.”
    “That’s okay. I wouldn’t want to impose.”
    “It isn’t an imposition. A car is always here for people who have
a little too much to drink. I don’t want anyone driving while impaired.”
    He really was a good man. Maybe he wasn’t as bad as Julie said he
was. “Thank you. I appreciate the ride.”
    I glanced over at Julie, who was now in a lip lock with Brett. I
rolled my eyes. That didn’t take long. I didn’t want to interrupt them,
but still needed to get her attention. I looked back at Alex, and he just
laughed as we stood up. Alex cleared his throat rather loudly. Brett looked up
at us first while Julie blushed and dropped her head. She finally looked up
while wiping her bottom lip with her thumb.
    “Julie, I’m going to head home.” She started to get up. I put my
hand out in a stop gesture. “You stay and have fun. I’ll call you tomorrow.” Brett
stood, shook my hand, and said it was nice to meet me. I took note that when
Brett shook my hand I didn’t feel anything, not like when Alex touched me. I
waved bye, and Alex told them that he would be back after he walked me out.
    He interlaced our fingers again, and we made our way to the front
door. I watched people