20. Sarah

20

SARAH

I almost spit out the champagne I had sipped. What?

A part of me thought I had hallucinated the offer. Or maybe I just misinterpreted. Either way, I broke away from her intense gaze, trying not to think about the way her hazel eyes glowed in the evening light.

Instead, I distracted myself with the shimmering lake. A smile teased my cheeks. "Dinner?"

From my periphery, Vic nodded. "Yes. Out of town and not on some rocky, old dock."

I caved, letting my eyes meet hers again. "Business or a date?"

I winced as soon as I said it. There was no way this gorgeous billionaire wanted to take a single mom on some extravagant date. She'd just come back from Italy for god's sake. She'd probably dined with models and actresses all week.

Victoria shrugged, licking her lips as a cheeky smile took over her face. "Whatever you're most comfortable with, Ms. Greenwood. But I'll admit: I'm more partial to one than the other."

Fuck . My throat tightened with excitement as my mind struggled through the logistics. Jason wasn't supposed to have the kids for at least another week. Am I a terrible mother if I leave them with a sitter for a night when I only see them a week at a time? Vic's proposition was a complicated one.

Splitting custody meant splitting family time too. When the kids were with Jason, they would see his parents and his siblings. When they were with me, they'd spend time with my parents and Zoey.

As I was trying to work through it, Victoria reached her hand across the table, her gaze turning serious. My nerves calmed the instant her palm rested on mine. "Sarah, you are allowed to take time for yourself… if you'd like it."

I swallowed hard. It wasn't something I was used to hearing. I took in a deep breath. The air was a shock to my system, fresh from the lake. I let the slight rocking of the dock calm my body.

It would be fun.

After a moment, I nodded. "Okay, a date."

Victoria smiled. "Perfect. I'll arrange everything."

Once she sat back in her chair, two plates of salad came out to the dock. They were beautiful, lush bowls full of fresh vegetables with juicy, baked salmon on top.

Letting my shoulders relax, I smiled. "So, now that we've dealt with that, I have some big ideas."

As we dug in, we got to talking business. I had plenty to report after a full week apart. It felt nice to switch between personal and business so easily.

But when I couldn't take my eyes off of her, my body tensed again. This is about to get complicated.

A few days later, I was standing in my en suite bathroom, tousling my hair until it fell just right. It took a lot more work than seemed fair to get the blonde waves to look both sexy and effortless.

Part of me wondered if this being explicitly a date made it easier or harder to get ready. Either way, I was a little desperate to wow her. Just the thought of making the enigmatic woman speechless made the hair on my arms stand up with excitement.

Victoria still hadn't sent me any details about where we were going or what we would get up to. I tried not to let the uncertainty of it all make me anxious as I turned up the ringer on my phone and refocused on the mirror in front of me.

My makeup was simple: some mascara, light eyeliner, and a touch of concealer. I hadn't done my makeup in years, and wasn't exactly sure what was popular these days. But I decided to err on the side of caution and keep everything simple. I finished it off with a tinted lip balm, not wanting to discourage Victoria from making a move with heavy lipstick.

Assuming she even wanted to make a move.

I shook my head, immediately checking the thought. Why wouldn't she? In a dress like this, I was a goddamn prize.

Taking a look in the mirror, I made sure I still liked how it fit. The sun still streamed in through the second floor windows despite it nearing eight o'clock. Just as I'd hoped, the outfit was exactly what I wanted.

It had been at least a decade since I'd dressed this salaciously. I'd had to dig the red dress out of the back of my closet and clear off quite a few cobwebs. Originally, I'd bought it for a Valentine's Day date with Jason after Ava was born. But it never managed to make its debut.

The deep cowl neck showed off my cleavage and figure to any curious eyes, but the real star of the show was its fit. It came in tight at my waist, accentuating my hips and ass.

A smirk took over my face as I admired my reflection. It was hard not to feel confident in a dress like this.

I grabbed my bag off the edge of the bed where Bri and I had our tryst just a week ago.I almost felt guilty going on a date with another woman while I was still desperately trying to see Bri. But she had told me to explore the single life. And who was I to tell a charming billionaire she couldn't take me on a date?

Placing my chapstick, mascara, and some powder into the bag, I took a deep breath. I let the air sit in my lungs for a moment before pushing it out of my mouth.

My nerves settled long enough to get me down the stairs. I was still barefoot, not wanting to scuff the hardwood floors with my tall heels. The soft patter of my feet on the stairs wasn't quite a grand entrance, but Robin noticed nonetheless.

She poked her head out from the living room, her eyes bulging. "Jesus, Sarah."

My face flushed pink as I tousled my hair. "Is that a good thing?"

Robin nodded, lowering her voice so the kids didn't hear. "You look hot."

Rolling my eyes, I took the last step and gave her a light flick on the head. "Why do you sound surprised?"

"Because you never get dressed up like that. " Robin laughed.

Zoey heard us chatting and waddled over. The kids stayed in the living room, distracted by Derek's new game.

When she turned the corner, Zoey's jaw dropped. "Holy shit. Talk about a ‘fuck me' dress."

I slapped her arm and shushed her. "My kids are in the other room, asshole."

Waving me off, Zoey peeked back into the living room. She watched them for a moment to ensure that they were truly not listening before turning back to me smugly. "See? Nothing to worry about. Where are you headed?"

"Somewhere across the river. She just told me to wear something nice and that she'd take care of the details." I swallowed hard. This certainly felt more like a date than a business dinner.

Robin scoffed and raised a suspicious eyebrow. "Should we expect to stay overnight?"

Hesitating, I tried to be realistic. I had no idea what Vic had in mind, but I knew it would be a drive. The sun was already low in the sky, and I couldn't imagine getting home before my pregnant sister passed out.

"Just make yourselves comfortable; if you fall asleep, you can just stay the night." I settled on that.

Zoey giggled and winked at me. "Someone plans to get laid."

Shaking my head, I pushed past her to the living room. Moving around the couch, careful not to step in front of the TV, I gave each of my kids a kiss. "I love you guys. I'll probably miss bedtime, but I'll come check on you when I get home. Okay?"

Ava and Leila nodded, each throwing their small arms around my neck. Distracted by his game, Derek took one hand off the controller and hugged my shoulders.

"Love you," they all said in unison as I walked out of the living room.

I padded over the foyer, strapping on the red heels I'd kept since prom. They were far too big for me back then, but after three pregnancies, they fit just right. Just as I finished buckling the delicate leather straps, my phone dinged with a text:

Victoria Bradley dropped a pin

My forehead wrinkled at the words. Was she already waiting for me? I quickly opened the text to see where she was. But when the location loaded on my maps, it just showed my street.

"What?" Zoey asked, striding across the foyer to snatch the phone out of my hand.

I gawked at her as she held the device. "Excuse you." If nothing else, I knew I could always count on Zoey to be a pushy older sister.

Peeking over her partner's shoulder, Robin tilted her head. "She's outside?"

The words felt surreal. Surely it was a mistake. I glanced outside through the glass that framed the front door. Sure enough, a familiar red car sat outside with Victoria Bradley leaning patiently against its hood.

"I guess so." Zoey excitedly squealed, trying not to alert the kids. Putting her hands on my shoulders, Zoey smiled. "Have fun, okay?"

I exhaled and nodded. "Okay. Love you both." Wrapping my arms around them, I pulled them in for a hug. Once I felt my anxiety melt away, I pulled back and fixed my hair. "Don't watch out of the window." I winked at them as I opened the front door and left the house.

The door had hardly shut behind me before I stopped in my tracks; Victoria's grin stunned me still. She wore a slate gray button-down with the top three buttons undone. The fabric draped gracefully down her chest, showing off her collarbone and skimming just over the swell of her breasts.

My dirty mind filled in the blanks quickly; the low v of her shirt meant she wasn't wearing a bra. The bottom of the button- down tucked perfectly into a pair of matching trousers. Both of Vic's elegant hands tucked into her pockets as she watched me.

"Hi." Her voice was low, already sultry despite the summer sun still beaming down.

I swallowed hard, reminding my feet to keep moving. "Hi." Just as I approached the front steps, Vic peeled herself off the car and rushed to the porch, offering her hand as I descended. With each movement, I could feel her eyes on my body.

My hips swayed as I walked, the dress flowing behind me. "I didn't mean to match your car."

Victoria nodded, lightly licking her lips. "I like it. A match made in heaven." As we approached the car, she dropped my arm and pulled open the passenger side door. "After you."

Smiling, I ducked into the car. I snuck one last look at the door, where I could see Zoey and Robin clearly watching us. Bastards. I rolled my eyes as I situated myself in the seat.

Once I was in, Vic gently closed the door and jogged around the front of the car.

Unlike the humid, June air outside, the Carrera was perfectly air conditioned. My fears of sweating off my makeup melted away.

Vic slid into the driver's seat with ease, turning to look at me as the engine purred. "You look incredible."

Every insecurity I had melted away as her eyes poured over me. I let myself look at her the same way – hungrily. Her willowy figure looked custom made for the black leather interior.

"So do you." I smirked.

A devious grin took over Vic's face at the compliment. "Ready?"