Hey y'all! So happy that y'all have been open to the new approach to this story. I'm super excited to see where this story goes. You will notice some some similarities along with some differences. I am really excited. I hope y'all will be too. Hey to the mean guest review, you can politely go sit on a snake and not read my stories. Anyway, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!
We are immediately stopped at the entrance by a large, broad shouldered man with a clipboard. The guy definitely has to be part of the security because he's massive and intimidating. He lifts his hand to his earpiece before staring at us with a blank expression. Oh, goodness. I can slowly feel my anxiety rise, but I just need to breathe. Jesus, I really need to get over my fear for other authority figures. Seriously, I thought that it would have ended when I became an authority figure. Unfortunately, I think that I've gotten worse since becoming a department head. Teddy quickly pulls her phone from her clutch before handing her phone to the man. His eyes scan between us and the clipboard. He nods his head a few times before smiling widely at us. He nods his head to two men in tuxedos before handing Teddy her phone.
"Dr. Altman, Dr. Robbins, you ladies have a wonderful evening. The main ballroom is on your right. Just follow the sea of people and you can't miss it," the man says with a small smile.
I flash him a polite smile in return before following Teddy into the building. We navigate carefully through the crowd leading into the main ballroom. As we enter the ballroom, my mouth slowly gapes in awe as I take in the surroundings. The ballroom is absolutely stunning, and that's putting it modestly. The ballroom has a main floor along with a balcony style second story. The main floor is full of beautifully decorated tables with white and gold china along with an enormous bouquet of white roses as the centerpieces. My eyes travel upward to the beautifully decorated banister surrounding the second story all the way to the crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Jesus, I've never been to event of this caliber. Everywhere you look, you see men and women wearing the finest designers, gathered in small groups, drinking and laughing amongst themselves. Hell, could this get anymore intimidating? A waiter quickly approaches and offers us each a glass of champagne before disappearing back into the crowd. Teddy clinks her glass against mine and winks at me before sipping the champagne. Oh my god. If the champagne is this good, I cannot wait to taste the wine.
Teddy scans the room and waves before smiling at me. I know that smile. That's her shit-eating, up-to-no-good smile, meaning that she's spotted Riley. She nods her head, motioning for me to follow her, before looping her arm through mine. We walk through the crowd with ease as we approach a small group of people. Teddy's smile widens as we approach the group and I instantly recognize Riley. He is 6'4, with a broad, muscular build; he has sandy blonde hair, piercing aqua blue-green eyes with short, scruffy facial hair. He's wearing a navy suit accented with a sky blue tie and pocket square, and I must admit, he's an extremely handsome man. I'm a gold star lesbian, but I'll admit when there is an attractive human. He smiles widely, displaying a full-dimpled smile, before pulling Teddy into his arms. He hugs her close before capturing her lips in a short kiss. They smile at each other, in total bliss, before he pecks a kiss against her cheek before turning his attention toward me.
"Arizona, it's good to see you again. You look incredible," Riley says sweetly as he wraps his arms around me. I lean into him, returning the hug, and he kisses my cheek before taking a step next to Teddy. I smile widely, enjoying his southern accent and his compliment.
"It's good to see you, too and thank you. You look very handsome," I say sweetly.
"Riley! Eyyy!" an older, drunken gentleman shouts before staggering into us.
The older man flails his arms in the air toward Riley, crashing against my arm. Any grip I had on the champagne fluke is lost, and it spills the remaining contents all over the front of my dress. The glass shatters against the floor, gathering several bystanders' attention. Teddy quickly grabs a napkin and begins drying the champagne spots as Riley escorts the drunken man away. He quickly returns and runs a hand through his short hair before looking at me apologetically.
"I'm so sorry, Arizona. Is there anything I can do?" he asks sweetly and I look around at all the people staring.
"Is there somewhere that I can go to get some fresh air?" I ask and he nods his head.
"Absolutely. I know just the place. Follow me," he says as he begins to walk toward the stairs. Teddy wraps an arm around my lower back as we follow Riley toward the second floor stairs. He ascends the stairs with ease with Teddy and me following behind. He navigates past a few tables before opening a door to the outdoor balcony, which overlooks the Seattle skyline. A small gasp escapes my mouth at the beautiful view, before Riley turns around and looks at me apologetically.
"I hope this is okay. Again, I'm so sorry abo-," he begins to say but I hold my hand up.
"Riley, no more apologizing. It's just a little bit of champagne. That's all. I'm fine. I just needed a little bit of air. But seriously, if you apologize again I'm going to hit you with my cane," I say playfully, causing him to smirk.
"Yes ma'am. This is one of my favorite views of the city. Feel free to walk around and there's a bar staff up here if you want something to drink. I have to go make a small speech, thanking all these people and what-not. Let me know if you need anything," he says sweetly before kissing Teddy's cheek. He smiles one last time before disappearing down the stairs. I watch as Teddy's eyes follow him and I playfully nudge my shoulder against hers.
"Go. I'll be down in a second," I say softly.
"You sure?" she asks and I nod my head.
"Yes, see? My dress is almost dry and I want to actually finish my next drink instead of wearing it. I'll be right behind you. Go," I say as I practically push her away.
She playfully swats her hand at me, mouthing 'thank you' as she back pedals back inside. A small grin crosses my face before turning to admire the gorgeous view of the Seattle skyline. The lights of the city reflect against the calm waters of the harbor and I sigh in contentment as I lean against the tall balcony railing. Seattle's beauty will never cease to amaze me. I continue to gaze out toward the skyline when a set of footsteps catch my attention. A waiter smiles politely at me before handing me a glass of white wine and my brows knit in confusion.
"I didn't," I start to say but the water shakes his head.
"I am supposed to say, 'You're the greatest friend ever and I'm looking for potential women suitors for you'. Or something along those lines," the waiter says with an uneasy smile, causing me to giggle. Teddy always has to make a scene wherever we go.
"Well, thank you. I'm sorry that she made you say those things. My best friend sometimes doesn't realize her boundaries when she drinks. Or when she's sober," I say playfully, causing the waiter to smile before returning inside.
I take a sip of my wine and it takes all of my will power not to moan in appreciation. Oh yeah, the wine is to die for. I glance around the balcony, noticing that it appears to wrap around the side of the building. Huh, Riley did tell me to walk around. I take continue to sip my wine as I take in the night sky before the throbbing in my leg reminds me that I've been on my feet, foot more rather, too long today. I spot a small set of chairs near the corner of the balcony, bingo. I walk as gently and quickly as I can to the chairs and take a seat, sighing in relief. Luckily for me, I can rest my leg and admire the view. Oh, the view continues to get more and more beautiful. The moon is hanging perfectly over the skyline, making the night look even more romantic. I set my cane against the side of my chair as I contently sip my wine when I hear the sound of heels approaching me.
I glance toward the footsteps and my mouth runs dry. A woman wearing a black, feminine-style suit, paired with black heels is walking toward me. The entire outfit accentuates the woman's tone, slender body perfectly. The woman's blonde hair hangs in long, loose curls, cascading over her shoulders and perfectly framing her face. She has the top two buttons of her oxford open, only to reveal a short medallion necklace around her neck. Dear God, she's beautiful. Her gaze reaches mine and she instantly stops in her tracks as she stares at me. I watch her eyes slowly taken in my appearance and I take the opportunity to take a generous sip of my drink. I won't lie, I like the way she's looking at me. Hell, I won't see her again, so I might as well flirt.
"Please tell me the loud guy downstairs didn't spill something on you too," I say playfully, causing the woman's red-painted lips to turn upward, forming a smirk, revealing a set of dimples.
"Was he about this tall, kinda stalky?" the woman asks, in a southern accent, as she holds her hand to about her shoulder, causing me to nod my head in agreement.
"That's my dad." Oh shit. I slightly choke on my words before clearing my throat.
"Oh my gosh. I'm so sorry, I had n-," I begin to say but she cuts me off.
"I'm kidding. I have no idea who that guy is but to answer your question. Yes. He spilt champagne down my shirt. I came out to get some fresh air to keep the charity event from turning into a wet t-shirt contest," the woman says playfully, causing a small laugh to escape my lips.
"Well, now that I know that man isn't your dad, you're more than welcome to join me," I say with a smirk before taking a sip of my wine.
"I'd love to. Thank you," she says taking a few steps closer to me. The woman smirks at me before taking a seat in the chair next to me. Her perfume fills the air with a mix of sandalwood and lavender. It's intoxicating. She faces me, and it gives me a chance to look into the woman's eyes. Tim always told me that you could learn a lot from looking into someone's eyes. Whoa. She has heterochromia. Her left eye is aqua blue, and her right is a subtle green. It's amazing and totally unexpected.
"Since the waiter is flirting with bus boy, I'm going to assume it'll be easier for me to grab a drink. What would you like?" she asks softly, snapping me out of my trance.
"Surprise me. I'm a lover of all white wine," I say with a small smile.
She nods her head with a smile before walking toward the small, outdoor bar. I can't help but stare at her ass as she walks away. Oh god, I feel like a sleaze ball, but she's insanely hot. Like, Blake Lively hot. It would almost be a sin if I didn't check her out. I finish the rest of my wine before setting my empty glass on the small table nearby. I gently rub my hands over my arms to fight the goosebumps from the cool night air. Honestly, I could stare at this view all night and I guess that along with the beautiful woman made me forget about it being chilly outside. The mysterious blonde quickly returns with a drink in each hand. She sets both drinks on top of the table before sliding off her suit jacket and moving to stand behind me.
"What are you doing?" I ask and she chuckles as I feel her slide her jacket over my shoulders.
"Giving you my jacket," she rasps before helping slide my arms into the sleeves of the jacket.
"You don't have to do this," I say and I feel her breath against the shell of my ear. The sudden closeness causes my heart rate to spike and I suddenly feel as if I've forgotten how to breathe.
"I know, but I want to," she says softly.
She rubs her hand lightly across my shoulders before grabbing our drinks. She hands me a full glass of white wine as I notice what appears to be an Old Fashioned in her hand as she takes a seat next to me. We hold up our glasses to cheers when a buzzing sound interrupts us. I instantly check my phone, and sigh in relief that it isn't the hospital. The mystery blonde glares at her phone before looking at me.
"Bad news?" I ask and she runs a hand through her hair.
"Ehh, more like extremely inconvenient but urgent enough to cut my evening short," she says before clinking her glass against mine. She quickly downs the liquid before looking at me.
"What did we cheers to?" I ask before taking a sip of my wine. Holy shit, this glass is even better than the first! She tucks her phone into her pants' pocket before standing. Wait, I don't even know her name!
"To you, because you are the most beautiful woman that I've ever ever seen. I'm thankful that some jackass spilt a drink on us," she says softly before tucking a curl behind my ear. She smiles at me before she begins to walk away.
"Wait! I don't even know your name! And your jacket!" I say standing from my chair.
She turns around and smiles widely at me with both dimples on display. She winks one last time before disappearing inside. I grab my cane and walk as quickly as possible to try to catch up with the mysterious blonde. I ignore the throbbing in my leg as I rush inside. I quickly scan the room for the gorgeous woman but see no sign of her. My mind runs wilds with thoughts and questions. At the beginning of the night, I fought coming. Now, I find myself wanting to thank Teddy because I met a hot mystery woman. I just wish we had more time to talk. I didn't even get her name! I wonder if I'll ever see her again. All I know is that I can finally relate to a Disney prince when the mysterious and beautiful princess disappears without a trace; instead of Cinderella leaving a glass slipper, she left a suit jacket.
Thoughts?
