The elevator door opens to a waiting limo, Alex gently pushes me inside the car before sliding in behind me. I look with wide eyes as his team is smiling and handing me a glass of champagne before the car jolts forward. Smiling, I take the flute and finish the liquid in two swallows.
"I'll have another, please." I say handing back the empty flute to his assistant, Kari.
Alex looks at me and starts laughing, "you heard her, get this girl another drink."
The limo drives around downtown Vancouver for 25 minutes, and then he parks in front of the Shangri-La Hotel. The sidewalk is full of media like Alex told me. The driver opens our door, Alex gets out first and hold open his hand for me. I place my shaking hand into his, and he helps me out of the car. Flashbulbs blind me immediately.
"Alexander, who's the beautiful girl with you?" A reporter shouts.
"Is she your girlfriend?" Another asks.
He just grins and waves towards them. "I wish I was lucky enough to call this one mine. This beautiful woman is my best friend, Allyson. She's not single and very much taken by a great guy." He introduces me with a quick kiss to the temple.
"Can you both stop for a quick picture?" Someone shouts at us.
Alex does what is asked of him, pulls me in close for a picture. This is a big part of his job, to be seen out and about. However, this part of his job was making me uneasy, and he wasn't the pair of arms I want wrapped around me.
After 15 minutes of blinding lights, he grabs my hand and pulls me inside. "How are you?"
"Horrible." I tell him just inside the door. "I can't see."
"I'm sorry, but you were a trooper." He laughs.
I grin at him. "I never want to do that again."
Following Alex, we are greeted at the VIP entrance. The entire room is blocked off with our family and friends. The room is beautifully decorated with sheer white fabric wrapped in white twinkle lights. Huge crystal chandeliers hang from the ceiling. The circle tables are draped in white linens with fresh flowers as centerpieces.
"OH, LOOK AT YOU TWO." Amy shrieks from across the room when she sees us enter.
"Allyson. You look amazing this evening." Steve, Alex's dad says kissing me on the cheek and hugging me tight.
"Thanks."
A waitress walks up to Alex and me and I order a strong vodka cranberry. Steve and Alex take a minute to tease me about starting with vodka this early. Amy joins my side and scolds me on my drink choice, it wasn't a ladies drink.
"When did you start drinking those?" She asks.
"College. I do a lot of things that would shock you." I announce with annoyance.
Smirking, I find the table with my friends and sit down. All us girls take turns talking about the dresses and shoes we picked. New Year's Eve was a fashion show in this part of the world.
Glancing behind me, I see Maggie searching the room for Ben. No one informed her that Amy scared him back home.
"So? Where is he?" Karen asks with a raised eyebrow.
Karen was the most outgoing in our group, and she never respected anyone's space. I look around the table at all the eyes staring at me. Bringing a boy home was a huge deal for me.
"He had to go back to Boston." I frown.
"NO!" Karen pouts.
"Spill it." Alyssa asks.
YOU ARE READING
Heartlines
Romance*** Complete Story *** Allyson Sicard was in her final year at Harvard and while her roommates were trying to get their Ivy League boyfriends to propose, Ally was trying to figure out which law school she wanted to graduate from. Columbia had always...
