Passersby stared at me in my gorgeous pink ball gown, long gloves, and tiara. I even heard a little girl tell her mom, “Look, Mommy, a real-life princess!” I couldn’t help smiling. The warm air was humid, and storm clouds threatened. But I wasn’t going to let anything rain on my parade. At precisely six, Ari’s limo rolled up. Andre got out of the car and held open the passenger door for me. He gave me an uncharacteristic thumbs-up. I returned the sweet gesture with an equally uncharacteristic wink. As carefully and gracefully as I could, I slid into the car, holding up my voluminous gown. I had never seen such a wide-eyed expression on Ari, who was more dashing than ever in a black tux and blue bow tie that matched the color of his twinkling eyes. His jaw dropped. Only one word formed on his lips. “Wow.” I was tingling all over. From his reaction and from his gorgeousness. In the blink of an eye, the expression on his face grew lustful.
