New Game in Town(16)
Not wanting to risk running into Connor, she had made her excuses and declined.
He had texted her when he had returned to Vancouver from his last road trip, but she had ignored it. When he had sent an email asking if she was free for dinner, she had politely refused, citing work as an excuse.
Coming to Toronto for a meeting at the same time as the team was playing here had just been bad timing on her part, but unavoidable. It hadn’t been easy, but she had managed to steer clear of Connor entirely.
No, tonight she was going to jump out of her metaphorical airplane and dive into number four on her list and maybe even number five, if she managed to muster up enough courage. Just how she was going to accomplish this still remained to be seen.
Which was why she had impulsively posed her question to her server.
Gina had stared up at the woman, noting how the server took in her appearance.
She had dressed with the idiom that less was more. Not that her dress was skimpy. No, instead Gina had chosen a severe black-lace dress that covered her from her neck to her knees, the long sleeves running all the way down to enfold her wrists. On a hanger it had looked like something her grandmother would wear. Black, basic and boring. But the sales clerk had convinced her to try it on. And wow, had she been blown away by the image that had stared back at her in the dressing room mirror.
Once on, the dress screamed sex appeal. Although it covered most of her body, leaving only the bottom half of her legs bare, Gina was astonished at how something so simple could be so sinful. It lovingly hugged her in all the right places and the nude underlay made it look as though Gina was completely naked under the elegant lace.
The clerk had grinned knowingly when Gina had opened the door to show her. Holding out a pair of deep burgundy stilettos in her size, the clerk had winked in conspiracy and simply whispered, “See what I mean?”
Gina had slowly shaken her head at her server when she had mentioned the new place across the street, “No—I was thinking of some place special. A place where I can explore while I am out of town,” Gina had met the woman’s raised eyebrow and intent gaze head-on.
“I’ll get you another glass of wine and see what I can come up with.” She had turned away to serve another customer.
When she had returned with the promised glass of chardonnay, the waitress had discreetly placed the black business card underneath the wineglass. Now here Gina still sat, contemplating the opportunity.
Opportunity…the word repeated in her head. When was she going to have the opportunity to do something like this again? What was she waiting for?
Gina had spent untold hours and money on reinventing herself, but a small part of her core still feared taking a risk of this magnitude. It was one thing to change your wardrobe and go through a complete life makeover, it was another to enter a world that she had literally only read about.
It was this fear of stepping out of her self-imposed box that had immobilized her in the past and had made her blind to what was really happening around her. The catastrophes of her failed engagements were a testimony to this.
Anger began to burn in her core at the memory of the humiliation she had suffered at the hands of Andrew and then Steven. The fury was self-directed. She had allowed those men to strip her of her sense of self and her dignity. They couldn’t have accomplished that without her active participation. The old Gina had buried her own wants, desires and opinions to cater to the whims of the men in her life.
It was time to stop hiding. Laying out some cash on the table, Gina clasped the black business card in her palm and made her way to the front doors of the hotel in search of a taxi.
* * * * *
“Please keep this green band on your wrist at all times, it denotes your status as a guest in the club. The first and second floors are open to guests and members, while the third floor is for members only. If you require anything at all, our staff are available throughout the club,” the demure hostess said as she smiled politely. “Do enjoy your evening with us.” She indicated the large ornate wooden doors to her left.
Gina was unsure of what she had expected, but the sedate lobby she had entered only moments before had her wondering if the server at the hotel bar had misunderstood her request. Tranquil music danced with the trickling waterfall in the lobby, the light airy decor making her feel as though she was checking into a high-end spa.
If the lobby personified calm and serenity, then the huge room on the other side of the large doors was its antithesis. Down a winding hallway with diffused lighting, Gina rounded a corner to find a dark interior streaming with flashing lights and the rapid beat of the music vibrating around the wall-to-wall people. Some dancing, others mingling and yet more clustered around small tables laden with drinks.