22: The Ball

Dorian had Eva's number for a week before he finally found the nerve to use it.

Chelsea had slipped it to him casually, like it wasn't a golden key to a locked door he'd been standing outside of for years. She got it from Leeann during one of their many flirty exchanges, and Dorian had stared at the digits in his phone as his thumb hovered over the screen countless times.

But as fate would have it, business called, pulling him out of town before he could act on it. It gave him time to overthink.

When he finally did message her, he was flying just over the interstate in his private jet cutting through clouds with a storm of nerves in his gut.

"Hi, this is your secret admirer?" he typed, then immediately deleted it.

Too creepy.

He tried again.

"Hi, how are you?"

This was simple and safe, but also lame. He still hit send.

Twenty agonizing minutes passed. He was staring out the window, seeing if he could find shapes in the clouds when his phone chimed. The sound alone made his stomach fl