Tackling Love's Playbook

Chapter 5

Frankie’s POV

By the time Tiny Tony was done with me, I could hardly recognize myself. I stared at myself through the full-length bedroom window, marveling at whom the woman staring at me was. For one, I couldn’t remember my hair ever being so lush and soft and shiny. I touched it reverently. My make-up was simple but classy, nothing too heavy or caked. It was light and subtle, only aiming to highlight my natural features.

The dress Rhys had chosen fit perfectly. It was a dark green dress that offset the color of my hair amazingly. It had a cowl neck and the back was shockingly non-existent. It hugged every curve on my body before ending with a small train. Black, strappy sandals, a black jeweled clutch purse and dangly earrings completed the look.

I felt like a different person. And I have to admit that it felt good. I felt beautiful and confident. The feeling was compounded when Rhys got his first look at me when he arrived at my apartment a while after Tiny Tony had left. His mouth dropped open, and he took me leisurely from head to toe. By the time he was done looking at me, there was an unwelcome tingling in my bones.

“Do I pass for a girlfriend of Rhys Sutton?” I teased I watched his Adam apple bob.

“Yes.” Rhys always looked good, but he cleaned up particularly nicely. He was in a green tux jacket that matched my dress and black pants. He hadn’t gotten his hair cut in a while so the dark gold fell a little ways over his collar. It made him look positively roguish.

“I think that I look way too good to be seen with the likes of you right now.” I waggled my brows.

“What do you think? I think I can do a lot better than a zillionaire footballer.”

“You definitely can.” He grinned.

“But you’re stuck with me for now.” I mockingly pouted.

“Can we just get this over with? Reruns of the Nanny are calling my name.”

“Do you even watch any new shows? Shows from this century? It always reruns with you.”

“Don’t judge me, the nineties were peak TV. It’s now all wooden actors and overdone story lines. They aren’t even funny anymore.” I complained.

“You would think that with new technologies and CGI they’d be able to impress me.” He chuckled.

“You’re a difficult woman to impress,” I scoffed.

“No, I’m not. Five years later and I’m still impressed at you rescuing that cat from that tree.”

“That tree was barely ten feet tall.” He shot me a look.

“I’m sure I’d have plunged to my death if I had attempted that climb.” I said. “or be clawed to death by the cat because, despite my amazing personality, animals don’t seem to be very fond of me.”

“Humans aren’t fond of you either.’ He informed me.

“Neither are you fond of them, for that matter.”

“I like you and our parents.” We had gotten downstairs and out the building to where his black Porsche was waiting at the curb. He held the passenger door open for me. It was something he had been doing since we were children. Back then, even in school, he’d hold open classroom doors for me. I thought it was weird as hell at the time. I had hands and could open my own doors. Thank you very much.

I slid into the cool leather seats of the car and a moment later, Rhys got into the driver’s seat.

“Cold?” he asked as he turned on the heater.

“Better now, thank you.” I said. He leaned over me suddenly, causing me to gasp and stop breathing entirely. “what are you doing?” I squeaked. His smell suddenly filled my nose; spice, his cologne and something that was entirely him. The space felt like it had shrunk in the space of seconds.

“Helping you put on your seat-belt. Why are you looking at me like that?”

“M-me? I’m not looking at you anyhow. Why would y-you say that?” I chuckled nervously. In my mind, I was beating myself up, wondering what the heck had just happened. Why had my best friend’s proximity affected me all of a sudden? And since, when did I think he smelled delicious and started sniffing him. I was losing my damn mind.

“You’re acting weird, Frankenstein. Do you not want to do this?”

That was the million-dollar question, wasn’t it?