Every year, Amber's father throws a charity event at their penthouse in Nashville. It's mainly the only reason I'm friends with Amber. Joking. Kind of. Hundreds of the wealthiest people I've ever met gather in the fanciest clothes, and I get to pretend I am one of them for one night. Amber always lets me wear one of her expensive dresses since we are the same size, and I give her company for the night.
The charity is a huge deal here in Nashville. People donate whatever they can to help children in need.
I stand in Amber's room, staring at myself in the floor-length mirror. I wore a gold sequin jumpsuit, white boots, and a cream-colored cowboy hat. Everyone in Nashville wore a cowboy hat, whether it was a fancy event or not. Go on a date? There is a 99 percent chance your date has one on. No one wants to be a fraud here and not seem country.
Amber wears a black sequin gown that has a slit down her leg. She wore it with black boots and a black hat. She straightened her long black hair, letting it fall almost to her butt. "You look gorgeous," I tell her as she looks at her makeup in the bathroom mirror.
She smiles, walking into her bedroom, "As do you, sexy. Your ass looks amazing in that jumpsuit." I laugh and turn to look at my butt in the mirror. She wasn't wrong. The material hugged my curves, leaving no room to imagine.
"Are you ready?" She asks, picking up her seltzer off the table and sipping from it.
I checked my blonde curled hair, making sure no pieces had fallen. I made sure there was no mascara smudges underneath my eyes and that everything was blended. So many cameras are here, so you want to look your best. "I think we've wasted enough time. Let's go."
The party started an hour ago, but we came back late from dinner, procrastinating getting ready. We have all night anyway.
We walk out of her bedroom and hear music and laughter filling the air of her penthouse. We reach the stairs and peek out to see the room is filled with people. Amber leads the way down, merging into the crowd of people.
Amber's house was gorgeous. She and her father were in this gigantic penthouse on the top floor of the Omni Hotel. It overlooks downtown and the Cumberland River. I understand why she still lives here in our twenties. Hell, I'd move in if she'd ask. They have plenty of room.
We find the waiter with a tray of champagne and grab one each. "Let's find Dad," she says, walking deeper into the crowd. She holds my hand as we navigate through the crowd. She says hello to the familiar faces, not bothering to stop.
We find her dad talking to another man. He sees us and perks up, "Nice of you two to finally join us." She let go of my hand and hugged her dad. "Mitch, this is my daughter Amber and her best friend, Julia."
We both wave, and Amber shakes his hand, "Nice to meet you."
"Well, you two go have fun. We have business to discuss." We have that as our cue to leave and head to the snack buffet.
There are a dozen finger foods to choose from, and I pile as much as possible onto a small plate. We find an empty table to set our things on and do what we usually do at every party: people watch. We scan the room for someone out of place, but I only find a familiar face.
My eyes widen as he grins, realizing who I am. "Oh, lord," I mutter to Amber as he walks over to us.
"Don't fuck up, Jules," Amber whispers.
I take a sip of my drink as he walks up to the table, "Magic Mike, what are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same."
"You're in my house," Amber tells him.
He raises his eyebrows in shock, "You have a wonderful home. What's your name?"
"Amber. Amber Abrams."
He nods and points his fingers at us, "Sisters?"
I laugh, "No, best friends." We look nothing alike. We were almost polar opposites. "You never answered my question of why you're here."
He takes a swig of his beer and points behind him, "Buddies and I donate to this charity every year." He must be rich. His navy suit looks expensive.
"You look so familiar. Do I know you from somewhere?"
Before he can answer, I say, "He looks like Chanting Tatum with hair. Right?"
He shrugs, and Amber responds, "You know, I kind of see it."
"Moore, what's got you occupied?" A voice from behind shouts. His light-skinned friend from the strip club appears with widened eyes. "Hello, ladies." Moore must be the guy's last name because that wasn't what he told me the other week. I can't think of his name right now.
"Owens, this is Adam Abrams's daughter and best friend."
Owens, which must be his last name, sobers up and smiles, "Pleasure to meet you."
"They were at the strip club on your birthday." So it was his birthday, and he wanted to go to the strip club. He and Amber would be perfect for each other.
He gasps, staring at me, "This must be the girl calling you Magic Mike!"
Moore and I both blush. He was talking about me after we parted ways. I suck on my bottom lip, "Come on, we all can see it."
We stand there for a minute before Owens asks, "Would you ladies like to dance?"
Amber gasps, "Yes!" She grabs my hand, trying to pull me away. I chug the rest of my champagne, setting it down on the table.
The boys follow us to the dance floor. Amber grabs Owens as her dance partner, leaving me with Moore. I wrap my hands around his neck, and he wraps his around my waist, "Can you tell me your first name again? I was a little out of it when we met."
He grins, "Miles."
"Julia, if you don't remember."
We begin to sway to the music. "Julia, what do you do in Nashville?"
"I'm a photographer."
He nods, "What kind of photographer?"
"Mainly sports. I also do portraits and landscapes. I work a lot with the colleges around here."
"You don't work at the Nissan stadium?"
I shrug, "Never really thought about it. The colleges take up most of my time."
"What's your favorite sport to photograph?"
"Um, I guess football or baseball."
"Do you mind if I steal this man from you for just a minute?" Another man comes around the corner. It must be another one of his friends.
"Yes, of course!" Miles leaves, and I watch the guy walk over to Owens.
"God, they are all so hot," Amber moans after they're out of earshot.
"Yeah, where in the world did they come from?"
"Heaven, I think."
Amber's father gathers everyone's attention, clinking a knife against his glass. "Thank you, everyone, for attending this Nashville Nurtures charity organization. We have some special guests here today who have donated a huge amount to the children. Please let me welcome a few players of the Tennessee Titans." The crowd cheers, and my mouth hangs open as I see Miles, Owens, and a few other men climb onto the stage.
I turn to look at Amber, who wears the same facial expression. "Fucking hell, that's even hotter."
Miles Moore is an NFL player for the Tennessee Titans. No wonder he seemed so interested, knowing I was a sports photographer. What the hell? I need to google this man immediately. "Did you bring your phone down here?" I whisper to Amber as we intensely watch Miles give a speech. I knew I should have brought mine.
She opens her purse, lifting her phone out. She immediately looks up the roster for the Titans. "Quarterback is, oh my God, Miles Moore. The wide receiver is Caleb Owens. Oh my God. I think I'm going to faint."
"No fucking way I was just dancing with an NFL quarterback."
The boys finish their speeches and head back towards us. Miles wears a smirk as he walks up to me. "You're in the NFL?"
He chuckles, grabbing two drinks off the waiter's tray who was walking by. He hands one to me, puts his hand on my back, and leads me somewhere more secluded. "That's why I asked if you worked at the stadium. Wondered if you took pictures of me, but you didn't recognize me."
"To be honest, I probably wouldn't have noticed you if I had taken pictures of you before since you wear a helmet. I didn't even know your full name until like fifteen minutes ago."
He laughs, leaning against the wall, "kind of refreshing not to be noticed."
"If I told you I was thinking of the best way to ask for your autograph..." I trail off.
"I think I know where I would be signing one." His eyes rake over my body, and I blush. There could be two places he would want to sign: ass or tits. And he can clearly see my breasts poking out from my jumpsuit.
He is trying to make me squirm. It must be payback for the Magic Mike comments. I need to seem brave. I snort, "Nothing that's never happened before." I take a long sip of my drink. Confidence is key.
His eyes widen, "Are you joking? I'm gonna need a storytime."
"I got a little too drunk backstage at a Luke Bryan concert. Luke was the one giving us shots. All I remember is that I woke up the next morning with his signature written across my breasts, and I'm pretty sure I wore a turtleneck there."
"I'd love to see pictures," he takes a sip of his drink. "You're a little wild, aren't you?"
I bite my lip, "Any of my wild activities are thanks to her." I point to Amber, who was almost pressed up against Caleb. "I'd show you pictures but my phone is upstairs."
"Another time," he pauses, looking behind me where I'm assuming his teammates were. "I think we are about to head out. It was good to see you again, Julia. I hope to see you at the stadium."
I caress my hand over his bicep, which is rock solid, "I'm sure you will." With that, he walks away, and I'm running upstairs to google him.