In my Arms Tonight (NYC Singles Book 2) (23 page)

Keira slapped her cheeks. Her face red, she was bubbling with happiness. “OMG. You’re hopelessly in love with her.”

At the word ‘love’, Alex felt an unwelcome kick of betrayal. That wasn’t a word he’d ever associated with any positivity. Every time he loved, he got hurt. So he didn’t want to ever link it with Kat.

“I’m not in love. I just like being with her.” His heart pounded so violently, he felt the vibration in his skull.

Keira stuck one finger in the air. “That’s the first sign of love. When Coach Gallo met his wife, he told her that he liked being with her. Turns out he liked being with her so much that he wanted to be with her forever.”

Alex’s mind traveled to Kat. Since the very first moment they’d met, he’d wanted to spend more time with her. She was who he thought of before going to sleep and immediately after waking up. He’d never been obsessed with someone this way.

Alex balled his fists, scared. If he wasn’t careful, he’d find himself checking into Heartbreak Hotel again.

Kat was supposed to have been a distraction. Something to take away the stress of the elections and make him feel good. Problem was, she made him feel too good. Everything was more interesting when he did it with her. She made the most mundane things in life seem exciting.

Swallowing hard, Alex was hit by a ton of emotions, all disconcerting. He’d never let himself grow so close to a woman so soon. He didn’t know if he wanted to.

“I’m not Coach Gallo.” From the corner of his eye, Alex saw the credits roll on the screen. Keira should be going soon. “And it’s time you left. I’ll call you a cab.”

Her face fell.

“Don’t bother. I’ll take the subway.” With slumped shoulders, Keira shook herself to her feet.

“It’s unsafe at this hour. Don’t you know what happened to Kat?”

“I don’t know. What happened?” Worry spanned her face.

Alex decided to skip the details, because he wasn’t sure he wanted to worry Keira. “She got into a lot of trouble.”

“What sort of trouble?”

“Ask her.”

With her deflated level of energy, Keira didn’t dig. “’Kay.”

“Call Kat and let her know when you’re home,” Alex instructed. “And don’t even think about getting off somewhere else.”

She continued to hesitate at the cusp of the entrance. When she finally made up her mind to go, she said, “Even if you call love by different names, and try to pass it off as something else, love is still love. I hope you come to your senses soon.”

And he did come to his senses, as soon as she shut the door.

A
shley twirled in front of the full-length mirror, ensconced in an ivory wedding grown. Layers of tulle billowed out around her, past her knee. The bodice of the satin garment clung to her shapely outline. Leaning towards a darker ivory, the color of the fabric contrasted with her pale complexion.

Nah. Fail
, Kat thought to herself but didn’t disclose her feelings.

“Love the Mandarin keyhole back,” Bella said, admiring the elaborate lace detailing and sipping champagne. The tightly pursed lips meant she didn’t like the dress, but she was trying to be nice.

“I’m not sure about the front.” Ashley tugged at the strapless neck and pushed her boobs up. “It makes my chest look flat. What do you think Kat?”

“I think these macaroons are good.” Kat licked the crumbs from her lips.

Kara, the stylist, sniggered. “I’m glad you’re enjoying the Vera Wang shopping experience.”

Bella and she were the only ones enjoying it, though, since the bride-to-be had been getting in and out of cumbersome dresses for the last thirty minutes without as much as a sip of water. The elusive ‘perfect’ dress was still nowhere in sight.

Ashley pinched her eyebrows into a frown. “Be honest. Does it have the X factor?”

Bella sighed. “I’m not digging this gown, Ash. It’s not your style. It’s too sophisticated. I imagine you in something more girly, flowing.”

“I agree,” Kat said. “The color’s perfect, but overall it’s meh.”

Ashley gave the gown one last chance in the mirror to impress her before deciding that it was going to join the two rejects that had gone before it. Tired, she slumped down between Bella and Kat and looped her arms between theirs.

“Am I ever going to find my perfect dress?” She breathed, dispirited.

Ashley’s weariness was understandable. In the last two weeks, Bella, Ashley and she had been to six designers and spent countless hours trying on an array of dresses, none of which had hit the spot. The designs were uninspiring, unoriginal, clichéd, highlighted all the wrong parts of her body, hid her assets, didn’t speak to her heart… Kat had never realized how many boxes a wedding dress had to tick in order to make it to a wedding.

The wedding itself was months away, but Ashley wanted to get her dress before the peak book release season hit and she was drowning in work.

And she was so determined to have the perfect dress this time. With an infinite budget (thanks to Andrew’s millions) and reasonably good figure, Kat wouldn’t have expected her to have such a tough time.

But nothing Ashley saw was up to her super-picky standards.

Ashley sketched something resembling a banana on the paper. “I had my mind on a sequined mermaid gown. But every one I’ve tried so far makes my hips look too big.” Ashley beat her hands on her thighs. “I want something that makes me look and feel like me. Something that is unique and timeless. I did a lot of research on the Vera Wang collection and shortlisted the dresses I loved, but when I try them on, it’s not how I thought it’d be.”

“If I may interrupt.” Kara raised a finger, like she’d dealt with this particular problem before. “What you’re facing is a common problem. Liking a dress is one thing, but it’s important to be aware of your own body shape and the kinds of dresses that would suit it. For example, you’re pear-shaped, so something with fuller skirts and a detailed bodice would generally make your figure look balanced. If you like, I could show you some dresses like that and you could decide whether you want to try them on.”

Ashley struggled to get up, the monstrous trail of fabric dragging her down, so Bella and Kat had to push her up.

“I’m ready to try anything at this point.” She looked up at Kara, who disappeared and then came back with another woman, pushing a rail of dresses.

“Here are some options for you. We have more downstairs in the store, if you want more options.”

Ashley fingered the dresses one by one. Kat came up and stood by her side.

Everything was pretty and full of bells and whistles. Lace, organza, tulle, appliqués, sashes, bows, ribbons, black, pink, white, sequined, studded… there were so many permutations and combinations of those things.

If it was Kat, she’d never be able to pick just one.

Running her hands over a slip of lace, Ashley murmured, “Pretty.” Then she looked to Kat and widened her eyes, as if asking for her opinion.

The dress had a sparkling beaded bodice with a sweetheart neckline that billowed out into a spray of organza molded to resemble the open petals of a rose. Kat would have bought it in a heartbeat—if she’d had the money or the occasion, both of which she never would. At ten thousand dollars, it cost one-sixth of her annual income.

“It’s perfect,” Kat whispered, creeping up behind Ashley.

“It’d be perfect for you.” Bella was now also feeling the fabric. “It’s so you, Ash.”

From the giddy expression, Ashley felt the same.

“I’ll try it on.” She shot a look at Kara.

Kat sipped some champagne, waiting, and snuck a look at Bella, who was looking at a guy’s photo on Facebook.

“Who’re you stalking now?” Plucking another macaroon, she gave Bella a reproachful glance. “You need to stop being so obsessive about exes.”

“Can you believe it? We broke up only a week ago and he’s already with someone else,” Dismay colored Bella’s voice. Bella’s troubled expression told Kat that she was internally berating herself. “I wonder if he was cheating—”

“Don’t torture yourself.” Kat placed a heavy hand on Bella’s shoulder. “Just think he was faithful to you while you were together. He probably was.”

The anxious manner in which Bella looked at her curvaceous figure in the mirror was another clue to what was going on inside her head.

“I gained a bit of weight on my chest.”

From that tone, Kat gathered that Bella had been scarfing down more than a few pints of Ben & Jerry’s this week. Despite years of seeing a shrink for her binge-eating disorder, the only way Bella coped with heartbreak was food.

“Stop it. You look beautiful, Bell. Do you know women like me have plastic surgery to get boobs like those?” Kat coiled an arm around Bella’s hips.

Bella kneaded the flab on her stomach. “I wish the boobs came without the three rolls of fat underneath.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself.”

“I’m not being hard on myself. I’m only stating facts.”

“Hey!” Ashley appeared in her new gown, erasing the topic of weight from their minds. “How’s this?”

Kat had been looking at Ashley for years, and she’d seen Ashley in a wedding gown before, but Ashley in this one was just breathtaking.

The first time Ashley had gotten married, right out of college, she’d worn a simplistic, off-the-rack thing, which had been okay, but not spectacular.

This one, however, was not just going to be custom-fitted—it appeared to have been custom-made for her. The sequins added a sparkle to her aquamarine eyes and set off the natural glow of her skin.

Bella squealed in delight and clasped Ashley’s hand. “It’s perfect. So perfect!”

Ashley blushed, and gave a little nod to her reflection in the mirror. “This one, then.”

After two weeks of searching, they finally had a winner.

For her first dinner date with Alex, Kat had expected to go to some place quiet and empty, where they could merge with the darkness. That was the best secret lovers could ask for.

But the restaurant they were at—Amos Steakhouse—was neither.

Loud, attention-grabbing music drifted in the air. The furnishings were riotously bright, demanding attention and as far away from inconspicuousness as could be.

Kat felt her knees shake already.

“Are you sure we won’t be seen here?” Disciplining an unruly curl, she yanked it back, away from the eyelash it was skimming.

“Don’t worry. This is where all the senators I know bring their mistresses. None of them have been discovered yet.” Alex winked at her. “The paparazzi wouldn’t dream of coming here and even if they did, they wouldn’t get a thing.”

He pointed to the windows. She could see the street outside, but when she’d come in, the windows had been an opaque black.

“That makes me feel safer.” Kat smirked, sipping some wine and admiring Alex’s face reflected on the outside of her glass.

Alex wasn’t drinking tonight, because he’d been out drinking with his campaign staff earlier, so she was doing her best to drink for both of them. Pulling up a swatch of her yellow shift dress which was stuck under her, Kat saw Alex diverted.

“Senator Hoylman’s here. What a surprise.” Alex tipped his head in the direction of his former boss and mentor, who was seated with a beautiful woman, three or four tables to the right from them.