Just One Night. Part 1 (5 page)

She’s speaking again, dragging me out of my thoughts. “Because this is a breast cancer research benefit, I thought we should go along with the theme and add some pink, but I didn’t want to overdo it because then you’ll just fade into the crowd and we can’t have that for Stratford Investments, now can we?”

William is too far away to hear us talking. I’m suddenly bitten with the desire to interrogate this woman who obviously knows my date way better than I do. I chew my lip as I consider the dress she’s holding up. I’m not really looking at it so much as I’m trying to decide whether giving her the third degree is ethical when the agreement I have with William is to walk away at the end of the night.

“What do you think, dear? Yay or nay?”

I reach out and touch the dress. It’s so soft. My hand runs down the side of it and stops when it hits a tag. I turn it around so I can read the number written on it in looping script and almost have a heart attack. “Oh my god! This dress costs
two thousand dollars!
” I can feel the blood draining from my head.

“Don’t pay attention to the tags. The Stratfords get a special client discount, and in any case …” she leans in and whispers in my ear, “…they can afford it.” She shakes the dress to grab my attention. “This one, or shall we try another?”

I can’t speak.

“Okay, how about this one?” She holds up another, but I’m too terrified to look at the price tag. This all seemed like innocent fun when I put up the ad and even when I was talking to him by phone. Now I’m wondering what exactly I’m going to have to do to work off a two thousand dollar dress. He’ll definitely expect anal. I hope he’s not planning on making a snuff film. I’ll be really pissed if I have to knee this guy in the balls later and run out of a hotel room naked and screaming.

“Okay, not that one. How about … this one?” Claudia’s beaming from ear to ear as if she’s just uncovered a secret treasure.

And to be fair, she has. I have never seen anything so beautiful in all my life. My fingers go up on their own and touch the diamond-like sparkles that cover the top of the strapless gown. The bodice goes from silver at the top to deep pink at the waist, and the broad skirt is in black tulle with tiny sparkles sprinkled here and there randomly.

“These are all genuine Swarovski crystals in both the bodice and the skirt. I’ve left off any under the inner-arm area so you don’t need to worry about your skin being irritated.”

I can’t keep my hands off it. “Are you sure it’s not too … princessy?” The black skirt poofs out much more than any dress I’ve worn, at least since prom, anyway.

“For a charity ball? No. Believe me, you’ll fit right in. This is the main event of the year where people get to play at being one of the royal family. In fact, perhaps this isn’t quite enough.” She reaches over to pull the rack closer, her plan to hang the black and pink dress back up.

I grab the sparkly creation and hold the bodice close to my chest. “No. This one is perfect.”

She smiles. “I had a feeling.” She gestures to the corner of the room. “Fitting room is right over there. Give it go, why don’t you?”

I walk over, careful not to trip on all the material. A couple minutes later I’m on a round platform staring at myself in the mirror. It fits me like a glove, turning me from attractive, successful businesswoman into Cinderella at the ball. Something is very wrong with this picture, but I can’t stop staring. This is nothing like I imagined this night would be.

“Simply stunning,” says a male voice behind me.

I whip around and nearly fall from the small stage.

William holds out his arms, and I use them to steady myself. Dragging the material around with a free hand, I’m able to face him with more dignity.

“I can’t accept this gift.” I’m so nervous I’m afraid I sound like a complete fool, but I can’t just say nothing.

He frowns. “You don’t like it? I think it suits you to a T.” His eyes roam from my feet to my neck and then settle on my face.

“No, I love it, that’s not what I mean.” I try to find a way to say it and not be rude. “It’s just too extravagant. I mean …” I lower my voice to a whisper, “…you’re never going to see me again after tonight.”

He grins. “Exactly. So let’s live it up, together. Let’s do things we never normally do and just enjoy it without regret.” He shrugs. “We can go back to our normal, boring lives tomorrow, right?”

One side of my mouth quirks up in a smile. “Who said my life is boring?”

“The gentleman trying to talk a protesting woman into letting him purchase a ball gown for her.”

He has a point. A wild and reckless fun-loving chick would take this dress and run. I can be that person for one night, right? “Fine. I’ll let you buy me the dress, if you let me pay for half of it.”

He shakes his head and crosses his arms over his chest. “No deal.”

I pull out the sides of the dress and then let them fall in frustration. “But I can’t accept this!”

“Surely you can. I’ve already paid for it.”

My mouth drops open again. I’m not sure whether to be impressed or offended.

He continues. “If you insist on spending some of your own money, you can buy yourself some shoes. I’m not sure the ones you brought with you will suit.”

I follow his gaze to my bone-colored heels. He’s absolutely right about that.

“I have some shoes for you right here, deary,” Claudia says. “Nothing fancy, mind you, but that’s as it should be. The toes are the only thing anyone will see, and we don’t want to outshine the real beauty which is the dress and you, of course.” She puts a box down near my feet and pulls a black pump from inside.

Sliding my foot in, I find it fits like a glove, which makes perfect sense since tonight I am Cinderella. I’m just a little surprised the shoes aren’t made of glass at this point. “Okay, fine. I insist on paying for the shoes.”

“Right. Off we go, then,” says William. “I’ll meet you up front.”

He walks back to the front of the store with Claudia, leaving me to stare at myself in the mirror. The crystals catch the light and set off a mass of sparkling all around me. The shoes make me tall enough to lift the skirt off the ground. It’s like this thing was made specifically for me. I have to shake my head to get it out of the clouds.
I can’t believe I’m doing this.

But doing this, I most definitely am.
I wish I could text Mia and tell her what’s happening, but she has no idea I even put up the ad. She thinks I’m working late. I’m totally on my own this time, and I try not to fall into panic mode over that little fact.

Balling my clothes up and shoving them into my bag, I move to the front of the store still wearing the dress. On the counter is a small clutch that matches my gown. “This goes with,” Claudia says, pointing to it. “It’s included in the price.”

I pick up the heavily beaded creation and frown. I’ve seen work like this priced in the many hundreds of dollars. I look at both Claudia and William, trying to gauge their expressions, but they’re as bland as vanilla right now. I think it’s a British thing … or a conspiracy maybe. I’m being forced to accept gifts that are way too extravagant for a girl like me.

“How much do I owe you for the shoes?” I ask, taking out my wallet. I’ll feel much better about this whole situation if she tells me they’re five hundred dollars.

“Twenty dollars even.” Claudia says with a completely straight face.

I hold out my foot, reveling in the soft leather that hugs my foot. “No way these are twenty bucks. Come on, Claudia, don’t pull my leg.”

“I wouldn’t dream of pulling your leg, deary. I receive my footwear items at cost and pass on the savings to my clients. Twenty dollars, and I can take cash or credit card.”

I pull a twenty dollar bill out of my wallet and frown as I hand it over. “I think you’re fibbing.”

She puts the money in a drawer and pats me on the hand when she’s done. “Enjoy your ball. Have some champagne for me.”

William places the palm of his hand on my lower back, and my pulse immediately begins to race at its warmth and the suggestive nature of it. “Shall we go?” he asks.

“Absolutely.” I gather my overstuffed purse, the clutch, and my old shoes into my arms. A moment later, William has taken all but the clutch from me.

“Thank you, Claudia. And thank you, William.” I look up at him, struck once again by how handsome he is. He’s still much taller than me, even with these heels on. “I’m absolutely in love with the dress and the shoes and the purse.”

“You are very welcome,” he says with a tip of his head. “Shall we go?”

I nod, not trusting myself to say anything witty in response. I’m a little light headed over the amount of money that was just dropped on my behalf inside this lovely little boutique. He hasn’t even kissed me yet.

“Come again!” Claudia says from the doorway as we walk out to the car.

William opens the door for me and waits for me and my mountain of material to get around him. I stop before getting inside, facing him. We’re only inches apart.

“You know this was way too much.”

He reaches out and touches my chin briefly, speaking softly in response. “There’s no such thing as way too much on a night like this one.” And then he drops his hand and steps back, his expression going stern. “In you go.”

I could argue his last statement, but I don’t even try. The atmosphere is charged with electricity enough as it is, and we still have several hours to go before this date is over. I’m already regretting its end and we haven’t even really started yet.

CHAPTER SIX

William

YES, IT WAS RECKLESS, RIDICULOUS, and completely daft of me, bringing Jennifer to see Claudia. The whim to ring my old family friend took over my rational thinking brain just hours before the one-night-only date and wouldn’t let me go until I capitulated. Claudia was a real sport when I told her that I may or may not be stopping by depending on how first impressions went, but that I would be eternally grateful if she would wait around until seven to find out.

As soon as I saw Jennifer standing there on the sidewalk, her curvy figure emphasized by her tight-fitting skirt, her wavy brown hair casually draped over her shoulder, and her bag clutched under her arm in a display of subtle nerves, I knew we had a chance at being compatible and that a ball gown was entirely appropriate. My misgivings simmered down to a mere trickle of their earlier proportions.

It’s not that she was terribly underdressed; her pencil skirt and frilly, cream-colored blouse would have fit into the crowd without too much trouble. But for some reason when I saw her standing there, it made me want to impress her, to show her that a night with me would be one she wouldn’t soon forget. Call it ego if you must, but the measure of happiness I’ve acquired from treating her to some mingle mangle was worth every penny. And I couldn’t expect her to spring for the gown when she wasn’t expecting to go to a ball, now could I?

“So where are we going, exactly?” she asks.

“To a charity gala. A breast cancer benefit being held at a hotel downtown.” I glance over at her enigmatic expression. “We don’t have to stay long if you don’t wish to, but I recommend staying at least until the dessert. It’s meant to be trifle, something I have a hard time resisting, personally.”

“Trifle? I’ve never heard of that. What is it?”

“It’s a combination of sweet pudding, squidgy sponge cake, and all manner of other delicious, sinful things.” My mouth is watering as I picture not only the dessert but this dishy woman next to me eating some of it. The shape and fullness of her lips wrapped around the business end of a teaspoon are conjuring some very ungentlemanly images in my brain at the moment. I keep my eyes on the road, battling the urge to stare at her. Last thing I need is for her to come to the conclusion that I’m some sort of pathetic psycho.

“Someone has a sweet tooth,” she says. I can hear the smile in her voice.

I can’t avoid looking over at her as my heart beats stronger. So much for getting control over myself. “You have no idea.” I glance down at her décolletage, my eyes drawn there without any provocation on her part. Her skin is like cream, her breasts mounded over the top of her bodice begging to be touched. Squeezing the steering wheel helps me keep my hands to myself instead of reaching for her as I’m tempted to do. Normally I’m not this randy until there’s some actual touching or other foreplay. All this woman has to do is sit in my general vicinity and I’m off to the races. Have I suddenly become fifteen again?

Her eyes go wide before her cheeks turn pink. “Wow.”

I reach up and slide a finger under my collar, pulling it out a bit. “Is it getting hot in here, or is it just me?” Twisting the air con dials does me little good.

Jennifer begins to hum, and then she sings in a soft voice. “It’s getting hot in here, so take off all your clothes … I am … getting so hot … I’m gonna …” Her voice peters out and she’s staring out her side window so I can no longer see her face. “Oh my god,” she whispers.

“I like that tune,” I say, trying to lighten the mood.

“I cannot believe I just sang it out loud. I must be losing my mind.”

I frown. “Hopefully not before the date is over. I’d hate to spend the evening with a load of nutters in the loony bin and not in the hotel room I’ve booked.”

She’s looking at me again and smiling, if not a bit awkwardly. “No, I’m fine. Just … still trying to get over the dress thing, I guess.”

“Too much?” I ask, cringing as I wait for her answer.

“Normally, I’d say yes. But tonight is special, so I’m going to say … no. It’s not too much. It’s just the right amount.” She pats me on the leg, heedless to what it does to me. Suddenly my trousers are a bit too restrictive.

“Brilliant.” I’m smiling gamely right along with her as I stare out at the road ahead of us while trying to control my raging hormones. Shifting in my seat a bit does my comfort level little good, so I focus on images of ugly old women with beards and warts. Within moments, my libido is back under control and I can rest easy once again.

To avoid any more awkward moments, I decide to bring up some shop talk; nothing could be less sexy to my mind. Not knowing her background gives me little to go on, so I assume she knows nothing about my world. “I know we’re to remain somewhat anonymous tonight, but perhaps you’d like to know a little bit about my business so that when you’re approached by someone who might know me, you won’t be taken completely by surprise.”