14. Maddy
14
MADDY
“ L ook at that room!” Hope shrieked as I reversed my phone to pan around the space.
I was on an impromptu video call with the girls, to try to catch up. It felt like years since we’d been together. The opulent suite and view of glittering lights outside made it clear I was on the strip. Things had run long during the Europe trip, and Noah and I had wound up needing to travel directly to Las Vegas for the NFL draft with Matthew. Thankfully, June had come out of her coma and was stable, but she was still in need of round-the-clock care as she worked to regain her strength and mobility, and I could tell that Matthew hated not being with her.
Noah and I hadn’t ended up having sex the night of our private cruise. He might have turned off his phone, but I hadn’t. Matthew had ended up calling me, trying to get in contact with Noah to talk about June’s progress.
And that was that.
“Not like I’m going to be able to spend much time enjoying this room,” I shrugged. “Noah has every second scheduled.”
“Noah,” Nia snorted. “He needs to back off.”
“Stop,” I laughed.
“What? It’s like he kidnapped you or something,” she continued. “Are you ever coming home?”
“Yes, as soon as the draft stuff is over. I promise.”
“It feels like you’ve missed so much,” Hope said, frowning at me.
Cassie’s mouth went tight. Even though she’d sworn up and down that it was okay that I’d missed her gender reveal party, I could tell it smarted a little, especially since a work commitment meant I hadn’t been able to dial in with the video call as I’d hoped.
“Guys, I know, and I’m sorry. But it’s work. It’s not like I’m out here partying without you.”
“Well, some of the pictures you’ve sent have looked pretty celebratory,” Cassie said. “And your boss looks awfully cozy next to you.”
“Yeah, what’s going on with you two?” Nia asked. “Is he being a bosshole? Say the word and I’ll come have a talk with him.”
I realized I hadn’t had a chance to tell them about the night on the boat in Prague. I’d almost texted them about it, but I knew the second I admitted how intimate we’d gotten, the inquisition and demands for details wouldn’t stop. It was the kind of conversation we needed to have in real time. I was about to answer when I was interrupted by a knock on the door.
“Room service?” Hope asked.
I shook my head. “I didn’t order anything. Hold on.”
A smiling bellhop greeted me holding a giant rectangular black box. “For you, Miss Malone.”
I took the box from him, bewildered. What had Noah done?
“Hold on,” I held up a finger as the bellhop turned to leave. “Let me get my wallet.”
He shook his head. “Taken care of. Thank you!”
I carried the oversized box back to the desk where my phone was perched. The girls were chattering among themselves, trying to figure out what it could be.
“Dress box,” Nia said emphatically.
“Definitely,” Cassie agreed.
“Ooh, open it so we can see,” Hope said.
“We have an event tonight…” I trailed off as I pulled the lid from the box. The tissue paper was secured with a black sticker from a boutique I’d never heard of. I pulled it off and folded back the paper to reveal a red gown. “Oh wow .”
“Show us!” Cassie yelled.
I pulled it out and held it against my body. It was a simple sheath made from ruched fabric, one shoulder and cut on the bias at the bottom. It looked like something a Greek goddess would wear on a marble statue, but in the reddest red imaginable. It was like Noah wanted to make sure every eye was on me during the draft. There was also a pair of strappy nude stilettos nestled in their own little black bag.
“Damn,” Nia breathed. “Put it on!”
I glanced down at my leggings and t-shirt. “Okay, gimme a sec.”
I took two steps so that I was off camera and slid my clothing off, then smoothed the dress up my body. It felt incredible, the kind of fabric that hugged the body much like the leggings I’d just pulled off. I turned to check myself out in the mirror before stepping back on screen.
Even with the designer clothes Noah had already bought me, I’d never worn anything so beautifully made. It would be easy for me to get spoiled if Noah kept up with gifts like this one. I wasn’t a snob, but little by little I was starting to appreciate the finer things in life, like good food and expertly tailored clothing.
“Well?” I trailed off and stepped back into view. Their screams and applause made me crack up. “I guess you like it?”
“You’re perfection,” Hope said, holding her hands to her mouth in awe.
“Yup, agreed,” Cassie said.
“Turn around and show us the full picture of what you’re working with,” Nia demanded.
I did a spin and the cheering started again.
“Where is it from?” Hope asked.
I jogged back to the box to check the sticker and realized there was an envelope inside. “There’s something else.” I opened it. “He made appointments for my hair and make-up too!”
More screaming.
“That does it,” Cassie said. “I’m applying for a job at Parker Sports Management, too. What’s their maternity policy like?”
I laughed. “No clue.”
“You really are lucky,” Nia said. “But you know what? So is he. Because he lucked into you .”
I felt an unexpected prick of tears. “Aw, don’t make me emotional.”
“It’s true,” Hope added. “You’ve got a lot to offer.”
It was in that moment I realized just how much I missed my girls. Sure, the trip had been incredible, and interesting things were brewing with my sexy and enigmatic boss, but there was nothing quite like the love and support from my best friends.
I fanned my face. “I’m serious, you guys. Stop.”
“Hey, you can cry all you want,” Cassie said. “You’ve got a professional make-up artist booked, any blotchiness will be taken care of.”
I moved closer to the camera. “I love you. Can’t wait to give you hugs.”
“Same!” They answered, almost in unison.
We hung up, and I realized that I needed to hop in the shower and start getting ready. My appointments were in an hour, which meant I’d have enough time to run back to my room to put on the dress after they finished making me over.
When I made it down to the spa, I felt like I’d been transported to another world, far removed from the noise on the rest of the ground floor.
“Miss Malone, welcome,” the woman behind the counter greeted me with a smile.
“How… how did you know my name?” I asked.
“Mr. Parker was very thorough when he booked your appointments,” she laughed. “He told us to be on the lookout for a beautiful blonde with the prettiest smile we’d ever see. That has to be you.”
I could see my blush reflected in the mirror behind her.
“Come, we’re ready for you.” She beckoned me to follow her down a hushed hallway to a private room decorated in shades of tan and sea blue. “Stella will be in shortly, please make yourself comfortable.”
It was unlike any salon I’d ever been in. There was no whirring of hairdryers or chatter of stylists and guests. I took a seat in front of the floating mirror and studied myself. How the heck did I end up here ?
The door opened.
“Hello, I’m Stella.” The woman looked like she could be a model. She was tall and reedy, with short dark hair that showed off her flawless bone structure. I could see a tattoo creeping up above the neckline of her shirt, a tentacle that ran along her collarbone. “What are we thinking for tonight?”
“I have absolutely no idea,” I admitted. “I usually do my hair myself. My dress is?—”
“Norma Kamali, I saw a photo. You’re going to look stunning in it. So if you don’t have any preferences may I make a few suggestions?”
I nodded, and Stella launched into an animated description of a few options, which all sounded amazing.
“I can’t decide. Would you mind if I let you pick?”
Her smile widened. “That’s exactly what I wanted to hear! Okay, let’s get started.”
An hour and a half later I looked like someone who would be at home in a very fancy red dress. Stella had smoothed my chin-length hair back into a simple “cheat chignon,” and I could tell it was going to look fantastic with the clean lines of the dress. I had barely finished expressing my gratitude when Stella was replaced by a handsome man named Kev, who took over to do my make-up.
“The only way to go is a smoky eye and pale lip,” he said, studying me. “Your skin is incredible, there’s not much I have to do there. I’m thinking dewy, natural, and then pow , eyes. Yes?”
“Sure,” I laughed. “I’m in your hands.”
Kev barely spoke as he worked on me, and I kept quiet too so I didn’t break his concentration. He had my chair turned so I couldn’t see his progress, so I tried to guess what he was doing as he painted me. He spent lots of time on my brows, and there was more patting and brushing of my skin than I’d ever done before he turned his most focused efforts onto my lids. I did manage to watch which colors he was dipping into, and I felt a little afraid at the amount of black I saw him loading up on the brushes.
“Oh, yes, yes, yes ,” he said when he finally stepped back to survey his work. “Get Anna Wintour on the phone, we have our next cover model.”
Kev turned my chair, and I gasped when I saw my reflection.
I’d been expecting heavy make-up that would dramatically change my look based on the time he took, but what I saw instead was me, amplified. Flawless. Dramatic. I couldn’t stop staring.
“You like?” Kev asked, a touch of anxiety in his voice.
“I love ! Thank you!”
Everyone ooh-ed and ahh-ed as I headed for the front desk, which made me feel like a celebrity. I plunked my purse down and began rifling through it looking for my wallet.
“Oh, everything has been taken care of,” the woman behind the counter said.
“That’s wonderful, but I want to make sure to tip everyone for their excellent work.”
She smiled. “Miss Malone, Mr. Parker thought of everything . There’s nothing for you to worry about. But thank you.”
Of course he did. It was silly of me to even think Noah would leave anything to chance. I headed back to my room feeling giddy, especially because every man I passed did a double-take even though I was still wearing my leggings.
I slipped on the dress and shoes and gave myself a final once-over. There was no need for flashy jewelry so the simple faux diamond studs I saved for special occasions worked perfectly. I felt absolutely, show-stoppingly beautiful.
Noah had texted me with instructions to meet him in the lobby, and I was surprised to realize I actually felt nervous on the elevator ride down. We’d been spending nearly every waking minute together, and being with Noah felt natural and easy, so what was with the butterflies taking over my belly?
I could chalk it up to the draft. There was a ton riding on Matthew’s placement. But I knew it wasn’t just that. It was the feeling that Noah and I were on the cusp of something truly special. We were heading back to Miami tomorrow, and I was curious how the vacation vibes we’d shared would translate back to the real world. But we had one more night of the fairytale, and I was ready to play the princess in my beautiful dress.
I stepped off the elevator and scanned the busy lobby, looking for my Prince Charming. He was always on time, early usually, but for some reason I couldn’t find him among the tourists.
“Fuck, Maddy. Every man here wishes he were me right now.”
The voice whispering in my ear shot a tingle along my skin. I turned to find Noah shaking his head in awe.
“You are…” he said, taking me in from head to toe.
I couldn’t help giggling. It was rare that Noah was stunned into silence.
“Breathtaking,” he finally said.
“All thanks to the glam squad,” I replied. “Thank you for making it happen.”
“Please, they can’t take all the credit. Are they also responsible for that glorious ass?” He took a step back to admire it.
“Noah!” I chastised him.
He took my hand and brought it up to his mouth for a quick kiss. “You’re my good luck charm tonight. You ready?”
I nodded and we started off on the final leg of what had been a most incredible journey.