Chapter 13 #2
A bottle of perfume in a sparkly gold bottle grabs my attention. The glass is heavy in my hand, and I remove the lid, spraying it on my wrists and neck. It has a light hint of citrus, and the smell compliments my skin. I wonder if he picked this out too.
Once I finish my hair and makeup, I realize I don’t have any shoes. The trainers I sported won’t work.
I take one final look at myself, wondering if this is what Easton wants, then I push open the door and step into his bedroom, barefoot.
He’s dressed in his black suit, staring out the window with one hand in his pocket. I focus past him, noticing the cloudless sky.
“Wow,” I whisper, only sad that I won’t be here to witness the sunset.
The sound is enough to grab his attention, and he turns toward me. That’s when I notice the pair of heels in his other hand. A smile plays on his lips as his eyes slide up and down my body. I walk toward him, eliminating the space between us.
When I’m close, he drops to one knee and holds one of the high heels out for me. I point my toe and my foot slides into the black patent heel like a glass slipper.
“Louboutins,” I gasp, and he looks up at me with a smile.
I almost feel like Cinderella as he offers the other. Gently, he grabs the back of my heel, guiding me into it. Having this man bow before me to put on my shoes isn’t something I ever expected. It feels too intimate as I glance down at him on his knee for me.
“You don’t have to start acting yet.”
He zeroes in on me. “It’s called having manners, Alexis. I’m sorry you’ve not been around many men with them.”
Easton stands tall, like a statue. He’s every bit of six-two, but with these three-inch heels, I’m only five inches shorter than him. I’m aware of how close our mouths are.
“I got you something else.” His voice is husky.
I study his bottom lip, watching how the edge of his straight teeth grazes it.
He puts some space between us by walking over to the oak nightstand. He slides a velvety black box from the top drawer and moves back toward me.
He hands me the jewelry box. It’s heavy in my hand, and I hesitate to open it. When I do, I hand it back to him, but he doesn’t take it from me.
Inside is a black diamond pendant and matching earrings.
“Easton, I can’t accept this.” I shake my head.
It’s too much.
“It’s a gift from me to you.”
It’s still in my hands as he leads me to the full-length mirror.
He reaches forward, removes the necklace from the box, and stands behind me. “It’s a pear-shaped black diamond pendant.”
His fingertips lightly brush against my collarbone as he places the necklace on me. Goosebumps coat my arms, and I try to push them away, keeping my breathing steady. The cold metal presses against my chest as he clasps it.
“You can’t wear a necklace without earrings. They go together,” he says, dropping them into my palm.
“Easton,” I whisper.
“Please,” he urges, but it’s more of a plea.
I can’t deny him, so I place them in my ears.
My hand magnetizes toward the pendant, and I glance at myself in the mirror, then back at him.
He’s still standing behind me. “The rose gold complements your skin tone,” he says.
“Thank you,” I whisper. “No one has ever …”
His brow lifts. “I’m not no one, Alexis.”
The silence draws out between us.
“I’m going to have a lot of fun spoiling you,” he mutters, giving me that damn smirk.
I scan over the man my arm will be hooked to all night, maybe for a year. “I assume it’s a black-tie affair?”
He nods.
“What would you have done had I said no? After you went through all this trouble?”
“I knew you’d join me,” he admits.
“ Cocky .”
“It’s my middle name.”
When I meet his eyes in the reflection, I can see he’s nervous too. It’s barely there, but I spot it. He doesn’t know if we’ll actually pull this off. He has doubts.
“I’m glad you’re joining me because, had you declined, I’d have considered skipping. Truth,” he says without hesitation.
I turn to face him, taking a few steps forward, closing the space. “Why?”
“I prefer the quiet. It takes a lot for me to be in large crowds, but I adapt when needed.”
“I had no idea,” I say. “But I get it.”
“It’s why a lot of people think I’m a coldhearted bastard,” he admits.
“Wait … you’re not?” I crack a smile.
“I guess that’s still to be determined.” His eyes slide over me. “That dress suits you.”
“Thanks. My stalker picked it out,” I say in a light tone, spinning around for him.
“It looks exactly how I imagined. Fucking gorgeous. ”
I think my heart flutters as unspoken words linger.
“So, does this officially count as day one?” I jokingly ask, hoping he can’t hear my racing heart.
I remember what he said about only being able to date someone for a total of two weeks before it’s over, but when does the counter start?
Not that he’s interested in me. This is a business transaction only .
I’m curious as to when he’ll grow tired of me, and if he changes, how he acts on day fifteen.
“Technically, we’re on eight ,” he confirms, adjusting his cufflink.
“So, it starts the day you meet someone?” I ask, walking past him.
“No, it starts when I can’t get the person out of my fucking head.”
I look directly into his eyes, knowing it’s one of his truths. One that I understand, but also one that I can’t fully unpack right now so I don’t.
“So, tonight is about reassurance, to make sure you’re not making a mistake, correct?” I quickly change the subject and bring the conversation back on track.
“Yes,” he sighs. “I don’t like performing like a puppet. I have to.”
I see him, see his sadness.
“I’m so sorry. I haven’t considered how this might affect you. Are you sure about this? We can stop right now,” I tell him.
What if this is a gigantic mistake?
Easton straightens his shoulders and smooths his hand down his suit. “I’m more sure about this than anything I’ve done in a long fucking time.”
“Okay. I’m along for the ride.”
“We should probably get going.” His voice is soft, caring even.
I carefully descend the stairs, holding on to the railing until we’re on the bottom floor. My heels click across the marble. I’ve put on my costume and makeup, and the show will start soon.
He leads me to the door, which locks automatically when he closes it.
“Is there anything I should know before we arrive?” I ask.
Anxiousness bubbles in the pit of my stomach as we leave the penthouse.
“Just be yourself. You’re endearing. They’ll love you how you are.”
We enter the elevator, and he continues, “Weston will be there. He attends every social event, twinning with me. Considering the theme, you should expect us to be dressed the same.”
My head falls back in laughter. “So, let’s come up with a sign or saying that only we’ll know. That way, if I have any doubts, you can confirm it for me.”
“I like the way you think,” he says.
When I was a kid, my childhood friends and I used to have secret handshakes.
“What if I interlock my fingers with yours and squeeze your hand three times? Kinda like me saying, Is that you? You’ll return it with two squeezes— It’s me .
If it’s Weston trying to trick me, he’ll have to be a good guesser.
But if he’s smart, he will never try to deceive me again, especially regarding you. ”
“He won’t. Now.” He holds out his hand for me. “We have an engagement party to attend.”
“We’re crashing it,” I say, and he chuckles.
“I do feel guilty, knowing all eyes will be on you tonight,” he admits.
“They’ll be watching us. We’re in this together,” I say, and I feel him relax into me.
We walk through the first security clearance for his private garage and board another elevator.
“How in love am I supposed to be?”
“Just act like you’re considering spending forever with me,” he says with a smirk.
“Oof, that’ll be hard .” My voice drips with playful sarcasm.
“On a serious note, they’re very good at spotting a fake. One hundred percent of the women I’ve introduced to my friends, it’s been an instant no.”
“One hundred percent?”
He nods. “They don’t even have the decency to wait until the next day. I will be pulled away and told to break up with you if you’re not liked. If it happens, don’t be offended, okay?”
“Uh …” I gulp. This might be harder than I expected. “So, you’re actually feeding me to the sharks?”
“Yes, and you’ll either sink or swim.” He meets my eyes. “But if we can fool them, we’ll fool the world.”