Chapter Fourteen
E ight weeks later
“Max! Are you ready yet?” Sienna shouted through her apartment, turning back to the mirror to fix her last earring in place. She ran her fingers through her hair, the soft waves falling over one shoulder, before smoothing them down her dress and giving herself a final look.
Tonight was finally the night she and Debs had been working towards for the last two and a half months. The past eight weeks had flown by, with only a few more minor panics by Sienna, each one skillfully and delicately diffused by Debs and her gentle words. Sienna had, to her credit, become more accustomed to the vote of confidence that Debs was insistent on giving her at any time, whether it be when she saw that look of fear take over her face or if it was when she had done something and proudly reported back to Debs at another thing which was completed. Each one seemed to take a hold in her soul, bolstering her to push a little further, to have faith in her abilities and what she was capable of doing. There had been one final meltdown yesterday, a last-minute moment of absolute dread coursing through her at the idea that something she had organised and put so much of herself into was about to be revealed for all to see. She was moments from calling it all off, declaring it a massive mistake, before Debs showed as if she sensed Sienna’s impending breakdown and soothed it with those words Sienna had come to treasure and hold onto.
What do you need?
The way that Debs gave her space to rationalise and order her thoughts, gave her control over what she needed to come through her panic was something that she had never experienced before, but it was something she now valued with everything she had. She had even started to use it herself, taking a little bit of Debs’ wisdom and kindness into her sessions when she was talking with the kids at the centre.
What do you need?
It gave her so much and yet never made her feel like anything was too much or too little to ask of.
“Yep, I’m all ready—holy shit, look at you!”
Max’s entrance into her bedroom broke her out of her train of thought, and she spun carefully, not used to balancing on heels after weeks of running around in trainers.
“You like it?”
“You look amazing, Sienna. Who knew you could scrub up to be such a hot piece of ass!” Max winked, and Sienna shoved them playfully.
“You’re an idiot. Although, a very dapper-looking idiot. This suit looks great on you.”
She smoothed down the lapel of Max’s dinner jacket before straightening their tie. Max really did look amazing in their suit, a navy blue three-piece showing off their toned and slightly muscular body, the slim mustard yellow tie neatly tucked into their waistcoat, and the square of fabric in their jacket pocket matching. When she finally had the space to think about who to invite to the auction, there was no hesitation; she wanted Max by her side. Max had jumped at the chance, wanting to both see The Lighthouse and support Sienna at the culmination of all her hard work over the past few months.
“Thank you. I figured I had to make an effort, and I wasn’t wrong. Can’t be looking shabby if I’m turning up as your plus one while you’re wearing that.”
“You don’t think it’s too much?” Sienna asked, turning back to look at herself again in the mirror.
An outfit for the auction was the last thing on her mind; she’d been so consumed in every other detail that she had almost forgotten she needed to make sure she had something to wear until the casual mention a couple of weeks ago that Debs and Grace were going shopping to find something to wear kick-started a panic in her brain that she needed to do the same. That evening had been spent scouring the internet for suitable outfits, although she really wasn’t sure what was suitable for an event like this. She’d fired off a quick text to Debs, enquiring what she was wearing. The answer wasn’t particularly descriptive — a red dress, floor length, halterneck — but it was enough to not only give Sienna an idea of what to look for but also conjure a hundred different images in her mind. Her attraction to Debs hadn’t faded over the past few weeks, but she had come to terms with the fact that it was nothing more than a one-sided crush, and actually, she could clearly move past it and focus on their friendship.
“I think it looks stunning. You look stunning,” Max said from behind her.
Max was right. Sienna maybe wouldn’t go so far as to say stunning, but she definitely felt good in this dress. The sleek black fabric clung around her waist and hips, the corseted top showing off her cleavage, while the skirt flowed until it skimmed the floor, the hidden slit which ran to mid-thigh showing the skin of her leg whenever she took a step. Black stilettos gave her height, elongating her legs and extenuating her natural curves, and the delicate silver necklace and bracelet she wore complimented the slight shimmer which was threaded into the fabric of the skirt. It was something she had never really had the chance to wear before, something she probably wouldn’t even think of wearing, her usual attire of trainers and jeans, which she was most comfortable in.
“Guess it’s time to leave,” Sienna said as she turned to Max.
“Then,” Max bowed, earning a smile and a chuckle from Sienna as they offered their arm to her. “My lady.”
“Woah, Sienna. This is amazing!”
Sienna took in the space around her. She’d been at The Lighthouse earlier in the day, overseeing the setup, but had been ushered out by Debs before she could see everything finished. And now, with the room full of people, the sound of soft music drifting through the space, she had to agree with Max. The central Atrium of The Lighthouse had been transformed into a makeshift ballroom of sorts; tables lined around the edges of the room where guests sat and mingled, each adorned with a beautiful centrepiece of pastel blue hydrangeas and cream roses, designed by Max to reflect The Lighthouse’s colours. One of the larger rooms to the side had been turned into a bar with a constant flow of people in and out of it. Sienna had made sure each of the other rooms had been set up to display and showcase the different work which the centre undertook. At the far end of The Atrium stood a small temporary stage, the podium ready for the auctioneer to stand behind, and lining the walls were the artworks made by users of the centre and chosen to be auctioned off tonight. Everything looked perfect, and Sienna breathed a sigh of relief.
However, she couldn’t stop the niggling need to make sure that behind the scenes was running just as smoothly as it appeared it was.
“Maybe I should just go check if everything is okay?”
“Nope.” Max grabbed her arm and steered her towards the room that held the bar. “Didn’t you say Debs had hired someone to do all of that tonight so you could enjoy yourself?”
“Yeah. But—”
“No buts. You’re here to enjoy yourself. Tonight’s your night, so that means no work.”
“I have to do a little work. I’ll probably have to do some schmoozing at some point,” Sienna said, dodging a couple as Max ushered them through the crowd.
“And that’s fine. You can do that with a drink in your hand.”
They reached the bar, and Max managed to quickly gain the attention of one of the servers, ordering themself and Sienna a drink before turning back to her.
“That dress is working,” Max whispered into her ear.
“What?”
“Someone is staring at you.”
Sienna whipped her head around, looking in every direction, trying to determine who Max was talking about. Her search stopped when she saw crystal blue eyes locked on her. She could have sworn they dragged down her body before looking back up at her, a smile splitting across her face when she noted she had captured Sienna’s attention.
“That’s Debs.”
“ That’s your hot businesswoman?”
“Yeah. I mean, no. She’s not my hot businesswoman.”
“Sure. Because the look she’s just given you is totally giving me straight platonic vibes. Oh, she’s coming over.”
Sienna tried to take a deep breath without drawing too much attention to herself, feeling flustered at the look that she was sure was all in her head, even though Max seemed to notice it as well. She had mainly gotten over her crush on Debs, or at least that’s what she was telling herself, but as the woman in question moved gracefully through the crowds towards her, it came roaring back. The simple description of a red halterneck dress understated what Debs was wearing to a huge degree.
Deep scarlet fabric encased her body, the halterneck dipping low to show off her chest before synching in at the waist. The skirt reached down to the floor, fishtailing out behind her slightly, giving it volume. Sienna swallowed thickly, trying hard not to stare, but the gentle waves that Debs had styled in her hair, one side pinned back to show the glittering stone-studded cuff that adorned one ear, was just as mesmerising as the rest of her. As she came within a step’s distance, she gave Sienna a sly smirk, almost as if she could read the thoughts running through her mind.
“Hello, you,” Debs greeted her, leaning in to press a kiss to her heated cheek, her voice dropping slightly. “You look phenomenal.”
“T-thank you,” Sienna stammered out, willing the blush to recede from her face and her ability to form words to return. “You look…I think you undersold this dress.”
“Undersell, overdeliver. A golden rule of business. While you definitely kept this quiet…”
“Told you you look stunning,” Max interrupted.
“Yeah, well, that’s what you’re there for,” Sienna snarked back, grateful for the ability to fall back into teasing her friend. “Debs, this is Max. Max, this is Debs.”
“Ah, the infamous Max. A pleasure to meet you at last.”
“You too,” Max replied, taking the hand Debs had offered.
“And thank you for the flower arrangements. They’re gorgeous.”
“Is everything going smoothly? Nothing’s gone wrong?” Sienna blurted out, unable to hold in her curiosity any longer.
Debs smiled at her, that gentle, understanding smile she seemed to bestow upon Sienna more and more as the weeks passed by.
“Everything’s going fine,” she said, reaching out and brushing her fingers down Sienna’s forearm until she tangled them with Sienna’s own, squeezing them briefly.
“See, I told you it would be okay,” Max said, and Sienna watched the way their gaze shifted to their conjoined hands. “I’ve already had to stop her from going back and checking on everything, and we’ve only been here ten minutes.”
“I’m glad someone understands their brief. Max is right; I hired an events manager so you could enjoy tonight. You’ve done enough. This is your time to reap the benefits.”
“I was right,” Sienna grumbled. “I knew you two would be a nightmare together.”
Debs chuckled before sighing and rolling her eyes. Sienna followed her gaze over her shoulder, finding a tall, dark-haired man tipping his glass in Debs’ direction.
“Urgh, excuse me, but I need to mingle. Maybe if I get it over with now, he won’t bother me for the rest of the evening.” Debs’ attention locked back onto Sienna, those bright blue eyes seeming even brighter with the hint of smokey eye makeup Debs was wearing tonight. “I’ll find you in a bit, okay?”
Sienna nodded, almost dumbstruck as those eyes crinkled slightly when Debs smiled before she leaned in and kissed her cheek again. “You really do look beautiful tonight, Sienna.”
Sienna watched as Debs gracefully flowed through the crowd, secretly pleased when she watched as the man who had stolen her away leaned in to say something and Debs not-so-subtly turned her head away, the minute movement of her body leaning away from him. Her eyes tracked downwards, once again appreciating the dress she was wearing, her breath catching when she realised just how fitted it was from behind, the flare of the skirt doing everything to accentuate Debs’ natural curves.
The only thing she could register was the scoff from Max beside her and three barely uttered words.
“Straight my ass.”