by Elle Woods
By the time they left, he felt as if she had peeled back the curtain and shown parts of herself she rarely showed anyone. It was magical. He found himself in awe of her.
He drove her home slowly, drawing out their time together. When he reached her place, he got out and opened the door for her. It felt so natural and seeing her smile at each considerate gesture made him feel like he was a thirteen-year-old boy out with a girl for the first time. Being with her made everything feel new and exciting.
The only difficulty came when it was time to part for the day. Now that he knew the sweetness of her kisses, it was hard to leave without kissing her goodbye. He had to remind himself that those kisses, no matter how seductive, weren’t real. They had felt real to him though and the look in her eyes made him suspect that she felt the same way.
Chapter 5
The Appraisal
Dylan arrived at Sarah’s place promptly at seven, feeling more nervous than he could recall feeling in his professional life. Talbot Erickson had invited all his top ranking employees to a dinner party at his home and Dylan knew exactly what that meant. These men and women were his competition for the job and the night was a test. It was a test he needed to excel at. Though he was almost certain that the job was his, he didn’t want to leave anything to chance. Any of the people in the room would die for the job that he deserved and he didn’t plan to give them the chance to swoop in and take it from him.
The party had only been sprung on them two days before, so he had been a bit nervous that it wouldn’t be enough notice for Sarah. After all, she was painting day and night to get the work done that she needed for her show. He admired her drive, but worried she wasn’t sleeping or eating enough.
When he called her moments after Talbot stopped by his office to invite him, he was relieved when she immediately agreed to go with him. There was not a moment of hesitation on her part. It felt almost as if she was his actual fiancée and he couldn’t deny that he liked the thought of having her there by his side. More than he should. It was oddly comforting and he wasn’t sure what to make of it.
He had never been afraid to enter any room by himself, but the trial he was about to face was not a business test. Instead, it was one about personality and likeability. Dylan didn’t care which of his coworkers liked him and they knew it. Sarah, on the other hand, would dazzle the room in a matter of moments. It wasn’t forced either. It just seemed to be in her nature to draw people to her. It would take the pressure off of him and also give them another chance to convince everyone that they were truly a couple.
Of course, the call to invite her had not been without its missteps. He had offered, thinking it generous, to buy her a new dress for the evening. From the moment the offer had left his lips, he knew it was a mistake. The tone in her voice had gone flat.
“Are you implying that I can’t buy my own clothing or that I don’t have something suitable for your event?”
He knew, of course, that neither answer was going to appease her. He was only offering because he knew she was short on funds and this was an expense for his benefit, not hers. From her reaction, though, it was clear she thought he was suggesting she couldn’t afford to take care of herself or that she wouldn’t own something appropriate for such an evening. He wasn’t sure which thought had offended her. Perhaps it was both.
“That wasn’t what I meant.”
“Then what did you mean?”
“I know you are short on money and I just didn’t want you to have to stretch to buy something. That is all. I was trying to be nice.”
“I am capable of clothing myself. Thank you for your offer but I don’t need your help.”
His explanation had clearly not helped the situation.
“Look, I wasn’t trying to upset you. I was trying to help. I should have chosen my words more carefully.” There was a long pause on the line. “I swear, I wasn’t trying to say anything to hurt you.”
He was a little afraid that she was about to hang up on him until she finally spoke again.
“It doesn’t matter if you were, I suppose. You aren’t really my fiancée so your opinion really shouldn’t affect me.”
She might not have been pleased with him but she didn’t have to be. She had agreed to come and that was what mattered.
As he knocked on her door, he waited patiently for her to emerge. She hadn’t mentioned what she planned to wear and he admitted he was a bit nervous. After all, he needed her to shine and he wanted all eyes on her when they walked in that room. As soon as the door swung open, he realized that he should never have worried about her.
There she stood in a dress of deep navy, her skin practically glowing in the moonlight. It had intricate beading along the hem that made it look as if she was moving even when she was standing still. She had on little makeup, only enough to make her natural beauty shine. Her jewelry was equally impressive, with just a delicate necklace with a lovely stone pendant that drew the attention of anyone looking to her graceful neck and stunning profile.
“You look amazing,” he blurted out, wishing that he had said something more thoughtful or well phrased.
“I told you I know how to dress myself for things like this,” she said, clearly still a bit agitated by his suggestion that he purchase her wardrobe.
“I never doubted that. I just didn’t want you to have to spend any money because of our arrangement. You’re the one doing me a favor.”
“You don’t need to worry. I didn’t spend any money on this dress. I already had the fabric and the beads.”
“You already had the fabric and the beads,” he mumbled, slowly putting it together in his head. “Do you mean to tell me that you made this dress?”
“Yes, but don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone it is a homemade dress. Just tell me what designer you’d like it to be and I’ll be happy to slip it into conversation.”
“I want you to tell anyone who asks exactly what you told me. They should know you’re this talented. Never let anyone else take credit for your work. I had no idea you were a fashion designer too.”
“Oh, I’m not. I just can’t ever seem to find clothing that fits my style, so it’s much easier to just make it myself. Besides, it’s nice to have a creative outlet that’s not tied to my livelihood. It allows me to really enjoy the process without worrying about pleasing anybody but myself.”
“My dear, you are going to please anybody who sees you in this dress.”
She blushed at his words. He suddenly relaxed. Walking into the party with her upset with him was not going to sell their lie. It seemed that she was no longer upset with him and that was the most important thing. He hoped that she had come to realize how much he truly valued having her by his side.
“Shall we?” he said as he offered her his arm.
“We shall,” she said as she let him lead her to the waiting car. “You aren’t driving us in the convertible?”
“No, I thought for the sake of appearances it might be best to have a car and driver.”
“I love riding with you in a convertible. I know that the wind in my hair wouldn’t be a good thing tonight though,” she said, a disappointed look on her face.
It was true. She had carefully pinned up her hair into the most elegant of styles and that ride in the convertible would have ruined that. He felt a pang of disappointment himself, though. It was such a beautiful sight to see her hair blowing in the wind.
“I owe you a ride in the convertible any time you want then.”
“Deal! You’re very accommodating, fiancée.”
“I try, my little wife to be. You know what they say. Happy wife, happy life.”
As he helped her into the car, he could see the benefit of that. The thought of a happy wife who would always look at him like Sarah did in that moment was pleasing indeed. The entire car ride, she shared with him how her day had gone, the painting she had worked on. She was struggling to capture the light in just the way that she wanted to and it was bothering her. Liste
ning to her soothed him. It felt natural to listen to her share with him.
When they finally arrived at Talbot’s house, he got out of the car quickly and helped her out himself. He didn’t want the driver to do it. Suddenly, he hated the thought of any other man touching her for even a moment.
They entered behind a few of his coworkers and their partners. Everyone’s eyes in the room were on Sarah. It was no surprise. She was stunning. There was also an air of mystery about her that he knew people found alluring. Where had the woman who had stolen Dylan’s heart come from? How had she done it? What made her so special?
It was what he thought he wanted, but suddenly it felt like an invasion to have everyone looking at her like that. He didn’t want them to know her like he did. She was special and sacred and the last thing he wanted was everyone in the room to be talking about her and focused on solving her mysteries. Those were for him and him alone. He was shocked. Never had he felt so protective of a woman in his life, especially one that he wasn’t even in a real relationship with. He could sense she was a little nervous.
“There are a lot of people here,” she whispered.
“Nobody is paying attention to anyone but you.”
“You mean us,” she added, blushing in the loveliest way.
“No, I mean you. Every eye in this room is on the lovely woman on my arm and every conversation is about what a lucky man I am.”
“I’m not used to being in crowds like this. I spend most of my time alone with my art. The only time I do this is when I have a show, but it isn’t something that I enjoy. In fact, it is my least favorite part of my career.”
He was strangely calmed by that thought. Dylan didn’t care for the idea of her constantly being in crowds like this, with more and more men noticing her beautiful face and her beautiful soul.
“What about your art events?” he asked, not at all sure how it was possible that someone as vibrant as her was spending all of her time isolated in her studio.
“That’s different. Nobody’s paying attention to me. They’re paying attention to my art. It’s easier. I’m not used to them asking me about me.”
“I can’t imagine you being in any room and not being the center of attention. You’re the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.”
She made an audible gasp as she locked eyes with him. It was like she could not wrap her head around what he had just said to her.
“You’re just trying to be nice to put me at ease.”
“Not at all. You are the most attractive woman in this room by far. Look around you. It is clearly the truth.”
She shook her head at his words before turning her eyes slowly across the room.
“You are a silly man. This room is full of beautiful women.”
“Beautiful yes, but not nearly as attractive as you.”
She giggled nervously and held his arm a bit tighter, as if to steady herself. It was endearing and he desperately wished that they were in a room alone and not surrounded by his competition. He knew he should be on his toes, evaluating each of them as they interacted with Talbot and his wife, but all he could think about was Sarah.
He was also afraid if he walked away from her to make small talk with all the right people, she would be approached by some of his single coworkers. Ted Markham, for example, couldn’t seem to keep his eyes off of her. He knew the stories they told about trying to seduce women at parties just like this. The thought of them going up to her with those sorts of thoughts in their heads made him sick.
“You haven’t talked to anybody but me. Shouldn’t we go and find Talbot and Grace to thank them for inviting us before dinner? If we aren’t seated near them it will be really hard to get them alone after. I want you to get the facetime you need. Besides, I would like to speak to them too.”
“As you wish. Happy wife, happy life,” he said with a smirk as he guided her across the room towards their hosts.
He could see Grace’s eyes light up when she saw Sarah approaching her. Instantly, she stepped away from the executive she was talking to and opened her arms to embrace Sarah. Willingly, his fake fiancée threw her arms around the older women as if they were old friends.
“My dear, you look stunning. However do you manage to look so beautiful each time I see you?” Grace asked.
“You look lovely. And this home is amazing. Thank you so much for inviting us! I can’t think of a better way to spend an evening.”
“I can,” Talbot interrupted. “I would much rather be spending an evening alone with my wife but she insisted on throwing this little get together.”
“Oh, you love to host a house full of happy people. Don’t let him fool you into thinking he doesn’t love having you all here,” Grace said as she kissed her husband on the cheek.
“We’re so glad that you invited us,” Sarah said, clinging to Dylan’s arm as she spoke.
“I was hoping to chat with you the other day when you visited Dylan in the office. But rumor has it the two of you snuck out before anybody could ask how this one tricked you into agreeing to marry him.”
Talbot’s gentle ribbing was a new thing for Dylan. He wasn’t sure if it was a good sign or not. Perhaps it meant that he still had his doubts. His gut told him that it was the way the older man interacted with those he enjoyed spending time with.
“I’m probably the one who tricked him into it. I sort of just kept hanging around until he realized I wasn’t going anywhere and he might as well make it official. You know how focused he can be. If I were to wait for him, I would still be waiting for our first date.”
“These men and their work,” Grace commiserated.
“Now Gracey, you know that you are more important to me than my work. You’ll have young Dylan here thinking I’m a liar.”
“I know that work isn’t more important than your family, dear. It is, however, more demanding than we are. Those of us who love you have to love you enough to pull you away from it so you remember to have a real life. That’s is what our Sarah here has done for Dylan.”
“You always pull me back into the real world,” he said as he pulled her close to his side.
Watching the two of them together was beautiful. They truly were partners in every sense of the word. When Talbot had first explained the role his wife played in his life, Dylan hadn’t understood. Now, it was painfully clear. She was what gave his life meaning. His eyes drifted to Sarah. She was watching the other couple as well. He couldn’t help but wonder if her thoughts echoed his own.
Before he could ask her, the cook came out to announce that dinner was served. They all moved to the large formal dining room. There were easily fifteen couples in the room. It was buzzing with energy. Though they were in competition with each other, there was a respect and camaraderie that made the meal a pleasant one. Unfortunately, Sarah was seated across the table from him instead of next to him and it made it rather difficult to converse with her.
Instead of listening to her talk about her art or her garden, he was forced to listen to the girlfriend of one of the junior partners rattle on and on about her purse collection, while the lucky man next to Sarah was beaming from ear to ear at whatever tales she was telling him. He couldn’t help but feel jealous. And that wasn’t a familiar feeling. In fact, he couldn’t remember feeling such a thing before his fake relationship began. It was unsettling.
He couldn’t wait for dinner to end so he could have her on his arm again. Once everyone rose from dinner to go on the back terrace for dessert, he quickly abandoned his conversation partner to whisk Sarah away from the two gentlemen who were attempting to monopolize her.
“Why did you rush me out of there?” she whispered as they moved away from the crowd. “I wasn’t done telling them how wonderful my fiancée is.”
“Best to leave them wanting more,” he said, feeling suddenly irritable. It was as if he was full of pent-up energy. He felt the need to hit something. No, that wasn’t it. That wasn’t it at all. Instead, he stopped in his tracks, to
ok her by the shoulders and kissed her as if they were the only two people in the entire world. He expected her to pull away, but he couldn’t stop himself. He needed to taste her lips in that moment as much as he needed air.
Instead of pulling away, she slid her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss, opening herself up to him in the most beautiful way. When she finally pulled away, they were both panting and breathless.
“Why did you kiss me like that here?” she asked as she looked around. They were alone in the corridor. “Nobody saw you do it.”
“I didn’t do that for their benefit. I did it for me,” he said, grabbing her arm and leading her back towards the crowd before she had a chance to respond. By the stunned expression on her face, maybe she didn’t know what to say about it. He had no explanation. He had just needed her kiss. So he took it.
The rest of the evening was long and full of polite small talk. Through it all, she kept her hand in his. They were truly a pair, facing every conversation together. She seemed to make friends with each and every one of the women, even Tara Beak who was one of his biggest rivals. The woman had worked at the firm for a year longer than him and thought that gave her the right to everything she wanted. A beauty in her own right, she was also used to getting everyone’s attention. Sarah was the shining star of the evening, though and Dylan could see that it bothered Tara.
Each of the men hung on Sarah’s every word, too entranced by her beauty to look away. Normally, seeing something bother Tara would have given him a good chuckle, but the sight bothered him too. He wanted Sarah all to himself.
He fully expected to have to explain the kiss when they finally returned to the car after the last toasts had been made. Instead, the moment they were alone in the backseat she laid her head on his shoulder and drifted off to sleep. As he listened to her soft breathing, he couldn’t imagine a more beautiful sound in the entire world. He wanted to tell the drive to go on forever. Dylan never wanted her to wake and end the evening.
