I nodded along with her, envious of how well she knew Derek. From the time I’d spent with him, I never would have come to that conclusion. But she’d had years and years with him, and I’d only a few days.
“You know what? Tomorrow. You, me, girl’s day. We’ll go shopping. I’ll even take you by my studio. We’re working on some amazing things that I think you’ll love.”
“Oh, I’ll have to check with Derek, but—”
“Derek? Pshh. I’ll tell him I’m stealing you for the day. I wasn’t lying when I said I want to get to know you, Amy. Derek really is a dear, close friend of mine. He’s never dated anyone longer than a couple of months, so you must really be something special.”
“I… I guess, then. That sounds fun.”
“Show a little more enthusiasm, darling! We’ll find you something extra special— you’ll never feel out of place again. Although, let me assure you, dear, you definitely seem like you belong here. Even more, you belong with Derek.”
I searched her eyes for any hint of sarcasm, of mockery, but I didn’t find any.
* * *
When the party died down a bit and the guests were heading to their rooms, Derek came to find me.
“Charlotte.” He smiled at her, before sitting down next to me and squeezing my hand. “I’m so sorry. I got caught up in conversation.”
“No worries,” I said, hiccuping.
“Amy and I have been having a wonderful time,” Charlotte said, giggling.
We each had enjoyed our fair share of drinks.
Derek looked between us, smirking. “It looks like it.”
“Oh my God, Derek,” I said, leaning against him. “Did you know that Charlotte and I both have Saint Bernards? I mean, she has four. I’d go crazy. But isn’t that a crazy coincidence?”
“Jesus, Amy, how much did you drink?”
“Like five.”
“Five?”
“Five thousand.” Both Charlotte and I dissolved into a fit of giggles. “We also both think you look really good in blue. It’s your color. We agreed on it.”
“Okay.” Derek wrapped an arm around my waist and stood up. “Charlotte, do you need any help to your room?”
“Oh, no, I’m going to stay down here a while longer.” She smiled warmly at us. “Goodnight.”
“Goodnight,” Derek said to her. I waved, unable to wipe the silly grin off my face.
“Oh, I like her,” I said to Derek as he led me out of the room.
“She’s a good friend,” he responded, nodding in agreement. “I can always count on her when I need her. I’m glad you two hit it off so well.”
“Me too.”
“Ready for bed?”
“Nope.”
He lifted an eyebrow, “Oh?”
“I want to look at the stars. Charlotte said they’re really pretty out here, without the light pollution from the city.”
“Alright. You seem like you could use a little fresh air, anyway.”
“I’m not drunk,” I said, matter-of-factly, even as my head spun and my body was numb.
“Definitely not.” He chuckled, and steadied me as we walked up the stairs. He brought me to a room I hadn’t been in yet. From there, we had access to the roof, up another short set of stairs outside.
“This is so cool,” I said, sitting down and patting the space next to me.
The summer night’s breeze was warm and humid, and there was not a single cloud in the sky. The darkness stretched infinitely above us, peppered with an impossible number of stars. I leaned against Derek, in awe at the beautiful sight.
“I see the Little Dipper,” Derek said, pointing.
“And the Big Dipper,” I sighed happily, completely consumed by an overall sense of peace. “Those are the only constellations I know.”
“Me too.”
I laughed, and Derek wrapped his arms around me. We fell into a comfortable silence. The whole world was quiet for us, just the whisper of the wind tickling our ears.
Chapter 13
Amy
I was awakened the next morning by a loud knocking on the bedroom door. Groaning, I rolled out of bed, hungover and sore. Derek and I must have sat outside for hours last night.
After slipping on a white bathrobe that I found in the bathroom on my first night here, I cracked open the door. Charlotte was there, fully dressed and ready, smiling at me.
“Oh no, did I wake you? I’m sorry. I thought you’d be up by now. I wanted to get an early start.”
“No problem.” I yawned. “I should be up anyway. What time is it?”
“Around 9:30.”
“I’ll meet you by the door A.S.A.P. Just gotta get ready.”
Charlotte nodded, and I shut the door, turning back to Derek. He was still snoring, stretched face-down and taking up most of the bed. I was tempted to crawl back into bed with him, but resisted.
I settled on a pair of white shorts and a blue blouse, and twisted my hair up into a messy bun. I didn’t look especially put together, especially for spending the day with a fashion designer, but I preferred comfort over style, and today was supposed to be hot.
“Where are you headed?” Derek asked sleepily, rolling over and watching me get dressed.
I glanced over. “Charlotte wants to take me shopping. I couldn’t say no.”
“Ah. You should have a good time, then. Take my card.”
“Oh, that’s not necessary.”
“Amy.” He yawned, then sat up. “Amelia, I have way more money than I know what to do with. You’d be doing me a favor if you took some of it off my hands. Get yourself something pretty.”
“But—”
“But nothing.” He got up and searched for his wallet. “This isn’t an argument. Here. Take this. Don’t lose it. Use it. Have fun.” He kissed the tip of my nose. “My treat.”
I gave up trying to argue with him, and finally thanked him, kissing him back.
When I was ready, I left Derek and hurried down the stairs, finding Charlotte waiting for me by the door.
“Ah, Amy, there you are.” Charlotte was dressed in a yellow bodycon dress and huge sunhat, looking bright and youthful. “Are you ready?”
“And excited.” I smiled at her. There was something warm and inviting about Charlotte, so I couldn’t help but be cheerful around her.
She led me out to her car, a sleek, lime green Lamborghini, and got into the driver’s seat.
“Has Derek been spoiling you with a chauffeur?” Charlotte asked, when I clambered in. “He’s so ridiculous with his ‘time management’ excuse. The truth is, he’s just an awful driver.”
I laughed. “I like Adam.”
“He’s still employing Adam? Wow.” She turned on the car, the engine purring sweetly. The vehicle was a piece of art. “I’m surprised he’s not dead.”
On the long drive to the city, Charlotte rolled down the windows and blasted classic rock. I never would have guessed she listened to this particular genre of music, but now that I looked at her, it did seem to fit somehow. I sang along, and we laughed, and enjoyed the ride.
Time passed quickly, and we arrived at the city before noon. The building that we stopped at was absolutely beautiful—sleek, modern, round, and made of windows. Above the revolving door was a sign that read, Ainsley Designs.
“Wow,” I breathed. “You started all this?”
“You bet I did. This building used to be a sales building. Wait until you see the inside.”
After Charlotte parked, I followed her inside. The interior of the building was just as, if not more, beautiful than the outside. The floor was marbled, the walls pastel. Charlotte greeted the receptionist, then led me through the building to a glass elevator.
“My office is on the top floor,” she said. “The view is magnificent.”
As the elevator rose, I could see the floors passing through the glass door. Flashing before my eyes was every sort of fabric, every piece of clothing, mannequins, practice runways. Anything and everything
related to the industry, Charlotte had packed into her building.
Finally, the elevator beeped, and we arrived at the top floor. Charlotte brought me back to her office in the corner, and when she opened the door, I gasped audibly.
I would have expected Charlotte’s office to be crisp and clean, like the rest of her building. Instead, it looked like a laundry basket had exploded in the room.
As I studied it, I discovered that there was some sense of organization. It was just so full of clothing, texture, and patterns, it was overwhelming at first.
“Come on in, come on in!” Charlotte maneuvered expertly around the tables and clothing racks, trailing her hands down the clothes on either side of her. “I know, it looks like a bit of a mess. I work better in chaos. It helps me think freely, which is key in fashion design.”
I didn’t get through the room as gracefully as she had, bumping and running into every single thing there was to run into. Finally, she stopped, and gestured around.
“See anything you like?”
“Umm.” I looked around the room, trying to pick something out. It was overwhelming.
Charlotte laughed, noticing how completely shocked I was. “Let me help.”
She started pulling things off shelves, seemingly at random, but there was a look of serious concentration on her face.
“We’re going to find you some sweet, sophisticated looks,” she told me. “We want to match your personality. Nothing too overdone or gaudy. I want elegance.”
Finally, she turned back to me, carrying a stack of clothes higher than her head. Her face was stretched with childish excitement.
“It’s been so long since I’ve given anyone a makeover,” she said, her voice high and fast.
“A… a makeover?”
“Mm-hmm. Once I find you a few outfits, we’re going to see what we can do with your hair. You’re going to look absolutely fabulous, dear. Not that you don’t already.”
And so, I started trying on clothes for her. She was handing me things that I never would have dreamed of trying on. A black pencil skirt matched with a short-sleeved, grey, hooded top. Black skinny jeans and a purple, cape-like jacket. An apricot, a-line, sleeveless blouse. A tight, tan dress that only had one shoulder. Even a billowy, white gown that made me feel like a Greek goddess.
Somehow, she worked magic, and every single thing she put me in made me feel beautiful.
She beamed. “Wow, Amy. You are making everything look good.”
“I’m pretty sure you’re the one doing that, Charlotte.”
“Alright, take that off, and sit down there.” She pointed to one corner of the huge room, where there was a large vanity. I listened, and waited for her in the chair. She shuffled through a bunch of drawers, and set out way more beauty tools than I knew existed.
“How much do you trust me?” she asked, her accent thick with enthusiasm.
I looked at her, feeling especially adventurous. “Do whatever you want, Charlotte. Make me shine.”
Four hours later, and she had done exactly that.
I would have expected to not look or feel like me, but when Charlotte finally allowed me to look in the mirror, I was overwhelmed by a sense of being completely myself. Charlotte had somehow managed to make me more me than I ever had been before.
She had cut my hair to my collarbone, highlighted, and curled it. It looked silkier and healthier than it ever had in my life. The make-up she put on my face was natural, but bold. Smokey eyes, thick eyeliner, faux lashes, deep red lips. Finally, she had picked out this beautiful, summery dress, a casual, knee-length red one with a little flowery white frill peeking out of the a-line bottom, a matching shawl tied around my shoulders, and red heels to match.
“What do you think?” she asked, appearing behind me in the mirror.
I was suddenly struck by the urge to cry. I bit back the tears, tore my eyes away from my image, and turned to her so I could hug her tightly.
“You’re incredible,” I said. “Absolutely incredible.”
“Well. An artist is only as good as her canvas.” Charlotte patted my cheek. “You wear the clothes, dear, the clothes don’t wear you.”
While I turned to further admire her work, she started packing all the clothing I had tried on into bags. I looked at her quizzically.
“Take these as a gift from me,” she said.
“Oh no, I couldn’t do that.”
Charlotte rolled her eyes. “Amy, come on. These clothes were made for you. Trust me. It would be a sin if you didn’t have them.”
I bit my lip. “If you’re sure. I couldn’t thank you enough. Your clothes are beautiful.”
“I’m very sure. And thank you. It is my greatest passion in life, so for you to say that means a lot. Now, are you ready to hit the city?”
I glanced at myself one last time in the mirror, confidence surging through me. “I think so.”
* * *
It was nearly ten o’clock at night when Charlotte dropped me back at the mansion. She helped me carry in the many bags I had gotten that day, before saying we had to do this again soon and bidding me goodnight.
One of the butlers helped me carry my things upstairs to Derek’s bedroom. When I went in, he was sitting on the bed, reading a book. I noticed that he wore reading glasses, which were charming and sexy on him. When I came in, he looked up, took the glasses off, and stood.
“Wow. I love your hair. Looks like you had quite the day,” he said, nodding to the piles around me.
“I might have gotten a little carried away,” I said sheepishly. “And Charlotte gave me a make-over.”
Derek chuckled, “I can’t wait to see what you got. Did you have a good time?”
“Oh, absolutely. Pretty sure we’re best friends now.”
“Good, good. It makes me happy that you two got along so well.”
I studied him, a question lingering on my lips. He must have noticed the expression on my face, as he reached out and took my hands.
“What’s up?”
“Was there… was there ever something between you?” I asked, then immediately shook my head. “I’m sorry. That’s none of my business. I shouldn’t have asked.”
Derek lifted an eyebrow. “You’re not jealous, Amy, are you?” he teased.
I crossed my arms, sitting down on the bed. “No!”
“Uh-huh. Sure.”
“Why would I be jealous? I’m just curious. She talks about you a lot.”
Derek sighed thoughtfully, and sat down next to me. “We’re just friends. Good friends. But we’ve never been more than that, and never will be.” He shrugged. “It’s one of those things. We were never interested in each other at the same time, and then our lives took such drastically different turns. That’s just how it is, sometimes.”
“Ah,” I said, wishing I hadn’t been nosy. Of course there wasn’t anything between them. I was just being anxious and paranoid.
“In any case,” Derek said. “Show me what you got!”
“Well,” I said, a playful smile on my lips. “Charlotte gave me a bunch of beautiful outfits she made. And we went to more designer stores than I knew existed. Some of the stuff was absolutely wild. We went to one store that was just underwear. But not like, normal underwear. Crazy underwear. Underwear that shouldn’t be called underwear. Negative space underwear.”
Derek laughed. “Did you get anything from there? I’m intrigued.”
“Well, nothing crazy like that. Just a few things. They had some really pretty stuff too that I liked.”
“Well, let me see.”
I dug through my bags until I found the one from that store, and handed it to him.
“Amy,” he said. “I want to see it on you.”
“Oh. Right.”
“Put on a little fashion show for me.” Derek reclined back in the bed, putting his hands behind his head.
I brought the bag to the bathroom, lined up the different panties and bras I’d bought, and gave the man what he wanted. I
was still running off the morning’s confidence after Charlotte worked her magic on me.
I’d purchased a menagerie of items—silky cream boy-shorts, a black thong with pink polka-dots, another seamless red thong, and a cheeky, lacy pair with a bow on the front. There was even one set that had bells. I saved the most risqué for last. There was a large cutout in the fabric, and Charlotte had giggled when she handed them to me, pronouncing them, “for easy access.”
As I tried all the underwear on for him, I could see how aroused Derek was getting. There was a very visible bulge in his pants that he wasn’t bothering to hide. His desire only raised my confidence.
“This is the last one,” I said, as I came out wearing the pair with the hole.
Derek’s eyebrows lifted. “I like those. You should come here and give me a closer look.”
I bit my lip, leaning forward. “Actually, I was thinking. I also got a swimsuit. Is that hot tub I saw on the roof last night running?”
“I like how you think.” Derek got up, taking one last look as I disappeared into the bathroom again.
I slipped into the brand new white and blue striped bikini. I’d never owned a two-piece suit before, even one-piece swimsuits made me feel self-conscious. But when I looked in the mirror, I found myself smiling, without a trace of judgement.
After putting on the white robe, I came back out. Derek was waiting for me, wearing black swim shorts. We hurried out of the room, giggling like teenagers.
Once we reached the roof, Derek lifted the lid off of the hot-tub, and turned on the jets. The water started to bubble and steam.
“Mmm.” I sighed happily as I stuck my feet into the water, then slid the rest of my body in. The heat washed over me, relaxing every one of my muscles.
“Mmm indeed.” Derek slid into the water behind me. I glanced back at him, and realized he’d taken off his shorts.
“Skinny dipping, huh?”
“You should try it,” he teased. “It’s liberating.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “Alright.”
My bikini soon joined the small pile of clothes on the ground.
I sank into the water, entranced by the reflection of the night sky in the water. The hot tub had blue lights in the interior, illuminating our naked bodies in an ethereal glow. I found a jet to sit in front of, and dipped my head back into the water.
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