by Holly Rayner
“That’s it. That’s the one. If he doesn’t propose to you on sight, he’s crazy.”
“If he proposes to me on the first date, I’ll be running as fast as my heels can take me.”
Kate snapped her fingers. “Shoes. Margie, you got anything this shade of red?”
Margie nodded. “I sure do. Take a look at these.”
Annabelle gulped as she eyed the strappy heels Margie pulled out for her to try on. She never usually wore anything other than hiking boots or Converse, and the concept of a whole evening in these torture devices was less than appealing.
Then again, Chase was very tall.
Strapping into the shoes, Annabelle stood up and wobbled for a moment before practicing her walk. She glanced back self-consciously in the mirror.
“I don’t know, you guys. This is a charity ball. Should I really look so…va-va-voom?”
Pondering her reflection, Annabelle realized that she would be playing the part of Chase’s sassy girlfriend that night. In all honesty, this would be the perfect outfit for such a role.
“It’s fine, Belle,” Kate cooed. “You look amazing, and I’m pretty sure there’s no rule against wearing red at a charity event.”
“Like you would know?” Annabelle giggled.
Kate shrugged. “So I imagine. Go get dressed and we’ll do your hair and makeup next.”
“Fine,” Annabelle sighed, pulling the curtain back from the dressing room and sliding out of her gown.
When she walked back to the register with her things, Annabelle was shocked to see that Kate had already paid for all of it.
“Kate! You don’t need to do that. Margie, I can pay…”
Kate placed a gentle hand on her sister’s arm. “Belle, its fine. I’ve been making some extra money at my work study job, and I’ve been meaning to get you something nice anyway. Just consider this an early Christmas present, okay?”
Annabelle protested a bit longer before finally giving in to her sister’s generosity. She promised herself then and there that she would succeed in getting Chase Frost to follow up on his end of the deal, and she would tell Kate all about it when the time was right.
The sisters headed back home, where Kate set up a hair and makeup station in their childhood bathroom, and they giggled like the girls they once were as Kate pinned and curled Annabelle’s thick brown hair into a tapestry of upswept, draping locks.
When she finally looked in the mirror, Annabelle’s eyes widened at the stranger staring back at her.
“Kate, you’re a wizard!”
Kate blushed with pride, shrugging her shoulders. “It helps that you’re naturally pretty.”
“Yeah, yeah. Flattery isn’t getting you anywhere,” Annabelle laughed, checking the time. It was time to get going if they wanted to make it at a reasonable hour.
“Actually, I do have one last favor to ask you,” Annabelle said.
“What’s that?”
“Do you mind driving me there? I don’t want to have to spend a hundred dollars on parking, and I definitely want to make the most of the free bar.”
“How will you get home?”
Annabelle shrugged. “Maybe crash at a friend’s house. I still know a few folks in the city with a spare couch.”
“Sure, no problem.”
Kate helped Annabelle slide back into her dress, and the two girls hopped in the car, making the drive out back to the city.
Annabelle tried not to think about what it would be like to spend a glamourous evening in the world of the one-percenters. She had to remind herself constantly that these people were the enemy of everything that was good in the world, and there was nothing that would change that.
Kate parked the car outside of the hotel and placed a light kiss on her sister’s cheek. “Good luck, Belle. I’m sure you’ll find the spark you’re looking for.”
“You never know,” Annabelle replied, blowing her sister an air kiss, hardly daring to hope that she might be right.
She watched the car pull away from the curb before turning to face the resplendent front of the hotel, preparing herself for a long night ahead.
TEN
Annabelle shivered as she stepped from the sidewalk into the glittering hotel lobby. She had opted to wear a black pea coat over her dress, but it was far from warm enough.
A man in a tuxedo approached her with his arm outstretched.
“Good evening, miss. Are you here for the Hunger Relief Gala?”
Annabelle blinked at him, staring for a moment.
“She is, thank you.”
Turning around, Annabelle had to look up at Chase as he gently turned her to the side and pulled her coat from her shoulders. A chill of an entirely different nature ran down her spine, then, and she squared her shoulders, forcing herself to focus. She was on a mission tonight, and getting lost in the fantasy wouldn’t do her any good.
The maître d’ nodded to them both and took her coat, striding in the opposite direction. Annabelle looked back up at Chase. Was she imagining things, or was there a hunger in his eyes that had nothing to do with food?
“You certainly dressed the part,” he said.
“Is that a compliment?”
“I suppose it is. Now, I have some things I would like to go over before we enter the ballroom.”
He started in the direction of a set of doors, reaching for her arm. Annabelle pulled away, instead having them walk side-by-side.
“What, now I have homework? You couldn’t have texted? You have my phone number, if you remember.”
“Just how much of your sass is an act, and how much of it is real, Annabelle Williams?”
“So sorry not to oblige, my liege. Now what are we going over so I can get this night over with and get back into my pajamas?”
“You are insufferable.”
“I believe imbecile was the word you called me last time.”
“Yes, well. You put me in an awkward position and I was angry. Still, name calling is beneath me, and I apologize.”
“Well don’t start getting mushy now, or I’ll cry and ruin my makeup.”
“A simple ‘I forgive you’ would suffice there.”
Annabelle beamed up at him with false cheer. “But I wouldn’t want to lie, now would I? Don’t you know, I’m the paragon of honesty and straightforward truth? Isn’t that how we want to play it?”
They were nearly at the entrance to Salon A, which, Annabelle guessed, was the ballroom Chase had been speaking of. The air was a cocktail of expensive perfumes mixed with warm cider. It wasn’t entirely unpleasant.
Reaching for her arm again, Chase cradled it with his, and Annabelle didn’t reject the touch this time. They could be spotted at any moment by one of the men Chase wanted to impress, and if she blew this opportunity, she’d never forgive herself.
“Here’s the deal. You and I have been dating for the past six months, and while things are still fresh, it’s clear that I’m likely going to propose to you in the next couple of months.”
Annabelle’s eyebrows shot up. “Wow, we must really be in love to move that fast.”
Chase pressed a finger against her lips, causing her to glance up into his eyes. Her body responded to that touch, rendering her temporarily mute.
“If you could please allow me to speak without a witty retort every other second, that would be greatly appreciated.”
He removed his finger from her lips, and continued on. “We met at the country club. We both enjoy playing tennis, and we bonded over this.”
“Tennis…” Annabelle moaned, but at his stern expression stopped herself from further comment.
Chase nodded and continued. “Yes, tennis. We also very much enjoy hiking, and spend a lot of time in my cabin on Mount Rainier.”
Annabelle remained silent until the weight of it became too much for Chase.
“What? You hate cabins, too?”
“Actually no. That part sounds really nice. I can be believable about that. But tennis? Ugh.”
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“Just do it, and you have my word that the rig will be down within three weeks.”
That got her attention.
With a nod, Annabelle accepted the CEO’s terms, and wrapped her hand around his arm, leaning into him a bit as they entered the ballroom.
The whole room glittered with silver and gold Christmas decorations. Annabelle watched as nearly every head around them turned, staring at then. Chase was clearly the man of the hour, and there was more than one jealous look from the glamorous women surrounding them.
Nothing to worry about here, ladies, Annabelle thought wryly.
Still, the sensation of having a handsome man on her arm filled her with a warmth she hadn’t experienced in some time. She glanced up at Chase, whose hair had been slicked back, the effect of which only brightened his eyes from moss green to emerald. His tuxedo was sharp, without a single wrinkle, and a grey vest peeked out from beneath his jacket.
He also smelled really, really good.
Annabelle caught herself, not wanting to get lost in the charade.
One of the suits from the other day approached them with his hand out for Chase to shake.
“Chase, lovely event, truly. Glad to see you brought your…charming girlfriend with you,” he said, nodding to her.
Annabelle grinned from ear to ear. It was obvious she was not a fan favorite among the board at large, but their leader’s opinion ruled all, and at that moment she had his favor.
“It’s a pleasure to see you and your hairpiece again, sir. Looking very sharp tonight.”
The man frowned and turned away. Annabelle noticed him tugging at the corner of his hair as he did so, and she snorted a laugh.
“What?” Chase asked, leaning down to hear her over the orchestra playing in the opposite corner.
“He really does have a hairpiece. I was just making a joke, but there he is, tugging it straight!”
Chase glanced over at the man and frowned. “You know, I need the approval of all the members to get that funding, Annabelle. Maybe tone it down a little?”
“Just putting on the same face I had on before. You know, the one they loved?”
“Right,” he replied, glancing around the room, looking for something.
The object of his search soon appeared in the form of the lead investor, who approached them both with a warm smile.
“Chase, so glad you brought your date tonight. I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced, if you can believe it!”
Annabelle held out her hand with her fingertips down, and the man gripped it with a weak hold.
“Annabelle Williams, of the Bluewater Williams,” she said, batting her eyes.
The man laughed. “You truly are a hoot. I’m Nathaniel Claireborne. You might find this hard to believe, but generally people don’t introduce themselves by saying where their family wealth is stored anymore.”
“How would you know? You’re practically a fossil.”
Chase had taken two flutes of champagne from a waiter holding a silver tray and was mid-sip when Annabelle made that comment. He instantly began to choke.
Nathaniel’s expression was bemused. “I assure you, there is nothing you could say that will offend me, my dear.”
“Now that is quite the challenge. Shall we draw and make our paces? Isn’t that what they did when you were a young man?”
To Annabelle’s utter shock, this comment just made the man laugh even harder.
Nathaniel was wiping tears from his eyes when he gave Chase a firm pat on the shoulder. “Don’t let go of this one, my boy. She will always keep you on your toes!”
As cocktail hour passed, Annabelle kept up her facade of sassy rich girl as Chase introduced her to an impossible number of people.
“How do you remember all these people’s names?” she whispered.
Chase grinned down at her. “It’s my job, Belle. The more people I know, the more connections I can make. This is exactly how business is conducted.”
“And here I was thinking we were here to eat a five-course meal in the name of hunger relief. Also, might I remind you that you got my name wrong when we first met. You’re not that good.”
“Well, in that moment you were inconsequential. Now you are not.”
“Uh-huh. By the way, only the people I love call me Belle. No need for you to do it tonight.”
Chase reached down and grabbed her hand, lacing their fingers together. Her hand fit perfectly into his as he whispered in her ear. “There is every need, as you and I are lovers, as we not?”
“For the next few hours, in public. I’m telling you, you better be true to your word, Frost, or there will be hell to pay.”
Chase had the audacity to chuckle then and he planted an affectionate kiss on her temple.
To Annabelle’s frustration, the spot where his lips touched her skin erupted in tingles. She glanced sideways and saw a look of approval on Nathaniel’s wrinkly face, standing a few paces away.
“Is that man seriously going to make a huge financial decision based on whether or not you’re affectionate with me?” she asked, trying to distract herself from the fuzzy sensation in her stomach.
“You’d be surprised what makes people tick, Belle. Nathaniel has learned much about me, or at least he thinks he has, based on my relationship with you. His judgements about my character will be made in conjunction with our business discussions, and we will proceed from there.”
“Sounds ridiculous to me,” Annabelle replied.
“It is, in a way, but that’s business.”
Annabelle rolled her eyes, then, but catching Nathaniel’s gaze, she softened the expression with a tender look at Chase.
He grinned down at her. “Nice save.”
“So are we eating at this thing, or what?”
“We are. Right this way, my dear,” he said, gesturing toward a table at the front of the room, just before a large podium.
They were soon joined by the investors, some of whom had brought along their young ‘girlfriends’, or whatever they might have been.
The conversation was light. The suits bragged about recent business successes, luxury holidays, real estate acquisitions, and how they came to meet their wives and girlfriends.
“And what about you two? How did you meet?” someone asked.
“Playing tennis,” Annabelle said automatically.
Chase grinned, lacing his fingers with hers again. It was a gesture she was getting entirely too used to.
“Annabelle here has quite the backhand, as it turns out. Of course, I let her win, to be a good sport.”
Annabelle slapped his arm playfully. “I beat you fairly every single time. Don’t listen to this man’s lies, ladies and gents. He’s never won a match against me.”
Chase looked around the table as though to say, can you believe this woman? And everyone chuckled.
Their conversation was cut short by the ring of the microphone. A woman in a black, sequined dress tapped the mic and cleared her throat.
“Thank you all for coming to this splendid event. Tonight, we dine with the knowledge that we are fortunate to do so without a second thought. For many, that is simply not the case. I would like to extend a hearty thank you to Chase Frost and his team for contributing so much to our cause.”
The room erupted in applause, and the men around the table insisted Chase stand and take credit. He did, briefly, then sat down with a blush on his cheeks. Annabelle found that surprising. Did he really not want credit for his good deed?
“And now, please enjoy your meals. The dance area will be opening up soon.”
A hearty applause rang around the room as the orchestra picked back up again, playing a soothing rendition of “O Come All Ye Faithful” while the twinkle lights surrounding the room cast a shimmering golden glow. It really was quite the grand spectacle.
“You never told me you were a big-time philanthropist,” Annabelle mumbled as conversation broke into groups.
“You never asked. You just a
ssumed I was some tyrant killing baby seals with my oil rigs.”
“Well, that’s true. But how can you hurt so many people and help so many others at the same time? Just how much of the money you raise actually gets to those in need?”
Chase’s gaze was sharp as he looked down at her. “You’re insinuating that I steal from my own charities?”
