by Rexi Lake
So where did that leave me? Stuck in between the hot bodyguard who’s sudden advances matched the heat level I’d been feeling for him since day one and the intriguing stranger that lived in my phone and might actually be completely different from who he said.
Damn.
Double damn.
It would be so much better for me if Tate had found that note and texted me. Then I wouldn’t be feeling oddly pulled in two different directions.
ARRIVING AT THE MANSION later that afternoon, I had to make three trips from my car to unload all of the outfits I’d pieced together in various states of progress. Two were almost finished. Hemlines remained, as well as sleeve lengths, for them. Another three were pieced together enough to try on and pin as needed. The last four were sketches still, but I’d brought several bolts of fabric for Starla to look at and approve before I started cutting and piecing them together.
Yeah, Starla was that kind of client. But we’d worked out our system and I wasn’t about to deviate from it anytime soon. If I wanted to keep my job, which I did, then I worked within her rules.
“Miss Stella, I see you’ve brought a number of items for today.” Starla greeted me as she entered the room. She was immediately drawn to the business side of everything. “Shall we begin with the fittings and then move to the sketches?”
“Of course, Miss Night,” I murmured in agreement. Her question really wasn’t a question. It was rhetorical. She wanted to follow that order. And I was happy to do so. Especially since her demeanor told me that she must not have any knowledge of the note or the kiss. Thank the StoryTeller.
The fittings themselves took the longest, so getting them out of the way first was the smart way to do it. I was working on the hemline of the second dress - a sequined sleek cut with a high-low hem that made it look like a tuxedo jacket cut long in the back for added flair. Because the hemline was angled, I had to take extra care to measure my pins and ensure that both sides were even with each other, as well as sloping at the same angle. Not difficult, but it took longer to pin.
“Oh, Tate,” Starla greeted her bodyguard as he entered the room. I barely restrained my look of shock. I wasn’t sure she’d ever addressed anyone by their first name. “I’m glad you’re here. Would you mind keeping Miss Stella company for a few moments? I completely lost track of the time and I have a call scheduled with the venue for next week’s gala.” She glanced down at me and blinked innocently. “You don’t mind, do you Miss Stella?”
What was I supposed to say to that? She was my sole employer. My entire livelihood depended only on her and catering to her whims. Okay, that was stretched just a little bit. But, did she honestly think I was going to say I minded? It wasn’t like I had another client waiting after her.
So, I just shook my head. “That’s fine. Let’s get this outfit off you first though. I don’t want any of the pins coming out or sticking you while you’re on your call.” Quite frankly, I didn’t want to have to redo the work I’d just done because of some slip that either left blood on the fabric and made the whole thing trash or dislodged pins and left me back on the floor measuring the hemline again.
No thanks.
FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER, Starla was out the door and I was left alone with Tate. Tate who still stood just inside the room, silent and watching me with those intense eyes that made me wish I was a little more wicked in this world.
“Hello, Drew,” he greeted softly.
“Hello,” I murmured. I looked away, finding a seat and sitting down as I waited for Starla to return. I had no idea what her call was about or how long she’d be gone, but I wanted to be ready to go as soon as she returned.
“How are you?”
I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. Small talk? Really? We’d never done small talk before.
“I’m well,” I answered carefully. I wanted to jump his bones still and I was confused as hell about feeling attracted to someone I’d never met in person and still attracted to Tate at the same time. Not that I would say it out loud, of course.
He nodded and that was it. For about ten seconds.
“I know I startled you the last time with that kiss.”
I caught my breath. He wanted to talk about that? Oh, dear StoryTeller. How I wished she would write me out of this scene. Except this wasn’t a scene. This was a real life. Whatever that meant.
“You could say that,” I hedged. He could also say that he left me needing a whole lot more than just a kiss. But I wasn’t about to admit that. Not even if he kissed me again.
Nope.
Not happening.
“I have been attracted to you for some time. I believe the attraction is reciprocated.” He paused, but I sealed my lips shut and waited. “I would like to have the opportunity to explore that attraction with you.”
“We can’t,” I said. Although, even to my own ears, I could hear the lack of conviction in my tone.
“Why not?”
He approached me and I felt the urge to back away. He had enough of a hold over me from a distance. Up close? I would be lucky to form a coherent word in my head, let alone speak out loud. Especially when he crouched in front of me and brought us face to face. Close enough that I could feel the heat of him. Or maybe that was my blood pressure rising as that desire I always felt around him sparked and flared inside me.
“We can’t.” I repeated. Did I have an actual reason? I was pretty sure there was one. But for the life of me, I couldn’t grasp that thought from the haze that was my brain. And, hadn’t we already had this conversation?
“What if we could?” he asked.
If we could, I would have jumped his bones years ago. My eyes went wide. That thought filtered through my head and I managed to bite my tongue and hold it back before it spewed out of me. I did not need to be getting myself into trouble here.
CHAPTER NINE ~ Tate
I waited, but she remained silent.
“Starla and I have never been an item. We will never be an item.” Maybe if I dispelled the one rumor that I’d seen floating around, that would help.
“You aren’t?”
Her startled expression told me I’d jolted her just a little.
“No,” I answered, shaking my head. I couldn’t tell her everything yet, but I could tell her that. She already knew about my relationship with Star, she just didn’t know that Nathaniel and Tate were one and the same.
“Why?”
I laughed. “That’s what you want to know?” Why were women so unpredictable?
She nodded. “Starla is beautiful. She’s young. She’s famous. She’s got everything.” She gestured to the air around us.
“True. But she doesn’t have bright green eyes that see more than others. She doesn’t have dark, thick hair that I want to run my fingers through. She doesn’t have a crooked smile that emerges when she’s lost in thought.” I’d been watching Drew for as long as she’d been watching me. I knew her, even if we’d rarely spoken before beginning our messaging conversations.
“She’s got an amazing voice. She’s generous and charitable.” Drew responded to my list with her own. “I’m not like that.”
“You aren’t charitable? Or generous?” I asked, raising a brow. “Are you sure about that?”
“Yeah,” she said wryly. “I’m pretty positive on that.”
“What about the sandwiches you buy from the corner store on your way home to give to the couple that feeds the birds in the park? What about the blankets you make from your scraps and send to the homeless shelters around the area?”
She shrugged. “What about them?”
“You don’t think that’s generous or charitable of you? That you’re going above and beyond?”
“No. I’m not doing anything special.” She shook her head. Adamantly.
“Then what are you doing?” I asked.
“Penance.” She said it so simply and matter-of-factly that I had to blink.
Again, I had to wonder what she’d done in her past
to make her feel like she wasn’t a good person.
“What could you have done that was so bad you feel you need to pay penance?” I asked.
She shrugged.
I sighed. This was not going as I’d hoped it would. In fact, it was the opposite of what I’d wanted. Of course, for me, what I really wanted was to feel her mouth against mine again. To feel her body against mine. And to take her further than she’d ever been. To claim her body in ways she’d never imagined.
Starla came back before I could say another word. I could hear her coming, which meant she was being loud on purpose. She didn’t want to embarrass Drew by walking in on something. Even though nothing was going on, I backed up, standing enough away for Drew to be comfortable. Once Starla was back and they were deep into fashion discussions again, I disappeared. It would be hours before they finished. And I would have more luck speaking to her as Nathaniel than Tate.
Me: I’ve been wondering if you would like to meet in person. Perhaps go on a date?
Drew: I don’t know. To be honest, the thought of taking our conversations from virtual to real is a little scary.
Me: I understand. Perhaps we could meet at a public event? I will be attending a charity thing next week. At the moment I’m going alone. If you’d like to join me, I can add you as my plus one.
STARLA HAD GIVEN ME the idea to invite her to the ball. She was fairly sure Drew had some gowns already done that could be quickly altered for her to wear. But, regardless, she’d also told me that I needed to give Drew enough time to actually alter a dress or make one.
I held my breath as I waited for her response. It didn’t come right away. It didn’t come in five minutes. I forced my attention to my computer and my routine checks of the tabloids and news stories. Inevitably there would be something about Starla, but there had never been anything about her past. After a few years of speculation and nothing to go on, the reporters had stopped searching for it. Or, at the very least, they’d dropped it until they could find a lead.
Checking the list of websites I had took twenty minutes. Then I did a generic search. Then I started on the social media sites. Hashtags made searches faster, but they also brought up some rather weird things too. People and ads that took advantage of a popular tag to boost the visibility of their own message would pop up a skin cream ad in the midst of music videos. Or a car insurance ad among fashion forward celebrity photos.
Finally, my phone let out that soft ding alerting me to a new text.
Drew: Can I meet you there?
I breathed a sigh of relief. She was accepting my invitation. I had six more days, and a few more encounters, before she knew the truth. The whole truth. I hadn’t lied exactly, but I had certainly omitted some pertinent details. I hoped the attraction between us - the connection we were building - would trump the slight deception.
CHAPTER TEN ~ Drew
Six days. I had six days of endlessly questioning myself. Texting with Nathaniel. Conversations with Tate. Way too much time in Tate’s presence. Good StoryTeller. If he’d been the prince, I might have fought a whole lot harder to win him from El. As it was, I was physically stimulated by one guy, and mentally stimulated by another, and between them I was a hot and bothered mess of a woman. I spent every night, every morning, and sometimes my lunch hour enjoying my own stimulation and my trusty vibrator. I’d had to replace the batteries three times in six days! I was surprised it was even still working given how exhausted I was from the nearly endless arousal.
It was insane. I felt insane. I felt so twisted up in need that I wasn’t sure I could actually go through with getting myself to the gala. And I still had to drop off Starla and Tate’s clothes, help Starla get dressed, then get myself ready before I could even get on my way.
What had I been thinking to accept the invitation? What?
BRUTUS WATCHED ME FROM the bed as I dashed from one side of my bedroom to the other, into the bathroom, back to the living room, and basically in circles as I tried to get everything ready so I didn’t have to be frantic later. Instead, though, I was being a maniac beforehand. I had to leave in ten minutes to go to the mansion. The dress and tux were already pressed and laid flat in the trunk of my car. I’d put the back seats down for more room. I’d grabbed my shower already, and my hair was twisted up into a tight bun to prevent it from drying too much before I could take the blow dryer to it and give it some style other than messy.
“Don’t even think of playing with my makeup, Brutus,” I warned. I closed the bathroom door tight, hoping that would keep him out. But, knowing his love of batting around my mascara tube, it might not keep him out. Because this would be the one time that he not only decided to get into my stuff again, but to also lose it under some piece of furniture or another.
I slipped on my shoes and darted out the door, grabbing my keys and bag on the way. If everything went as planned, I’d still be able to show up before the event started at ten. I had enough time to dress Starla, get home, dress myself, and battle the Friday night traffic.
Or so I thought. Dressing Starla had been easy. She’d even graced me with a smile of approval and an added level of warmth had tinged her voice when she’d told me she was so pleased I would be attending the gala. I hadn’t expected that. But I hadn’t thought to tell her I’d been added to the guest list either. I guess a part of me didn’t want her to say no. I never thought she’d be welcoming about it. I was, after all, her hired help.
Was that how El had felt? Dang. That was probably why karma was kicking in hard on me. The backed up traffic from an earlier accident meant I was still not home to get myself ready for the gala. It was getting close to nine, and I’d expected to be almost ready to leave my home by now. But no. Apparently I was going to have to really rush to make myself presentable and try to show up as close to ten as possible.
Where was my fairy godmother? I banged the steering wheel in annoyance. The harsh, jarring pain that rattled my arm was a glaring reminder that this wasn’t a fairytale. I might be getting dealt some karma in this land, but there wasn’t the magic of a fairy here to fix it all for me. I wasn’t El. I wasn’t the good girl. I was on my own to get to my ball.
IT WAS TEN-THIRTY. How I managed to make it to the valet guy in front of the venue by ten-thirty was completely a mystery. But I was there. I handed over my keys and took the ticket he handed me. I tucked it into my clutch as I took the stairs up to the entrance. Getting through security wasn’t difficult. Especially since no one was in front of me waiting. And then, finally, I was approaching the doors into the grand ballroom.
Even with some knowledge of the event, a charity ball to raise funds for a local orphanage with a midnight magic theme, I was not prepared for the elaborate decor that made the room sparkle. Champagne flutes sat beside a fountain that bubbled with the golden beverage. Crystals hung in clusters from the ceiling, reflecting the twinkling lights into rainbows on the floor, walls, and guests. Mirrors were strategically placed on the walls, beneath the table centerpieces, and even on the edges of the tablecloths. It didn’t matter that the main lights were dimmed and only the recessed lights were shining out like stars. With all the carefully placed decorations, there was plenty of light to make the ballroom feel like a magical wonderland.
If I didn’t know better, I’d swear it was real magic that danced in the air. Not just a play on lights and reflections.
Of course, I’d only seen magic used a handful of times - El’s transformation when her prince found her, Quill’s appearance, and then the StoryTeller sending me here. So, I really couldn’t claim to be an expert on the subject.
I took a deep breath and stepped into the crowd. I didn’t know where Nathaniel was. I didn’t know how or if I would actually recognize him. But he’d sworn he would recognize me and find me. So I needed to mingle. I could do that. Right? I grabbed a champagne flute and filled it. A sip of the bubbly liquid was exactly as I’d expected it to be. Sweet and fizzy. A glass or two would help calm my nerves. Maybe then, I
could enjoy myself instead of feeling the anxious butterflies that threatened to make me throw up. That would not make for a good first impression. Not at all.
CHAPTER ELEVEN ~ Tate
I saw her walk in and I almost forgot my duties. Approaching her immediately wasn’t part of the plan. Not because I didn’t want to, but because I needed to stick near Star until the formalities of endless greetings and her solicitation and welcome speech was done. Then I could fade back and let the venue security team do their job. Star had sworn she would stay on the dance floor, which would allow me to do the same. There were plenty of men who had already requested a dance from her, so I had no need to worry that she could keep her promise. I only had to ensure that none of them were inappropriate when they had their dance.
It felt like forever before the necessities were over and Starla was led into her first dance of the evening. Keeping my eyes toward the dance floor, I made my way to where Drew stood on the sidelines, observing the party and probably taking notes on the attire of the other women present.
“Hello, Drew,” I greeted, taking a position beside her. “Are you enjoying yourself?”
“Hello, Tate,” she replied.
I raised a brow. She took a sip of the champagne in her hand and smiled up at me as she’d never done before.
“How many drinks have you had?” I asked, holding back my grin.
“Probably not enough,” she answered. Then she giggled and added, “Or maybe one too many.”
I couldn’t help it. I laughed at her answer. It seemed she was just tipsy enough to have lost some of the rigid restrictions she kept on herself.
