The ride home was a bit of a blur. Even with all the dancing I’d done, I still had a hefty buzz. Once upstairs, I was aware enough to dig my keys out of my handbag and even managed to wash off my severely damaged makeup after Arch kissed my cheek and left me to my own devices in my apartment. Before he turned to his place, though, I watched him standing outside my door until he heard the distinctive click of my deadbolt. I set my alarm, downed a huge glass of water to ward off a hangover, and collapsed on the bed, asleep before I could count the first sheep. I didn’t even notice Satan jump up on the bed and curl up beside me.
The weekend passed in a whirl of shopping fun. Wes tagged along, saying he used to go thrift store shopping with his mom and sister, and it made him nostalgic. We found sixteen prom dresses and a plethora of cocktail-style dresses. Todd said cocktail was the current style. I took his word for it. Poor Wes, bored, held dresses and bags like a champ.
Sunday, we shopped for the Christmas party. Todd and Rick also had an invitation; after all, they were family. We split our shopping time between the men’s and women’s departments since we needed to find both Rick and Todd a new tux.
Todd must’ve swished a magic, dress-making wand, because the dress appeared in front of me. “Get over here!” I whisper-yelled as I stood in awe. The moment was definitely a bride choosing the perfect wedding gown type of moment.
Todd sidled up beside me, hand over his mouth. “It’s perfect. It’ll show off your curves, but give you perfect lines. I can’t believe it. We found the perfect dress, and it’s not even lunchtime. We’ll have all afternoon to clean out your closet.”
That’s what we did. Perfect shoes already sat in my closet, unworn, saving us from shoe shopping. We played in my closet, organizing and sorting, until Rick came home from work. We filled my car to the brim with a cornucopia of clothes to donate.
Monday, we took the dresses to their new homes. It made me happy to send all the unused clothes to people that would get good use out of them.
I received a call from my building manager Monday afternoon while we delivered dresses. The security company figured out who supplied my stepmother with the codes. It was our beloved doorman. He’d already been fired, but with my blessing, they didn’t press charges. I was crushed to find out it was someone I cared about. The building super said the doorman had gone through a rough financial time recently. My stepmother probably paid him handsomely for the codes.
To my surprise, Wes turned up Monday evening. “There is something I need to give you,” he said.
“Okay, sure! Come in.” My heart soared with his sudden appearance.
He didn’t give me time to turn and face him before he spun me around and pressed me up against the wall. He trapped me between the wall and his body, and I’d never been so happy to be caught in my life. “I owe you a kiss, friendship be damned.” His voice was husky, laced with desire.
His lips crashed into mine, passion inflamed. His hands traveled my body, stopping short of anywhere we weren’t ready to go.
My hands drifted to his shaggy blond hair. I traced my fingers behind his ears and to the back of his neck, leaving chills in their wake.
His hands landed on my hips, and with a bit of a crouch, he picked me up by my thighs and carried me over to the couch.
We spent the rest of the evening talking about our futures, desires, and dreams. We peppered the conversation with kisses and caresses. I acted like a high school girl getting to know her first crush. He was sweet and romantic, and his caresses left me with an unquenchable thirst. Definitely, not just friends.
I spent Tuesday partly obsessing over the kiss and what it meant, and trying to get Todd to cough up the answer to my problem of who to choose. I wanted to passionately kiss all of them. Only, Arch had yet to kiss me. Once I exhausted Todd’s patience, I sat and stewed over whether or not I was immoral to want kisses from three different men.
In the end, I decided I didn’t care if I’d be sent to the flaming pits of hell; I wanted those kisses and the opportunity to get to know the guys giving them. Normalcy be damned.
I spent Wednesday at a spa with Todd. We were scrubbed, polished, buffed, and steamed before my big night in a beautiful dress.
Thursday, I gave in. “Todd. Are you busy today?” I called him bright and early.
“Not really. I was gonna deep clean the laundry room.” He sounded bored.
“Come dye my hair.” Silence. “Todd?”
“Are you serious?” he whispered.
“Yes. I’m ready.” I’d begun to enjoy the more girly things in life. I didn’t even mind doing my makeup every day.
“I’ll be up in thirty minutes. We’ll go to the beauty supply store.” His voice was extra high-pitched in excitement.
I scurried about and managed to be ready, albeit with wet hair, when he arrived.
We forgot about the frequently present society reporters and took my car to the store. Once they recognized my car, one ran for his own vehicle. “Shit,” I muttered.
The reporter didn’t disappoint. He managed to follow us to the store, and the next morning there were pictures of me with my damp hair. The headline read, “Wet Hair; Don’t Care.” The article was surprising. It complimented me for joining in the fresh-faced, makeup-free Hollywood trend; even though, I was wearing makeup. Thank you to Todd’s barely there regime.
We spent the day putting highlights and lowlights in my hair. When Todd turned the blow dryer off on my completed ‘do, I couldn’t stop staring at myself in the mirror. The change was subtle but impactful, like everything else he’d done.
“Kitten, I keep telling you! You’re already beautiful. The changes I’ve always wanted to make are simply enhancements, not true changes.” We stared at my new hair in my bathroom mirror.
He touched my cheek. “Your makeup, if done right, makes your skin glow and your eyes pop.” He curled a lock of my hair around his finger. “Your hair, when fixed, is more professional and like you care about yourself. And now the color gives your skin a warm tone and makes your hair shinier and sleeker.”
I turned and hugged him. “I’m still me. I still feel like me. I’ll still wear the comfy clothes more often than not, though.” I stared into the mirror. With the blond highlights, and the small changes to my face, I could glimpse my mom gazing back at me.
Todd burst out laughing. “I have no doubt about that. Rome wasn’t built in a day.”
In time to save my sanity, Friday appeared. The week had been fun and nerve wracking, but it trudged by like a snail trying to win a grasshopper race. Another one of my grandmother’s expressions. Per Todd’s instructions, I relaxed all day Friday until time for him to beautify me.
“Tell me why again I wasn’t supposed to wash it?” I asked after I showered without washing my hair.
“Dirty hair is easier to style,” he replied through a mouthful of hairpins.
“You’re the boss.” If I hadn’t fully trusted his beauty advice before, I certainly did after he proved he was right about my hair color.
Todd started with my hair. He pulled out a box of hot rollers we’d never used before. “This will give you a beachy wave. We’ll perfect it with the curling iron.”
He applied my makeup while the curlers set my hair. My face was pure elegance when he was done. He finished putting the finishing touches on my bronzed eyes when the buzzer rang from the front door. Someone was in the lobby and wanted to come up. The manager hadn’t replaced the doorman, so visitors had to use the buzzers to be allowed in the building.
“I guess they fixed the system.” Todd left to check who it was and returned a few minutes later with a manicurist. “I figured of all nights, tonight you get a little extra pampering. She’s going to do your nails while I finish your hair.
The small, blond woman set up a collapsible table complete with stool in my bathroom. By the time my nails dried, my hair was cascading down my back in fat curls and waves.
Todd began his own primping while I con
templated my dress. I stepped into it and instantly turned into a svelte princess—not the old-school, ball gown type princess. I embodied the modern-day, high fashion sort of royalty. Although, I wouldn’t have minded a glass slipper. I could rock it.
The sleek black dress had a sheer, embroidered back. The cap sleeves made my arms miles long. The skirt was long—long enough my shoes would only show if I used the finger loop to hold the bottom of the skirt up.
I’d be sure to use the finger loop, though, because they begged to be shown off. They were barely there sandals with a heel high enough I wouldn’t be able to dance exuberantly in them. Crystals sparkled on the black leather. Every inch sparkled. Red soles gave a pop of color when I moved my feet.
I was ready to be the belle of the ball. I was ready to wow the board and see my stepmother’s face when she watched me walk in on the arms of three of the most eligible bachelors in the city. And, I was ready to work toward gaining a little bit of my Happily Ever After.
Chapter Thirteen
Todd stood back and watched me preen in the mirror. “You’ve changed since those three came into your life.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, watching him through the mirror.
“You’re more confident, and it’s nothing to do with wearing makeup.” He walked up behind me and put his hands on my shoulders. “I think you’ve begun to see yourself the way you are—the way I see you.”
My reflection was a woman I would’ve never expected to see. “When did I turn into an adult? I don’t feel like an adult.” Probably when my daddy died. I stared morosely at the mirror.
“They say it sneaks up on us.” He put his arms around me from behind. “You’re capable of anything you put your mind to. I want you to believe it.”
“I’m beginning to learn it. I’m more confident. I feel prettier, too.” I put my hands on his arms. “Thank you for always finding the best in me.”
“It’s my job as your fairy godmother. Make you pretty and love you to pieces.” He pulled away. “Now. I’m going to go get Rick and meet you at the party. I plan on getting him ridiculously drunk and then having my way with him in your stepmother’s office.”
“Okay, enjoy!” I laughed as he pranced out of my apartment. A few minutes later, my doorbell rang. I flicked on the monitor to find my dates. The bottom dropped out of my stomach, I took a deep breath and opened the door.
Three dazzling smiles greeted me. “Shall we, sweet lady?” asked Arch with a small bow. He gelled his Ivy League cut hair neatly, but something was off about the way they were dressed. I couldn’t put my finger on it.
Gray, long hair loose and shining, stepped forward and pulled a bouquet of roses from behind his back. “For you, on our non-date.”
Every petal of the multi-colored roses had an ombre effect. “I love them. Come in, and let me put them in water.”
I stared at my pitiful collection of vases under my kitchen sink. It consisted of one vase, too small to hold the roses. Like a proper Southerner, I put them in an old mason jar.
I exited the kitchen to find Gray adjusting Wes’s bowtie. His hair was brushed back with barely enough product to keep it in line. “I’m nervous,” Wes said to Gray.
“Don’t be. It’ll all work out,” Gray replied as he perfected the tie. As I watched them, I realized what was off about their clothing.
“Everyone ready?” I interrupted their exchange, curious about their conversation but too nervous to ask.
Arch stood behind Gray and Wes, cell phone to his ear. He clicked it off and held his hand out to me. “Your chariot awaits. The limo is a traditional stretch this time.” He arranged for the sort of vehicle the board would expect me to arrive in.
“I’m disappointed.” I put on a convincing sad face.
Their faces fell. “What’s wrong?” Gray exclaimed.
“You’re all three wearing capes. I figured you’d be flying me to the party!” I tried to keep up the mock disappointment, but I couldn’t. Laughter cracked my facade.
“We’ve been dying for you to notice!” Wes said through his own laughter.
Gray grabbed his cape and flapped it as he ran around the apartment. “You said capes were a turn on! Do we make you want to rush into the bedroom with us?”
I affected my most serious, sultry voice. “If we weren’t on a timeline this evening, I’d be stripping you all three down to nothing but the capes.” Good one, Ellie. That’s real platonic of you.
They took a moment to compose themselves, mostly from laughter, but I could see them mulling my words over with lust in their eyes.
“Wait! I almost forgot my earrings!” I ran into my bedroom to get the diamond drop earrings we bought to go with the dress. Knowing my stepmother would be at her best made me want to be at mine. She’d find no fault in my appearance.
When I walked into the living room, all set to leave, Arch waited for me. He reached out and brushed my hair behind my shoulder. One finger stroked the diamonds dangling from my ear. Physically, his touch was light; I could barely feel him. Sensually, it ran throughout my entire body.
I tilted my face up and gazed into his hazel eyes. His ever-present five o’clock shadow was as light as I’d ever noticed it. His eyebrows rose up in a question. He’s asking permission to kiss me. The chivalrous gesture turned me on. I slid my hands up his arms and linked them behind his neck.
Tilting my head, I leaned forward and brushed my lips against his, feather light. His breath came hot out of his mouth. He smelled like fresh mint. Tentatively, I slid my tongue along his bottom lip. He opened his mouth, and I darted my tongue inside to meet his.
His resolve to let me lead the way broke, and he pulled me against his body. I could feel the intensity of his desire against my lower stomach. Lava spread across my body at every spot it touched his.
By the time he finished kissing me, I was a quivering mess in his arms. He pulled away, chest heaving. “They’ll be waiting for us.” I wanted to lock the door and let the world be damned, but I closed my eyes and took a deep, steadying breath.
Arch held out his elbow, and I placed my hand in the crook of his arm. I snatched my lint roller from beside the door and ran it over my dress to capture the stray cat hairs already permeating my home before we joined Arch and Gray at the elevator. “Let’s do this. It’s probably going to get a little bit ugly tonight,” I said with a nervous laugh.
Gray turned and stared at my lips. He knew what we’d done. I waited for an outburst, or at least a glare, but he took my hand and walked into the elevator. On the way down, I pulled a mirror out of my purse and repaired the damage Arch did to my hair and makeup.
The ride over to the Asche Publishing headquarters was tense. We all anticipated the worst from my stepfamily. Arch passed out flutes of champagne. “We shouldn’t become drunk tonight, but a little bubbly won’t hurt.”
“My nerves certainly need it,” I murmured.
I finished my champagne as we pulled up to my childhood home-away-from-home. An elderly porter in full formal uniform, including tails, opened the limo door. “Good evening Ms. Asche. I trust you’re well.”
“I’m wonderful, Reg. How’s your wife?” I’d known Reginald for most of my life. He took care of the lobby of our publishing house for as long as I could remember. I received a Christmas card from his family a few days before.
“She’s excited about Christmas with the family. They’ll be spending the entire holiday with us.” He beamed at me.
I grabbed Reg’s hand and pressed a small envelope into it. I’d prepared dozens of the envelopes and stuffed my small bronze bag with them. “I hope your holiday is wonderful, Reg. We must get in now.”
“Of course, Miss Asche. I hope yours is, as well.” He squeezed my hand, and I moved out of the way to allow my dates to exit the limo.
Reg walked ahead of me and held the door open. “Give her hell,” he whispered as I passed by. I replied with an exaggerated wink.
“I guess the entire company k
nows about our battle,” I murmured to Arch.
“It has been in all the papers,” he said as he took my arm.
I led the way to the elevators, and we rose to the event area on the seventh floor reserved for functions: large corporate meetings, company parties, and training events.
The enormous conference room was transformed into a semblance of a winter wonderland. It looked like a high school prom threw up.
Every employee in the company was invited, but we rewarded any employee who needed to work the party a substantial bonus and an extra paid floating holiday for the next year.
“Next year I’ll be running this joint, and we can decorate a little better,” I said out of the corner of my mouth.
Gray laughed. “You need to put Todd on it.”
“That’s the truth,” came Todd’s unmistakable voice from behind us. “Good man. You’re already learning to let me take care of things.”
Once we greeted one another, we moved as one unit toward the center of the room. I spied my stepsister across the room and strategically placed myself behind Arch and Gray. Wes stood with me. “Now what?”
“Now, I need to go find members of the board and schmooze a little. Would any of you like to join me?”
Arch responded first. We left Gray and Wes with Todd and Rick at our shared table. I approached the acting CEO first. “Scott, it’s nice to see you this evening. Where’s your lovely wife?” I asked.
“She’s a bit under the weather tonight.” He smiled and shook my hand with a limp grip.
“This is my friend, Arch Beaumont. Arch, this is the interim CEO of Asche, Scott Allen.”
The two men shook hands. “What do you do, Arch?” Scott affected a jovial tone, which I knew to be a lie. The man was incapable of anything but a foul expression on his face.
“I work in a law office,” he replied evasively.
“I see.” Scott sounded disinterested. He probably expected Arch to respond with some impressive career—which, ironically, he did have—but Arch wouldn’t give him any information about himself.
Falling For Them Volume 2: Reverse Harem Collection Page 50