by Alexa Davis
“Right, okay. I think I liked that midnight blue one better, anyway.”
She nodded seriously and swished back into the changing room. “I just have one more to try on, and then I’ll be back.”
I pulled the paper out of my pocket while I waited and went to unfold it to learn the details that Lindsey had given me. It wasn’t much, but I hoped it would be enough. I was sure that we’d just find a way to blow past stuff anyway, not that much was likely to crop up too complicated…or so I hoped.
“Are you okay, Sir?” a voice purred before I could see the page. I stuffed it back into my pocket and turned my head to see the red-haired assistant that I had only just managed to get rid of. At Oscar de la Renta it was all about customer service, even if you didn’t want it. “Is there anything else I can do for you?”
“No.” I shook my head fervently. “We’re fine, thank you.”
She didn’t seem to take the hint as she shook her hips and moved herself closer to me. As she bent down to whisper in my ear I got a fully shot at her breasts – she certainly wasn’t trying to hide them from me! “Are you sure?” she hissed, allowing her breath to tickle my cheek. “Because I will do anything you want. I’m sure there’s even an empty dressing room around here somewhere.”
I rolled my eyes to myself before I answered. This was exactly the sort of woman who only wanted to impress me because of my name. Maybe once upon a time I would have liked that, but now I didn’t care so much. “No, we’re- Woah.”
Before I could finish my sentence, Lindsey pushed back the changing room curtain to reveal herself. She looked shocked to see me in such a compromising position with the sales assistant, before quickly regaining herself. I didn’t care about the redhead at all, even less so now, which was a hint she seemed to take because she slunk away quickly.
I barely even noticed her as she melted away – my eyes were fixed on the beauty in front of me. The red, sparkly material clung to Lindsey tightly, splaying out at her hips and hitting the floor at exactly the right length. The high neckline kept her covered up, yet somehow made me think more inappropriate thoughts than all the more revealing ones that came before it.
It fit Lindsey perfectly, as if it had been made just for her.
“What do you think?” she asked, sounding a little unsure. “Does it look okay?”
“Yes,” I rasped. “It looks great on you. I think that’s the one.”
She smiled at me and did a playful twirl which did something funny to my insides. I wasn’t sure what it was that caused it, but in that moment, the little sweet firecracker became almost unbearably sexy. I didn’t know what to do with myself. If this had happened in any other lifetime, I would have scooped her up in my arms and kissed her by now.
But it wasn’t, and I couldn’t. I needed to behave.
“That’s perfect,” I tried to sound commanding, but I didn’t think I pulled it off too well. “I think that will look wonderful tomorrow night.”
“Great, thank you. I’ll go and take it off now.”
Oh God, don’t tell me that…
Chapter Eight
Lindsey
Monday
Damn it, does it have to look so good?
I twisted my body from side to side as I examined my appearance in the dress. I knew as soon as I tried it on inside that ridiculously expensive store that it was the one. It must have been the feeling that women got when they tried on their wedding dress and found the one. It felt like a second skin, almost as if it had been designed just for me. I felt like a princess inside of it.
Okay, so I had been forced to style myself, but still I managed to look good. There was just something about the material that made me look incredible. It gave me curves that weren’t there and even made me look like I had the womanly figure I’d always desired.
This must be why everyone is after money, I thought to myself as I smiled at my reflection. It really does make the world go around if it can make me feel this good.
Denise was at her other acting job, so I couldn’t even show her how good I looked. I had to pull out my cell phone and take a photo of myself so I could show her later. It wouldn’t be as good on screen, but it would have to do.
Just as I’d finished taking the picture, my phone bleeped with the message that Adam was outside waiting for me. Obviously the use of the buzzer last time had put him off for life. I could understand that, it was a crappy system.
“One moment, on the way.”
As soon as the message had gone off, I left the apartment and started down the stairs. Because the elevator was still broken, I passed many people on the way down, all of whom gave me funny looks. I already knew what I was going to say if anyone commented, I had a plan to pretend that the dress was a fake that I needed for an acting role so I didn’t get ambushed for wearing a dress that genuinely cost thousands. But no one commented, no one addressed it – they all just continued to look at me strangely.
By the time I descended outside, Adam was stood pressed up against his car. I was a little shocked. I was half expecting the limo again, but it seemed that I was wrong.
“H…hi,” I stammered. “Good to see you.”
Was it good to see him? I just wasn’t sure. He looked good in his charcoal suit, I couldn’t deny that. But I already knew the man that lay inside the suit and he didn’t match his good looks. The person inside was nowhere near as attractive as the man on the outside.
“Yeah, good. Shall we get going?”
His answers were tight and stressed, but I knew that didn’t have much to do with me. I could tell from the way that his shoulders hunched up around his ears that he was stressed. He hadn’t given me much details about his family, just some high expectations, but I could see from the way that he stood that this was more than that. Would I be able to pull this off tonight? Was I going to be able to cope with family drama?
“Sure, yes. Let’s go.”
I slid into the car and clutched my bag tightly into my lap. My body language remained as cold and closed off as his as we pulled the car out and drove along the road. My lips kept parting, wanting to say something, but I didn’t know what the right words were. I didn’t know enough about the situation to comment upon it. I twisted my neck and stared out the window instead. Maybe giving Adam his space was just what he needed.
I needed it, too, it was time to get into character. I didn’t have much information to go on when it came to Adam, and he didn’t have much on me, but somehow we were going to have to make it believable that we had been together for seven months.
It’s just a few hours, I tried to reassure myself. I can do this.
***
Holy hell. I can’t do this!
As I drank in the image of the building that the meal was being held in, I felt blown away. I thought I was ready for this, I’d been preparing myself to be around posh people all week long, but now I didn’t feel prepared for it at all. This was way out of my league, this was serious business, and I just couldn’t do it.
“Is that a red carpet?” I asked Adam in a state of panic. “Is this like, a celeb thing?”
“It’s only for the business media,” he replied with a smirk. “Not the sort of magazines that you read, I’m sure. They won’t be interested in me anyway, so I wouldn’t worry too much.”
I was too freaked out to pick him up on his shitty comment about me and the assumption that he made about my intelligence. If I really thought about it, it hardly mattered what he thought about me. After today, I wouldn’t have to see him again.
“Come on.” Adam linked his arm through mine and he pulled me forward. “Let’s get inside. Get this nightmare over with.”
My eyes closed, and I trusted him to just pull me. Maybe as an aspiring actress, being on any red carpet should have been a dream come true, but it just didn’t feel that way. I wasn’t prepared for it, and although I was dressed for it, I still felt acutely like I didn’t belong. I kept my eyes squeezed shut until the warmth of indoor
s finally hit me.
“See, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” Adam chuckled. “We’re inside now.”
“Right.” I tried to breathe normally. I desperately did what I could to get all the air that I could into my lungs. I really needed to pull it together if I was going to do this. “Okay, good. I might just…”
I was just about to suggest that I would go to the bathroom for a time out, but I didn’t get the opportunity. A female voice called through the room, grabbing Adam’s attention. As an older lady wrapped her arms around him I had to assume that this was his mother… The mother who desperately wanted him to settle down, oh God!
“And you must be the girlfriend,” she turned to me and said with a bright smile. “It’s so wonderful to meet you. I’m Debbie.”
Her bright grin drew me in. “I’m Lindsey,” I replied, extending my hand to her.
At first she took my hand to just shake it, but she soon pulled me in for a hug. She was obviously a touchy feely person, so maybe there wasn’t any need for me to read into it, but something about the action brought tears to my eyes. She reminded me of my own mother, which left me feeling emotional.
Shit, stop it, I warned myself. This isn’t about me tonight.
“You’re very beautiful,” Debbie declared as she pulled back to look at me. “That dress looks wonderful on you.”
“You look lovely, too-”
“Debbie!” another voice boomed. As I looked up I immediately realized that this had to be his father. He and Adam shared the same tight, strikingly handsome features. Clearly they were cut with the same cloth. “The table is ready for us… Oh, Adam.”
His tone totally changed as his eyes lay on his son which made my heart turn ice cold. There was something about his voice that made me think that this was much more than just an expectations thing. “Glad you’re here, son.”
There was a moment. A tension that was so thick it could have been cut with a knife. I wished that I could say something to break the moment because it was so painful, but what could I do? This wasn’t anything that I was a part of at all.
Then, Adam’s dad turned to see me and he turned on what appeared to be a really fake happiness. “And you must be…”
“Lindsey,” I jumped in, needing to control at least the way that he saw me. “My name is Lindsey.”
“It’s good to meet you, Lindsey.” His eyes lingered on me for a beat too long, as if he was trying to size me up. “I’m Richard. You should meet my son, Brandon, and his wife.”
What? That’s it?
He wasn’t about to ask me any more questions? He didn’t intend to speak to his son more? It was almost as if all he could see was Brandon. This was now much more than a sibling rivalry thing. This was a weird, deliberate separation.
I could barely focus as I was introduced to the brother and his wife, which was just as well because they didn’t seem that interested in me. Helen, the wife, certainly wasn’t. Her eyes seemed to be absolutely everywhere but on me, which was fine as far as I was concerned. This fake tanned, massive eyelashes, loads of make up girl was never going to be the sort of person I got along with anyway. Brandon just looked like he didn’t care much about me. My presence probably pissed him off if he constantly wanted to prove that he was better than Adam.
Eventually we were shown to a table right by the stage. I hoped that sitting down with drinks and food would at least ease the tension somewhat before it got to boiling point, but it didn’t.
Helen twisted around in her chair so she didn’t have to get involved in the conversation, Brandon and his father got involved in a really deep discussion about work, and Debbie made her best efforts to bring everyone together, but it just wasn’t working. I wanted to turn to Adam to tell him to just speak, but I couldn’t. I could feel the anger and hurt rolling off him in waves.
I felt cold and uncomfortable, and I regretted my decision to come here. This was the most unpleasant thing that I’d ever experienced. Maybe getting nude wouldn’t have been so bad after all.
“You know we’re having a barbecue next weekend to celebrate Brandon’s promotion?” The only time Richard involved his other son in the conversation, it was to rub his brother’s accomplishments in his face. “Do you think you might be able to take some time out of your busy schedule to come?”
I bristled, that was such a shitty thing to do. I didn’t even need to look at Adam to see that he was tense. He didn’t like this at all, and despite the fact that I didn’t much like him, I hated this more.
“Lindsey,” Debbie jumped in, desperately trying to negate the awful atmosphere. “You should come, too.”
I glanced at Adam – this wasn’t in the agreement at all. It was only supposed to be one night. I needed to find an excuse, a way to get out of it… But then Brandon snorted as if he knew what was going on, which really wound me up. My blood ran hot and my heart thundered in my ear.
“I will come,” I blurted out without thinking too much about it. “That sounds lovely, thank you so much, Debbie.”
Adam grabbed my hand under the table, as if he was trying not to communicate with me, but I didn’t turn to look at him. In the heat of the moment, I was determined that this was the right thing to do to prove everyone wrong.
Chapter Nine
Adam
Monday
What the…
I still couldn’t wrap my head around it, even hours later. Dinner had been served and eaten, everyone was sort of managing to get along through the tension, which was about as good as my family could ask for…but something felt deadly wrong.
Why did Lindsey agree to go to the barbecue?
That was it – that was the issue. I just couldn’t get it. Why the hell would she put herself in a position where she had to go out with me again? She’d already done what we agreed, she was at this meal, that was all that she needed to do for the cash… So why put herself through more?
Maybe I could assume that she didn’t really care, that she had just agreed to shut my family up and that she expected me to make an excuse later, but I didn’t think that was the case. I also didn’t think that she said it to expect more money, either. It seemed, weirdly, that she was doing it to be nice.
Nice I barely understood, especially when I couldn’t work out the motivation behind it.
I wanted to ask Lindsey more, but we hadn’t been given a moment alone. She had spent time charming my mother, winning over my father, and even causing my brother to look at me with the green-eyed monster behind his gaze. Every time she laid her hand on top of mine, I could see him glancing towards Helen, who hadn’t given him a scrap of attention all night long.
At least there was some good to come from tonight.
“…and now, the award that we’ve all been waiting for.” I forced my eye roll to only be a small one when I knew that the moment was upon us. My chest tightened, my stomach twisted up in knots, my heart beat faster. “The honorary award for business.”
I tuned out and turned to look at Lindsey. Admiring her beauty and trying to work out what the hell was going on behind her gaze was preferable to listening to some sap talk up my dad. None of the people in the room knew this man like I did. I wanted to get up there and tell them how he really was, but what would be the point? Who gave a shit? I leaned onto my elbow and stared at her, wondering who she really was. Really, she was nothing more than an enigma…
I had to drag myself from those thoughts when the clapping rang out around the room. I forced my hands to bang together so I didn’t come across as the bitter, twisted pig that I kinda was.
I froze when I noticed that it wasn’t just Dad standing up on the stage. Brandon was there, too, standing next to him as if he belonged there. As if he was part of the reason my father was so successful. His grinning smug face burned into my brain and sent anger cascading through me. It dizzied me and made a red mist descend in front of my vision. I could barely contain myself. I shot my mother a look, but she refused to meet my gaze.
&
nbsp; “Thank you so much for this award,” Dad boomed out like the arrogant son of a bitch he was. “It means so much. To me and my son.” As he turned to smile at Brandon my knuckles turned white. I was his son too, why the fuck couldn’t he see that? Why couldn’t he see that I had my own worth? Just because I didn’t meet his expectations, didn’t make me a bad person. “We’ve built up this company and made it a success together.”
I pushed my chair back, getting myself ready to stand. I wasn’t quite sure what I was going to do when I raised myself upwards, but I felt certain that it wouldn’t be good. Then I felt some soft skin brushing against my hand, and I glanced down to gaze at Lindsey who was looking up at me pleadingly. The woman didn’t know me at all, we were virtually strangers aide from a few facts that we’d both tried to memorize, yet she seemed to see through me in a way that no one else could. Her boring stare halted me in my tracks and made me think for a second about what I was about to do.
“Do you want to get out of here?” I gasped through the inner pain. I couldn’t stand remaining here, my father had clearly made his point. He didn’t need me here anymore than I wanted to be here.
“Yes,” Lindsey agreed, standing up. “Come on, let’s go now.”
I started to walk, but didn’t get too far because I realized I was alone. I turned back to see Lindsey saying what appeared to be a thoughtful goodbye to my mother. That touched me actually. I was about ready to leave without even thinking about Mom, which I’m sure she would have understood since I’d acted that way before, but Lindsey wasn’t going to do that. Again, she was going above and beyond.
Eventually she came back to my side and she gave me a reassuring smile. As she linked her arm through mine my chest weirdly warmed up. I didn’t feel quite as shitty as I did just a few moments ago. There was something reassuring about her presence that I liked more than I originally thought that I would.