“You’re not,” Zoe said to whomever was in her room. “I made sure no one was exactly the same.”
“Except for your signature wingtip.”
Zoe’s light chuckle filled the air. Will smiled as he eavesdropped. This week he’d figured out what a wingtip was and saw how Zoe perfected it, as she liked to boast.
“But I want to look like Lil’ Get This. Your Instagram with her got the most likes I’ve ever seen.”
Lil’ Get This, Will recalled with a sneer, who’d posed basically naked on her CD cover. The only thing the young rap artist had worn was Zoe’s makeup. The photo was absent from Zoe’s portfolio, but that didn’t mean Will hadn’t seen it.
“Lil’ Get This is a professional artist.”
Will would use that term loosely.
“You’re going to have to remember that those ladies you see on my Instagram are going for a particular look, which is why they look that way,” Zoe explained. “You don’t think they walk around with a full face of makeup all day, do you?”
“Yeah, well, maybe. I’ve seen what you did with the teen girls on BET’s Black Girls Rock show.”
“I see you follow my work.”
“I used to collect all the different magazines your models were in, but my mom said she’d kill me if I brought in any more clutter.” The girl’s statement reminded Will of what Zoe’s parents might have said to her. Didn’t she say she used to apply beauty products to the already printed magazine pages?
“So I have a page on my blog dedicated to your work.” The girl continued naming all of Zoe’s accomplishments. “I love the eighties, thanks to you. Music videos were the best.”
“That’s so sweet,” Zoe sighed.
Will imagined Zoe beaming with pride at this moment. He pictured her cheeks turning red or her biting her bottom lip and avoiding a gaze.
“You’re really cool. But I still want to look like someone else. I want to look like a star.”
“Lisa,” Zoe said, “you don’t need all that heavy makeup to make you look like a star. Think of all the faces I’ve done. They’re like superheroes. And like all superheroes, they are wearing a mask, but when they are just being themselves, they don’t need all that extra stuff to hide their beauty. Does that make sense?”
“No.” The word came out more with a whine but accompanied by a laugh. “But okay.”
“When you get old enough, you can put your makeup on however you like, but for now, just enjoy being a kid and enjoy your prom.”
“Thanks, Miss Zoe.”
When Will heard Zoe’s door close, he crossed through their bathroom and leaned against the door. From this angle it appeared her bottom half was encased in a pair of tube socks with three pink stripes. Zoe wore an apron with I Love Makeup spelled out in makeup items, such as a tube of mascara for the I, two eyeliner pencils making the L, red lipstick spelling out the O in a heart shape, and a powder brush as the E. The word makeup was spelled out in eyeliner. Her pink apron held several pockets, each containing either a variety of lipsticks, an eyelash contraption he’d seen his sisters use, or powder brushes. Zoe’s long brown hair was piled up in a loose bun. Several strands had come loose from the band securing her tresses. Different shades of powder sprinkled her face. The insides of her forearms were streaked with various pink, mauve, red, gold and brown shades. She’d never looked more beautiful.
“Long day?” Will asked. He expected Zoe to fret about her hair or her attire. But, instead, she straightened her shoulders and stood tall.
“Yes, but I had a blast.”
Will crossed the room, the garment bag under his arm. “I have something for you.”
It was his intent to hand her the dress, but when she opened her arms, who was he to resist? Will set the bag on the edge of her bed and pulled Zoe’s body into his. Their mouths met for two or three polite kisses, just lips, but then they fed into their desire, tongues circling fiercely together. His hands dragged across her bottom, fitting underneath the cuffs of her blue-and-white shorts. The ties of her apron brushed against the backs of his hands.
“I could get used to a greeting like that every day,” Will breathed, breaking the kiss and brushing the tip of his nose against hers.
“Tell me about it.” Zoe stroked the side of his face. He turned his face to kiss her palm. They needed to stop.
Though he shouldn’t, Will thought of being able to kiss Zoe like this every day. Every day at the office or every day at home. If she became the Creative Design Director, he wouldn’t be able to do this. There’d have to be some boundaries, and right now, Will didn’t want to test those.
Zoe stepped backward with her hands on her hips. “I need to start cleaning up in here before dinner tonight.”
“Speaking of dinner,” Will said, remembering the garment bag. “Kenzie delivered these for you from Lexi’s.” Like the other ladies had at their doors, Zoe squealed with excitement. Her face lit up as she yanked down the bag’s zipper. Before Will had a chance to see, Zoe pressed the dress against her chest. “What?”
“Isn’t it bad luck to see the dress?” Zoe wiggled her eyebrows at him.
“I believe that’s for a wedding. We haven’t had our first official date,” Will replied and gave a lopsided grin. “We can start things off tonight, though. Care to be my date for the dinner?”
For a moment, Zoe glanced at the ceiling and pondered his question. “It is rather late to be asking.”
“Someone’s already asked?” Will faked being upset—or, rather, covered the bubble in his gut. He turned toward the door. “Who had the nerve to ask after I’ve staked my claim to you this week?”
“Staked,” Zoe laughed, grabbing Will back by the arm. “What am I? An uncharted territory?”
He liked the way her hand fit around his biceps—made it totally worth working out all the time. Will caught her hand and pulled her up to him once again. Without thinking he lowered his head and his lips to hers. “I can’t wait to explore.”
CHAPTER 9
In the end, Zoe, of course, gave in to Will’s request and allowed him to take her to dinner. It didn’t hurt that he knocked on her door carrying a bouquet of flowers or that he became utterly speechless at the sight of her when she let him in.
She had to hand it to Lexi and her choice of dress. The floor-length black evening gown was flawless. A diamond band cinched her waistline and the strapless sweetheart neckline helped accentuate her assets. She wished she’d thought to bring her grandmother’s good-luck pearls for this evening, but settled for a pair of diamond teardrop earrings instead. For dramatic effect, Lexi had sent along a pair of black evening gloves. Thankfully, tugging the hem of the gloves over her elbows distracted her from converting into a cartoon character with her eyes popping out of her head and her jaw dropping to the floor at Will, who was amazingly handsome in his crisp black tuxedo.
What took her breath away was the way the covered area out back at Mas was set up. Someone had taken it upon themselves to put lights on the ceiling, making it seem like they were dining under the stars. Kenzie had tuxedoed waiters to serve their meals. A long, triangular table held everyone working on the pageant and was covered with white linen cloths; someone had had the foresight to bring in free-standing air conditioners and place them at each corner. Some of the tables had been taken out and in their place was a portable dance floor. Soft music pumped into the area.
Dinner was a combination of Southern battered chicken and catfish, green beans with ham, and macaroni and cheese. Sweet tea filled the glasses and laugher echoed in the air.
“I can’t believe I’ve had such a great week,” Will said, covering Zoe’s left gloved hand. They were seated together, and it wasn’t the first time Zoe had felt the jitters each time he accidentally brushed against her leg or her arm.
Zoe bumped her should
er against his arm. “Are the pressures of being CEO off?”
“Not off, just on hold.”
“But after tomorrow you’ll be back to the grind.”
Will gave her hand a squeeze. “But now I’ve got you in my life.”
Again the butterflies returned. She couldn’t wait to spend time with Will at home, walk on the beach and dine across a moonlit table—just the two of them.
“I’m sorry to break up this lovefest,” Kenzie said.
“Sure you are,” Ramon mumbled, loud enough for a few people around to hear when the music was lowered via remote control.
Judging from the way Kenzie rolled her eyes, she heard it, too. She rose from her seat at the head of the table and clinked her glass with her spoon. She continued until she reached the center of the dance floor where someone mysteriously had placed a podium. “Our host, Lexi Pendergrass Reyes, couldn’t be here this evening, but she wanted the night to continue.”
A round of applause broke out. Zoe wondered if Lexi’s absence meant Stephen had made her stay home because tomorrow was going to be a big day or because the baby was ready to make an appearance two months early. Surely Zoe would have received a text message or something.
“This week we all got the chance to get to know each other,” Kenzie began. “We’ve seen the hard work put into making a pageant by the lighting people, stage hands, artists and even the judges.” Kenzie glanced at everyone who made up part of the crew. “Hopefully we’ve bonded enough to trust each other’s opinions come tomorrow. Whether it’s with the makeup and hair, or when it comes to the judging.”
Another round of applause.
Zoe glanced around at the people she’d gotten to know this week and figured everyone had some common sense. Even Rebecca had come around and performed selflessly that morning. She half expected the hairstylist to not give the prom girls the time of day. The only person Zoe thought might cause problems was the beauty queen, Vera Laing. According to Lexi, she’d invited Vera, her former student, to judge but worried their relationship had suffered irrevocable damage. Lexi trained the beauty queen from the time she was a toddler but left because of a conflict of interest. Lexi loved Vera but never knew what Vera had been told about the circumstances of Lexi’s departure. Vera and her mother were the only two who had not wanted to participate in any of the activities. This was simply a free vacation for them.
“So, in order to commemorate our time together, Ramon and I have been gathering intel and we’ve put a lot of thought and consideration together last night to come up with a list of awards we want to hand out to you all.”
Ramon stood and walked to the podium with a rolled-up piece of paper in his hands. Zoe got the feeling he didn’t want to do this, but she knew how persuasive Kenzie could be. It was the first time Zoe had seen Ramon in a suit and he looked rather handsome. His black hair was slicked back and off his face, and finally Zoe saw the resemblance between him and his cousins Stephen and Nate.
“First and foremost, thanks for coming to my hotel,” Ramon said, leaning into the microphone. “This has been a successful week and it’s been a pleasure getting to know you.”
Beside him, Kenzie cleared her throat.
“Ah, yes, we gave this a lot of thought and consideration last night.”
Last night? Zoe thought with bewilderment. Hmm, what’s going on here? She certainly knew what she’d been doing last night. Zoe placed her hand in Will’s lap and squeezed his leg. His eyes darted to her. Zoe stared straight ahead and began drawing circles on his pants leg up his thigh. The bulge between his legs grew and pressed against her arm.
“…and so for the most helpful one, especially since he helped me fix all these lights up here,” Ramon was saying, “I’d like to present the award of Most Handy to Tim Hernandez.”
The crowd clapped again, and to Zoe’s surprise, Kenzie reached under the podium and presented Tim with a gold statue.
Awards were given out left and right. Most Helpful, Most Spirit, Most Southern. Zoe entertained herself with fondling Will. She enjoyed the way he inhaled each time she cupped his crotch through his pants. His erection grew, turning her on even more. She stroked, squeezed and turned herself on with the image of herself riding him. Will’s jaw twitched.
“And for the…” Ramon stopped and turned toward Kenzie. His hand covered the microphone but his muffled words were heard. “Do I really have to say it?”
“It’s not going to kill you,” Kenzie huffed.
Will reached for Zoe’s hand and put it back on the table, wagging his index finger. He leaned so close to her ear his breath tickled her lobe. “Be careful what you start, my little tease.”
“Whatever.” Zoe pressed her lips together to keep from grinning.
“Whatever,” Ramon said into the microphone. “We conclude this awards ceremony with the—” he cleared his throat “—with the cutest couple.” He said the words as if they pained him. “Will Ravens and Zoe Baldwin.”
Shocked, Zoe shook her head. “Oh, we’re not…”
“Not fooling anyone,” Kenzie said, pushing Ramon away from the microphone. “Now, come on up here and get this award.”
Zoe didn’t get a chance to protest. After buttoning his jacket as he rose and hunched over, Will extended his hand for Zoe to take and positioned her in front of him. She obliged, knowing what she hid for him from the rest of the guests. The table clapped for them as they made their way to the podium. Ramon handed Will an envelope and Kenzie handed Zoe a gold statue of two silhouettes kissing.
“Now, let’s conclude this evening with a dance.”
Will took Zoe by the hand and led her to the floor. She stood against him, fitting perfectly. She took his hand and the music began, though she barely heard the melody. Others began to crowd the dance floor.
“Well, you have to admit,” Will said, “we are the cutest couple.”
“We are the only couple.”
“Are we?” Will inclined his head toward Kenzie and Ramon. The two were dancing closely together, but the tight grin across Kenzie’s face said something else.
Zoe turned her attention back to Will. Her heart fluttered. There was something Zoe was supposed to do or say to stop him from kissing her in front of everyone, but she couldn’t think of what it was. Their bodies began to fall into perfect rhythm.
“This can’t be good,” Will whispered against her neck.
If things didn’t cool off, Zoe was about to melt in his arms. Her eyes rolled backward with the warmth of his breath. “If it ain’t good…” she began.
“Zoe, I need you,” Will said, licking his lips.
The only thing Zoe heard was he needed her—that, and her Prince ringtone going off inside the pocket of her clutch bag. Will pressed his head against her forehead. “Go ahead and answer that.”
Will pressed his hands on her backside and guided Zoe back to their table where she retrieved her cell phone. She attempted to slide her finger across the screen but her gloves gave her a bit of a fit. She slipped them off her arms and swiped her finger across Lexi’s face.
“Hey, girl,” Zoe said, trying to sound cheerful, pushing off the feeling that a bucket of ice had doused her evening. Thank God for the portable air conditioners. Zoe glided toward one and let it cool off her body. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Lexi said. “I am watching a live feed from bed.”
“What?” Zoe held her phone by her side and glanced around until she spotted a red light mixed in with the faux stars. “What are you doing?”
“Saving your potential career,” Lexi said. “I saw you and Will just now.”
“So?”
“When I saw y’all’s name on the list for cutest couple, I thought it was a joke. Jesus, Zoe, you’re applying for a position in his company.”
The proverbial cold
water continued to fall, dousing any inkling of a hot night. “Okay, Lexi. I understand.”
After a few more lines about not messing up and sleeping where you work, Lexi had drilled the message into Zoe’s head. Like a child having been scolded, Zoe hung up the phone and crossed her arms over her chest.
“Is everything okay?” Will asked the question as his hands warmed her shoulders. She hadn’t realized the AC had chilled her to her bones. Or maybe it was Lexi’s words. Either way, Zoe stepped out of Will’s embrace and turned to face him.
“I’m fine.” Zoe half smiled. An ache squeezed her heart. Common sense told her she’d find someone else, sooner or later. Right now her priority was landing the Creative Design Director job with Ravens Cosmetics. “You know, it’s been a long day. I probably need to head on back to the hotel and rest up for tomorrow.”
Nodding, Will reached for her again, successfully pressing his hand against her lower back. “Let me tell everyone we’re leaving.”
“No,” Zoe exclaimed, holding her hand in the air. “The last thing I need is for everyone to see us leaving together.”
“I’m sorry.” Will shoved his hands in his front pockets and cocked his head as if it gave him a better understanding of what she said. “Did I miss something?”
“No.”
“We were having a good time just a few minutes ago.” He reached for her again and in order to not make a scene, Zoe let him.
The brush against her arm sent chills down her spine. In the few seconds she tried to keep him away, his touch created such a sensation throughout her body she realized that she needed it. Zoe blinked toward the lights overhead to keep from letting a teardrop fall. She needed to focus. “We were having a good time, Will. But I need a break. I’ve got to go.”
Foolishly, Zoe had left with no secured plan on how to get back to the hotel. She headed down Mas’s driveway toward the street. In her dress and heels, she regretted her decision to leave the party. Zoe slid her phone open, searched for an Uber driver near her and placed an order for a pickup.
Harlequin Kimani Romance June 2017 Box Set Page 49