“Because it’s too much money to spend. Designer gowns are a waste of money.”
“You’re in a new tax bracket, sweetheart. Get used to it.”
My jaw drops. “Are you serious right now?”
“Yes. If you’re attending charity events with me, you need to dress the part. If you think they’re a waste, keep them all and donate them to a women’s shelter when you’re done wearing them. Now what’s your goddamn dress and shoe size?”
I huff out a sigh as I give him my details since the donation thing isn’t a bad idea, and then I head to my room to draft a text to Ivy. As it turns out, the content of the text to my best friend is harder to come up with than I thought.
I stare at what I drafted, and eventually I click the send button.
Me:Done with the show, can’t talk about it. I randomly ran into Dex and he needed some help. Since I don’t have a job at home anymore, I’m staying here for a bit. Miss you so much. Xo
My phone rings less than thirty seconds after I click send, and I know I’ll regret it, but I pick up.
“Hey, Ivy!” I answer, faking a cheerfulness I don’t feel.
“Fuck thiscan’t talk about itbullshit. Spill the tea, babe!”
I laugh. “I really can’t.”
“When you say you’restaying here for a bit, do you mean Vegas? Or my brother’s place?”
I clear my throat. “Both.”
“Okay, so that tells me you’re not living with whoever you were with on the show…unless they make you live apart. Did you get married?” she asks.
“I really can’t talk about it,” I say. “I’m sorry.”
She lets out a frustrated breath. “Fine. What did Dex need help with?”
“Just like some stuff around his place. Picking up, that sort of thing.”
“You’re his housekeeper?”
More like his nanny, I think to myself. “Something like that, I guess. I’m going with him to some charity thing tomorrow.”
“Ew, Ains. He’s, like, so old.”
I laugh. “And so not my type. It’s not a date. I’m just being the wholesome foil to his bad boy.”
“Well, be careful. Nothing is sacred to him, if you know what I mean.”
I do know exactly what she means, and how two siblings could havesuchdifferent values is a total mystery to me.
Like me, Ivy’s a virgin too.
Dex is decidedly not.
Neither of us is waiting for any particular reason. It’s unusual in this day and age, maybe, but neither of us found anyone worth giving it up to.
I’m two years older than her, and she’s going into her senior year of college while I’ve got a year of work under my belt already.
“Nothing to worry about there. Believe me.” I’m starting to wonder if I’m saying it to convince myself, too.
Because there’s definitely an attraction there on my part, even if he’ll never see me as anything more than the hired help.
Though the next evening, I feel his eyes on me as I walk out into the kitchen in one of the ballgowns Milton gave me to try on. I kept several of them for future events at the suggestion of Dex, but this one is just a simple black A-line dress with a plunging neckline that sinks down into a banded waist, and he’s looking at me like I’m walking into the room naked. His teeth are sort of bared, and he looks…hungry.
