"What do you think?"
His heels click on the floor as he spins in a circle, and damn, if I thought I'd have the strength to lie and say I still didn't like the white, I don't delude myself into continuing that incorrect assumption. I certainly don't have the spit in my mouth to do it, regardless.
"Wow," I manage to croak out, nodding appreciatively. "Very nice."
He cocks his head and stares at me with a frown, one that's very close to a pout. "That's all you can say? Nice?" His hands run down the sides of his jacket, and fuck, that draws my attention to his tiny waist, the same one I felt up yesterday when I woke up and found myself drooling on his chest. "This is imported satin, hand-stitched, measured and tailored specifically to hug my body perfectly." His hands move to his pants, and now so does my gaze, and fuck, I've never been happier that women don't have dicks, because if he could see how aroused I am just staring at his legs, he'd fire me on the spot. "These pants are perfect, they make my legs look long and supple, and damn, if I don't have women dropping at my feet tonight, it'll be a miracle."
He shoots me a wink, and I roll my eyes. "Women drop at your feeteverynight, whether you're wearing a tux imported from France or a pair of ratty sweats you've had for years."
"Notallwomen," he mutters, thinking I can't hear him. "So, about my plus one?—"
I glance at my phone, tapping my foot impatiently. "Yeah, about her. Where is she? I told you to make sure she was here at the same time we'd be here."
And yet there's no one here in this boutique but us.
"Well, see, here's the thing—my plus one was supposed to be Reese."
I already sense the direction this is going. And I'm not sure I like it. "I take it she won't be joining us today."
"No, she won't," Kai says, stepping up behind me as I turn my back on him. Two strong, firm hands settle on my shoulders, pinning me in place. "Because I told her to fuck off. I'd rather go with someone whose company I enjoy."
"Well, the gala is expecting you to bring a guest," I point out, losing my mind over his lack of preparedness. "I'll have to call them, let them know to take her place in the table out, so that you don't look like a fool next to an empty chair?—"
"But her chair won't be empty," he says suddenly, steering me in the direction of the women's side of the boutique.
I don't know if I like where this is going.
"It won't?"
"No. Because you'll be in it."
In all the things he could have said, I didnotsee this coming. "You—I—what? Me?" No. No way in hell. I'm not made to attend galas and certainly not on the arm of a famous man. "I'm yourassistant,Kai?—"
"At best, they assume I couldn't get a date, and brought you," he says with a grin as he steers me toward a rack of dresses. "At worst, they think we're having an affair—it's more common than you think."
Oh, I'mmorethan aware of how often it happens. "Kai, I don't know howanyof that is a best/worst scenario to you." I need him to understand why this is avery bad idea.And why we can't do it. "Have you asked anyone about this? Did you fly it past Arista first? Or your manager? Or your agent?"
"No, no, and no again," he says with a grin that I canhear."I'm a big boy, and I make my own decisions. Now, find yourself a dress you like, and remember—" he shoves me at the nearest sales assistant with a nod,"youneed to complimentme."
I don't even have time to turn around and yell at him before he's trotting off to the dressing room, likely to put on the rest of his ensemble, and the assistant on the floor takes my hand andleads me off in search of something suitable for thenot a datedate I'm about to be forced into attending.
"No. Absolutely not. No way in hell."
There'sno wayI'm putting this thing on and going out in public. Not a chance in hell.
Kai is standing beside me, eyeing the dresshebrought me with a critical eye. "Why not?"
"It's just—it's just not right, Kai."
He taps the edge of his jaw with one finger, eyeing me up like a piece of meat. "What's not right about it,kara?"
I grab fistfuls of the tulle that line the damn skirt and lift them up so I can step down off the platform. "Kai. What'snotwrong about it? Never mind theprice tag?—"
"No, don't do this, Denali," he grumbles for the fifteenth time in as many minutes. "I told you to consider this a business expense. I'm forcing you to attend on my arm, it's no worry to me what it costs. There's not a dress in here that could bankrupt me, okay?"
"Yeah, but it could come close," I mutter, turning away from him to march back into the dressing room. There's no way in hell I'm wearing this fluffy ass thing. As an afterthought to what he asked, I throw a comment over the door while the helpful girl bringing me dresses starts to unzip the back. "No more tulle!"
"Fine," is the only thing he says before he marches off again, hopefully in search of something less frilly and extravagant.
