“What the hell is that?”
Stellan is checking himself in the bathroom mirror and glances over with a frown. “That’s a dress.”
“But what’s it doing here?”
“You’re wearing it in three hours.”
“I’m not doing anything but going tobedin three hours.”
“We have the meeting tonight.” He stares at me thoughtfully. “Maybe I should have gotten navy.”
Shit, the meeting. He wants to parade me around in front of his criminal council thing. And I can’t say no because it’s a core part of our agreement.
“I didn’t say you could dress me up.” I go over and touch the dress. It’s absurdly high-quality. I don’t see any labels, though. “Where’d it come from?”
“Bottega Veneta. Heard of them?”
I nearly gag. “Are you insane? That fancy freaking boutique place?”
“The owner is a friend.”
“Oh my god. Of course. How much did this thing cost?”
“Put it on.” He leans against the doorframe and crosses his arms.
“Right in front of you?”
“Yes. Now.”
I hesitate. I’m very tempted. It’s a beautiful dress. “Is Gem home?”
“She’s up on her floor. Put on the dress, Kira.”
“I should talk to her.”
“After you get changed. I want the council to see how beautiful you are.”
Well, shit. That’s probably the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me, and coming from him, it somehow means even more. With a soft curse, I grab the dress and retreat into our massive walk-in closet.
“You don’t get a show!” I call out, closing the door and locking it.
I swear I can hear him laughing.
A half hour later,I find Gem in her room sitting at her new desk in her new fancy desk chair with her school books open. “Hey, you doing okay?”
She looks back—and her jaw drops open. “Holy moly. Who the hell are you?”
“Don’t be funny.” I step inside hesitantly. “I look okay?”
“Okay?! Kira, you look like a model or something.”
“I feel like a politician.”
“Sure, maybe in Italy, and more like a politician’s arm candy. Holy crap. Where did you get that dress?!”
I glance at myself in the mirror she has propped against her wall. I really do look good. The dress is conservative but flattering. The fit is absolutely perfect. Which is infuriating, because somehow Stellan made this happen in an afternoon. “You-know-who decided he likes dressing me up.”
“Well, you’re luckier than I thought.” She leans back and laughs to herself. “I got so used to seeing you in aprons and dog hair. I forgot you’re really pretty.”
