“King… can you please help me zip up my dress in the back?”
His mouth opened slightly, but he managed to say, “Sure.” Turning me around, he zipped the back of my dress. I pressedthe dress flat in front, brushing the red and black sequins down to make sure they all looked neat and smooth.
When I turned around, I asked, “How do I look?” My smile felt like a mixture of real and forced.
He cleared his throat and said, “You look beautiful.” It made me blush. “What is your role at this event, Ms. Flores? What should I expect?”
Shrugging, I said, “Honestly, I’m not sure. They asked me to attend, I think, for thelocal celebrityfactor. I’m not really a celebrity. I’ve written some romance novels. A couple are Valentine’s Day-themed, so maybe that’s why. I imagine it’ll just be dinner, dancing, and probably signing a few autographs.”
“Alright. Well, I guess we'd better get to it. Ms. Flores…if I notice anything at all that isn’t right, please follow my instructions. There won’t be any time to ask why. Do you understand?”
Nodding, I said, “I understand.”
***
Chase had rotated out with Mack on driver duties and dropped us off at the front steps in one of Heartline’s limousines. When we arrived at The Gilded Hart Hotel, the view pulling up to it was stunning. We were greeted with a large, circular fountain. It was so elegant. I said, “This is incredible. I’ve never been to this hotel before.” I looked over at King, but he didn’t say anything.
Inside, we found everything you’d expect at a fancy Valentine’s Ball. Floor-to-ceiling, deep red drapery and opulent chandeliers. Big, round tables draped in white satin surrounded by chairs upholstered in red velvet filled the room in rows.
Scanning the room, I tried to look for anyone I might know. I saw someone who looked like Marilyn Monroe. Youcould clearly tell she was wearing a wig. If she wasn’t wearing an eyepatch, she would look like Marilyn, herself, in the flesh. It made me giggle. I kept looking and spotted the popular supermodel, Indigo Lyric, and gasped with excitement. It made King panic.
“What?” He asked in a startled voice, and grabbed my waist, pulling me close to him. The movement gave me goosebumps and made my head tingle.
“I’m…I’m sorry. No, everything is fine. I just saw someone I recognized. That’s Indigo Lyric over there.” I pointed in her direction.
“Indigo Lyric? Who’s that?”
“Oh, she’s a supermodel. Gorgeous.” I was looking at his face to see if I could gauge a reaction, but he gave nothing away.
“Sorry, I don’t know her. Besides, I only see onegorgeousperson in this room right now.” He glanced at me and went back to scanning the room. I could feel myself blushing. King had a soft side when he wasn’t being all professional and grumpy.
He let go of my waist and reached for my hand. I knew it wasn’t a real date,buthewasflirting. I mean, he called me gorgeous, and I couldn’t ignore how he had glanced down at me.
There were photographers all around the room, which made me nervous after having felt violated by the stalker’s photos. I noticed the dessert station. “Can we walk over to the dessert table and see what they have?” I asked.
King nodded and led the way to the table. A photographer stopped us about halfway there. “Ma’am, can I take your photo? You’re Serayah Flores, right? The romance author? I recognize you from the program.”
I looked up at King, but he didn’t say anything. He was scrutinizing the photographer, though. With a smile, I said, “Of course. Where will these photos be going?”
“They’ll go on the Valentine Ball website in real time. They’ll also be projected on the screens you see in the lobby. Real-time photos of everyone having a good time.”
“Ok, well, let’s do it.” I let go of King’s hand, but then he put his arm back around my waist and pulled me in close. I hadn’t expected him to be in the photo with me. He was really going the extra mile. I almost laughed.
“You two make a lovely couple,” the photographer said with a smile.
Surprisingly, King answered and said, “Thank you,” and looked down at me again. “Shall we?” he asked. I smiled and nodded.
After we took the photo, there was a sign that readSweet Dream Cupcakeshad supplied the desserts. “I love Sweet Dream Cupcakes. Have you ever had them?”
King didn’t look at me when he responded, still scanning the room, “I haven’t, but I’ll give ‘em a shot.” We put some on a plate and looked around the room.
The fake date wasn’t turning out to be too bad. Even though he wasn’t talkative, hewasactually acting like my date. I said, “Let’s go to our table.” I let go of his arm and walked off ahead of him.
We’d been sitting for a while, just watching everyone else talk, laugh, and have a good time. Some were even dancing. Then the Master of Ceremonies came up to me and asked me if I would sign books for fans. I watched King’s ears perk up after I agreed to it. He watched as I sat at a table and signed books for a few dozen fans. No one matched the description of the suspect, and the little signing went well.
After that, King looked bored. I wanted to dance, talk to people…and dosomething. He could be my protection and still have a good time. I said, “I’m going to go grab another drink from the bar.”
He stood up and said, “I’ll come with you.”
