She puts her hand on my cheek. "It's almost morning. I have to go to work in two hours. As much as I'd like to spend all day in bed with you reading this masterpiece, I can't."
I glance back at the clock on my bedside table. I must have been lying next to her for hours as she read. "I'll give you one to go."
"To go?" She giggles as she watches my nude body as I jump to my feet.
"I'll get a flash drive and save you a copy." I round the bed to where she is. "Don't move. I'll be right back and as soon as I have the book saved for you, I'm going to say good morning to you the right way."
"What's the right way?"
I look down at my now erect cock. "What do you think?"
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Sophia
"What if she hates the dress?"I stare at my reflection in the full length mirror in the hallway of my apartment. "I wish I would have chosen a different belt to go with this."
Cadence glances down at the screen of her phone. "You have time to find another belt. You're not supposed to meet Nicholas and Claudia for another hour yet."
I take a step back and turn to the left. "I don't know, Den. What do you think about the one I'm wearing?"
She walks up behind me and rests her hands on my shoulders. "I've already told you twice how much I love the dress. The belt is just an accessory, Soph. It's the dress that's going to impress Claudia."
I know she's right. I've worked on the dress non-stop for over a week now. I sewed every black pearl onto the bodice by hand and I painstakingly took my time with the scalloped neckline. This is, by far, the most beautiful piece I've ever created and I'm hopeful that once Claudia Stefano sees it, we'll be having a conversation about a trial run of my line in her stores.
"Have you heard from Nicholas yet?"
I turn around to look directly at my best friend. "The last time I spoke to him was two days ago. He was finishing up the draft on his latest book. He told me he'd be in the zone so I shouldn't expect to hear much from him until tonight."
"He's intense, isn't he?"
He is. It's one of the things I love about him, or think I love about him. I've been trying to convince myself that the depth of my feelings aren't real but our time together this past week has been sparse and I've missed him more than I've ever missed anyone before.
I've been busy working on my dress and he's been engrossed in his writing. It's been hard since most of our contact has been sporadic text messages. I did promise him I'd spend the night with him tonight after we're done having dinner with Claudia. It's been the prize at the end of the finish line for me. I can't wait to feel his arms around me.
"You're daydreaming about him again." Cadence laughs. "You're in another world right now, Soph."
"I'm nervous," I confess on a sigh. "This is the most important night of my life. I get one chance to impress Claudia. If this goes well, I can launch my career tonight."
"You're going to launch your career tonight," she subtly corrects me as she adjusts the silver pendant I'm wearing. "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and you're nailing it. You have the dress, you have the man of your dreams by your side and you're going to walk out of that restaurant with a deal in place to show your designs at the boutiques of one of the most influential women in the world."
Before I told Cadence last week that I was having dinner with Claudia, she had no idea who the woman is. The fact that she's done her research this week to understand the magnitude ofthis meeting has not only impressed me, it's touched me deeply. She's now as invested as I am in the outcome of tonight.
"You should have a glass of wine before you head out."
I glance up at her face. She's so calm. She's been my voice of reason since she rented me a room in this apartment more than two years ago. She knows exactly what I need. "I'll have two sips of wine to calm my nerves and then I'll go show Claudia Stefano why I'm the next big thing in fashion."
"That's my girl." Cadence hugs me tightly. "Before this day is over, your entire life is going to change."
"I believethe reservation is under Wolf," I say to the woman behind the small podium that sits just inside the doors of Hibiscus, a new restaurant that just opened on the Upper East Side.
She scans the computer screen in front of her. "I don't see that name here."
"It must be Stefano then. I'm meeting Claudia Stefano for dinner."
She doesn't bat an eyelash which isn't surprising. The little black dress she's wearing is obviously straight off the rack of a major department store. It's unremarkable in every way.
"I'm sorry, but there's no reservation in that name either."
