“Yes.”
“Your cryptic answers are incredibly annoying right now. What am I walking into tonight?”
“Nothing crazy. Just wear the gown your team picked for you and let me handle the rest.”
“Does my team know what’s going down tonight?”
He nods.
“And why haven’t they told me?”
“Because they’re not allowed to, so don’t try to worm it out of them,” he warns. “Unless you want to be the reason they’re fired.”
Dammit.He knows me too well.
“I don’t want any of them fired.” Well, maybe except for Daphne, but I’m not going to play with that fire today.
He leans in and whispers in a voice dripping with promise, in a tone that makes my panties wet. “Then you’ll just have to be my good girl and wait until I give you your surprise.”
Fuck me. This is going to be a long day.
25
ELLA
“Wow,” my mother says, gushing. “You look . . . stunning. More than stunning.” Her eyes grow misty, and she dabs them with a tissue.
“You look beautiful, yourself.” I give her a careful hug since we’re both in gowns. My glam team just finished with me, but they worked on Maya and my mom as well. I haven’t seen Maya yet, but they did an amazing job on my mom. She’s in a vibrant turquoise gown that makes her blue eyes pop, and her blonde hair hangs to her shoulders in loose curls. “Just like always, you look so hot that no one will believe you’re my mother.”
It’s not a lie. My mom had me young, at twenty-four, and she’s aged like a fine wine. So at the age of fifty-one, she looks more like she’s forty-one, and too young to have a daughter in her late twenties. We get asked all the time if we’re sisters. I hated it when I was a teen, but now I love it. My mom is beyond beautiful and deserves all the attention she gets for it.
Maya walks back into the loft space the glam team has commandeered for the night after changing into her gown, and again we’re all bouncing and laughing in excitement.
“Oh my god! Maya, you look insane!” She’s a vision. Her redhair is down in long romantic waves, and she’s in a lavender gown that makes her pale skin look like creamy porcelain and her hair stand out but not clash. She looks like a siren or a nymph from a Greek tale.
“Look at both of my girls done up for a fancy party, looking like modern-day princesses,” my mom says, dabbing her eyes with the tissue again.
“Don’t cry, Mom, you’ll ruin your makeup.”
“I can’t help it. All I can see is the two of you in dress-ups, sneaking into my makeup and perfume, and doing fashion shows in our living room. If your younger selves could see how beautiful you look now . . .”
“I haven’t seen my final look yet, hang on.” I move to the full-length mirror in the corner where Katya is ready with a steamer to get out a few stubborn wrinkles at the bottom of my dress. As soon as she’s satisfied, I look in the mirror.
I’m wearing a creamy pink strapless gown that hugs my curves but flows in layers of chiffon from the knees to the short train. The cut, color, and layers give it a sweet, romantic feel. My hair is pulled up in a gorgeous up-do, and my makeup is a combination of pinks and bronze, almost giving a blushing bride vibe. Overall, it’s a soft, romantic look, and if the gown was white instead of pink, I’d think it was perfect for a wedding.
“You almost look like a bride,” Maya says from behind me, mirroring my thoughts.
Katya fits us all with jewelry and reminds my mother and Maya that the pieces are in the Langford’s collection and must be returned directly to her at the end of the night. Both of their eyes are wide when they realize the diamonds they’re wearing are not just large but are real and are decades or centuries old. I blush, noting that I’ve seen and worn a couple of the pieces. I turn away to hide my smile at the memory.
Katya fits me with a delicate diamond bracelet and earrings,and I’m of course wearing Asher’s gold ring on my right hand. She has me wear a large diamond ring on the middle finger of my left hand, but nothing else.
“No necklace?” I ask, touching the empty space beneath my throat. It looks a little bare.
“Mr. Langford gave me very clear instructions. No necklace tonight.”
Hmm. “Did he say why?”
She shakes her head. “Your team and Mr. Langford approved this look and every detail of it. This is what they want; I’m sure they have their reasons.”
