Are you ready?"
"Yes, I am." She smiled nervously as he led her out of the room.
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Within minutes they were in the car and pulling away from the hotel, the driver maneuvering with practiced skill through the hectic traffic. Tessa sat next to him, her fingers twisted in her tulle skirts, her delectable scent wrapping all around him, making him drunk on her essence. Reaching out, he laid his hand over both of hers, stilling her movements. "You"ll be fine. Don"t worry."
"I"m afraid I"ll make a mistake," she confessed.
"Just follow my lead." He squeezed her hand, then reluctantly moved it off of hers. "You did an excellent job today keeping us on task during the opening."
"I think the launch turned out wonderful, don"t you?" She turned toward him, her face lighting up at the change of topic. "So many people there and lots of media came too."
"Hunter and his team did a great job rounding them up."
"You did a great job charming all of them."
He grimaced. "The schmoozing part of this job, I hate it."
"No one would ever guess. You"re rather skilled at it."
"I don"t know if I should take that as a compliment or an insult." She stifled a giggle. "It"s a compliment, at least from me."
"Thank you." He stared at her a little too long and she glanced away, looking vaguely uncomfortable. The very last emotion he wanted her to invoke.
Christ, could he do nothing right? The woman made him feel like a fumbling teenager with his first girl, unsure of what to do, what to say next.
"Is the place far from the hotel?" she asked.
"We should be there in a few minutes." Breathing deep, he worked at gaining control of his urges. Having her so close, in such a small s.p.a.ce, she played havoc with his senses, his thoughts. He"d always believed she was beautiful, but no word came close to describing her this evening.
She was stunning. Such a beauty it almost hurt to look at her.
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Not that he stopped looking at her. More like he couldn"t resist.
With the traffic easing as they drew closer, they arrived at the plaza in minutes. The front of the building was swarming with people, there was a red carpet area set up where everyone could enter, pausing to take photos before they walked inside.
Tessa grabbed his hand, hers chilled to the bone as she clutched him tight.
"We probably shouldn"t be photographed together."
"Why not? I told you it shouldn"t be a problem."
"The media will get hold of it and run with a made up story. Trust me. I read the tabloids, I know how they operate." She sounded petrified.
"Rhett keeps them plenty occupied. No one is paying attention to me. We"re fair away from all of the gossip so stop worrying." He gave her hand a rea.s.suring squeeze and let go just as the car pulled to a stop. "I"ll help you out." The driver opened the door moments later and Alex climbed out of the car, turning to offer her his hand. She set her hand in his and let him pull her to her feet, her layers of tulle and silk skirts falling to the ground as she stood.
The crowd went wild as they walked down the red carpet, their hands still clasped, all of them shouting his name in various accents. She tried to duck her head. He knew she probably wished she could melt into the floor, but he tugged on her hand, pulling her closer. "Hold your head up high," he urged.
She did as he demanded. She always did which pleased him to no end.
Lifting her chin, she offered the cameras a smile, her dramatically red lips parting to reveal straight white teeth. The flashes popped like crazy, the photographers asking who his lady friend was.
"An old family friend," he said mysteriously, slipping his arm around her slender waist and holding her close, his hand resting on the curve of her hip.
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"What are you wearing tonight, miss?" one of the female reporters asked Tessa.
"Valentino and Worth," she said, her lilting voice carrying on the breeze.
The local media murmured their approval at her choice of an Italian designer.
"Let"s go inside." He guided her down the walkway, offering a quick wave to the last bunch of reporters before they entered the building. Inside music swelled, an orchestra playing in the ballroom and the dull roar of endless conversation sounded, like a swarm of bees coming closer and prepared to attack.
They approached the ballroom"s closed double doors, his hand at her back, her stature stiff and shoulders tense. Her nerves were unsettling and he wished he could calm her somehow, some way. Glancing about, he realized they were all alone so he did what he"d been dying to do from the day he first saw her.
Turning into her, he cupped her cheek with his free hand, tilting her face up so her gaze met his. Her dark eyes went wide, her lips parted and he swooped in, taking advantage.
He kissed her.
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Chapter Five.
Tessa froze, shocked at the sensation of Alex"s lips pressed against hers. They were soft, there and gone before they settled upon hers once again. Longer this time, his mouth lingered on hers. His lips parted, and she felt his hot breath mingle with her own before he finally pulled away.
"W-why did you do that?" Her voice shook. She sounded like a complete ninny, but she couldn"t believe it.
Alex just kissed her.
"I need you to be calm," he murmured, his fingers drifting down her cheek before his hand fell away. "I need you to be confident. And more than anything, you need to pretend you"re with me. Just for tonight." That wouldn"t be a hardship. But still. She didn"t understand. He could have anyone and yet he chose her? "I don"t know how convincing we"ll be. I mean, you"re my boss. Up until a few days ago I couldn"t bring myself to call you by your first name. And now you want me to pretend that you"re my-boyfriend?" She could not say the word lover. It was simply too intimate. Not that Alexander Worth could be considered anyone"s boyfriend. That was far too simple a word for such a complex man.
A couple swept by, the older man dashing in his tuxedo, the woman clad in royal blue and with sapphires the size of eggs around her neck and on her fingers. Tessa couldn"t help but stare as the man opened the ballroom door and allowed the woman to walk inside.
It gave Alex the advantage. He pulled Tessa in even closer, if that was possible. Her full skirts swirled around his legs, covering his feet and she braced herself, resting her hand against his hard chest, her fingers immediately curling into the soft, rich fabric of his jacket.
The man was gorgeous no matter what he wore. Tuxedo, suit, jeans...and she had a feeling he would be even more so in nothing at all.
"For one night I want you to pretend you belong to me, Tessa. No one else, just me." He placed his hand on her cheek again, his fingers curving about her jaw, cradling her as if she were a delicate, fragile thing. "I don"t want you to look at another man, speak to another man unless I say or indicate that you can.
You"re mine tonight." The look in his gray-blue eyes was fierce, full of a fiery pa.s.sion she"d never seen before.
She found she rather liked it.
"I can do that," she whispered with a tiny nod, equally excited and perplexed by his request.
If she pondered it long enough, she could half believe him. That he wanted her, so badly he"d do anything to have her, if just for one night.
He smiled. A real smile, it lit his eyes and offered a teasing glimpse of a dimple in his left cheek. He kissed her, a quick brush of lips that sent a bolt of sensation straight through her, settling in her core. She very nearly stumbled as he withdrew and guided her toward the door, opening it to allow her entry.
"Please don"t leave me alone," she said as he stepped into place beside her.
The place buzzed with activity, so many people within the large room, it was an absolute crush. The scent of cloying, expensive perfumes filled the air, and she wrinkled her nose.
"I wouldn"t dare think of it," he a.s.sured, slipping his arm around her waist.
Glancing about, he studied everyone. Easy for him considering he was nearly a
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head taller than the majority of the people in the room, and she was a shrimp despite the four-inch heels.
Gorgeous shoes they were too. Delicate and strappy, chiffon and bejeweled flowers st.i.tched across the top, she truly felt like Cinderella at the ball, her handsome prince by her side.
She only hoped she didn"t turn into a frump-or even worse, a pumpkin- when the clock struck midnight.
Remain by her side Alex did. He introduced her to an endless stream of people and she had no recollection who they might be. The women eyed her with thinly veiled disdain, especially the unattached ones. The men eyed her with unabashed interest. It didn"t matter if they were married or not, some of them leered at her even with a woman on their arms. She"d never been observed so overtly before.
Alex"s friend Giorgio Ricci was there, accompanied by his wife who was a rather beautiful woman if a bit plump. Guilt a.s.suaged Tessa as she was introduced to the lady, and it took everything within her not to scream out in warning that her husband was a philandering fool.
But she kept herself-and her urges-in check. Nodding politely and offering a few words in congratulations that her charity event being such a success before they were on their merry way.
All the while, Alex remained firmly at her side, a determined look on his face. He was there to make an appearance, she kept reminding herself. He needed to look good to those influential in the Milan fashion industry, and Tessa firmly believed the majority of them were in this ballroom tonight.
It was good business sense, being at the event. Not only did Worth Luxury Goods make a sizable donation but the chance to mingle amongst the glittering set of Milan"s wealthy was an opportunity even Hunter couldn"t have conjured 64 up with all of his connections. Alex spoke with many of them, an endless stream of people seemed to swarm around him, looking for their chance to speak with him.
Feeling decidedly like a fifth wheel, she excused herself, wishing to hide in the ladies" room for a moment and get away from the crowds. He didn"t let her go, grabbing hold of her hand before she escaped.
"They"ll be serving dinner soon," he murmured close to her ear. "So don"t be gone too long."
"I"ll be back in five minutes." She offered him a smile, wishing he"d kiss her again though she knew he wouldn"t. Too many people were watching and he wasn"t one to ever make a scene.
He released his grip on her hand, and she made her way through the crowds toward the opposite side of the room. The rich scents of the impending dinner wafted throughout and the clink of gla.s.ses sounded as people drank from flutes of champagne. A waiter approached her with a loaded tray and she plucked the gla.s.s of champagne off the top, offering a murmur of thanks before she sipped.
It was delicious, shimmering and crisp as it slid down her throat. She downed all of it quickly, licking her lips so as not to miss a drop before she set the empty gla.s.s on a nearby table and started toward the restroom.
"You"re a brave woman."
The heavily accented, slightly snide voice stopped Tessa in her tracks and she turned to find Bianca standing there. Giorgio"s mistress. That she would make an appearance at Giorgio"s wife"s charity event was brazen, to say the least.
"Um. h.e.l.lo, Bianca," Tessa greeted, not wanting to be impolite.
Bianca rolled her eyes. "Did you not hear a word I said?"
"Something about being brave?" Tessa had no idea what she was talking about.
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"You leave your man for a few minutes, very stupid. If I were you, I"d never leave him alone, especially with all the women in this place. Women far more beautiful than you," Bianca said just before she drained a flute of champagne.
Tessa flinched at the insults. "I don"t see how any of this is your business."
"It"s not." Bianca smiled, her heavily glossed lips stretched wide. She had so much makeup on and the dress she wore barely covered her largest a.s.sets. Her b.r.e.a.s.t.s appeared ready to tumble out at any given moment. "But I thought you could do with a piece of advice. Considering you look like a naive fool in your virgin dress, all wide-eyed at the money being tossed about before you." Disappointment crashed over Tessa, ruining her mood, her excitement over the dress, everything. Bianca was by far the rudest person she"d ever encountered in her life, and she"d run into a lot of rude people, especially during her retail days. "You should watch what you say. Your lover-or perhaps his wife-might hear you."