Alex was gushing as I gaped at the dress. It was extravagant, over-the-top. I wanted to sketch it, not wear it.
Renee walked around the garment, examining it with a hyper-critical eye. I couldn’t imagine what a woman who dressed in plain black, wore no makeup, and seemed to do nothing to pretty herself in the least could find lacking in the dream creation before her.
“I think you are very close, Enid.” Renee tapped her finger on her chin. “Where’s the vine detail?”
“Her cloak.” Enid snapped her fingers and what seemed like a harried assistant rushed in, glasses askew, pushing a wheeled mannequin ahead of her. It was covered in a black cloak with embroidered deep green vines twining all around the material.
“And her jewels.” Enid motioned the assistant closer. She held a red velvet box under her arm.
Enid took it and undid the delicate clasp, opening the box and blinding me with sparkle. Inside lay a silver necklace with emeralds arranged in the same vine motif. A pair of large emerald earrings completed the set.
Renee’s eyes brightened when she saw the fantastic jewels. “I haven’t seen these for twenty years.” She reached a hand out, as if to touch them, but simply held it above the priceless array.
Enid clapped her hands. “Well, we’re burning daylight. Drop the towel, let’s get you dressed.”
I shifted from one foot to the next. “Did you bring underwear? I’ll need to go to my room to get some before I can put all this on.”
Enid put her hands on her hips. “Do you think I’m going to let you ruin my splendid gown with some bunchy cotton panties?”
I put a matching hand on my hip. “I can’t go to a ball commando, now can I?”
“You can and you will.”
“What?”
“Strip.” Enid’s mouth was set in a firm line.
“Do it, do it, do it!” Alex tried to yank the towel off me. “I have to see it in motion. It may kill me from fashion overload, but I’ll die happy.”
I glanced over at Dmitri. He sighed, as if hoping I’d forgotten he was there. “Fine, fine. I won’t watch. Even though you let girl-man see.” He frowned at Alex and turned his back.
I finally let Alex tug the towel free and stepped toward the feathery cloud.
Chapter Ten
Sinclair
Where is she? I waited out in front of the house in a black sports car. I was too on edge to even bother with my usual driver. I needed control any way I could get it.
Going to the Acquisition Ball was something I had never done before. All the preparation in the world likely wouldn’t ready me for what was about to happen. I would get through it. Making sure Stella performed—that she stood out—was my main goal. I gripped the steering wheel, trying to decide if I needed to go inside and drag her out, when the front door opened.
Renee stepped out first, and then I saw her. The late afternoon sun blinked off the jewels at her throat, barely visible above the dark cloak tied at her neck. Her dress was the signature Vinemont green, and Enid had outdone herself on the skirt. The black peacock feathers would turn more than a few heads. I only hoped one of them belonged to the Sovereign.
If that weren’t enough, Stella’s face was radiant. Even as she crossed the threshold, uncertainty painting her features, she made something inside me click into a higher gear. Her bright green gaze tried to ensnare me, tried to make me feel something. I didn’t. I wouldn’t.
Still, I wanted to see her—all of her. Damn that cloak. I imagined ripping it all off her except the jewels, and my cock thickened in my tuxedo pants. Fuck. Now was neither the time nor the place.
It was going to take everything I had to get through this night. It was going to take even more out of Stella. Once it was all over, she wouldn’t want to have anything to do with me. She probably already felt that way after what had happened in the yard yesterday. Tonight would seal the deal. Not that she’d have any choice. She would do as I told her. She cared about her father too damned much not to.
She wore a pair of breakneck high heels. I imagined how long her legs would look, bare and smooth, wearing nothing but her stilettos. I shifted in my seat. The large Russian walked out the door behind her and helped her down the front steps. He smiled easily as she spoke to him. I wanted to destroy him for even thinking of talking to what was mine, to take him down and show her I could do it. I could hurt, kill. I could do even worse.
She took the last few steps to my car, and the Russian bastard had the nerve to open the door for her. She maneuvered into the tight space, tucking her dress in and almost falling into the seat.