“Hello,” he said curtly, his eyes darting between me and Katia.
I knew he was wondering which of us he was taking with him, and suddenly I stood about two inches tall. Katia was stunning with her blonde pixie cut and waif-like features. There was no way he’d even notice me standing next to her.
“I’m sure you’re curious which one is yours.” Madame Jackie laughed nervously. I could tell she was trying to break the tension in the room, but it wasn’t working. This guy’s cool composure was uncrackable.
“Harper, would you please step forward and introduce yourself.”
It took a moment for me to realize she was talking to me. I was still about five minutes behind on everything that was happening. I looked like a complete idiot as I stepped forward, nearly stumbling right into the table.
“H-hello.” I flashed him a smile. “I’m Harper.”
Thank you, Captain Obvious. Did that seriously just come out of my mouth?
His eyes raked over me, and I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. It took him forever to finally speak.
“This isn’t going to work.”
Oh, God. I was officially going to die of embarrassment. He hated me. I knew this was going to happen. My eyes burned with tears as Madame Jackie clasped her hands together and considered him shrewdly. I just wanted to run from the room, but Katia stepped forward and took my hand in hers again, anchoring me in place.
“I’m sorry, Mr. King,” Madame Jackie spoke. “I don’t understand.”
“You expect me to take her to meet my family?” he arched a brow. “She looks exactly like the kind of woman my mother would want me to marry.”
“Isn’t that the point?” Katia interjected. There was ice in her voice, and I could tell she was getting defensive.
He gave me another quick glance and then looked away uncomfortably. “She’s beautiful, don’t get me wrong. It’s just she looks so… wholesome. I was expecting more…”
He seemed to be lost for the right word, and I was glad. I really didn’t need to add anything else to my list of what I wasn’t. I had enough on there already.
“I assure you, she’s going to be exactly what you want, Mr. King,” Madame Jackie said smoothly. “If you need her to sex it up a little, she can do that. Little black dresses, heavy on the makeup… whatever you want.”
At this point, my face was on fire. I wanted to bolt. I was right on the verge of doing just that. But I kept thinking of the money. Of the freedom this two weeks would bring me. Could I survive two weeks of hell for a clean slate?
“Can you do that now?” he asked. “We need to get going soon, and I won’t have time to stop.”
“Of course.” Madame Jackie nodded to Katia, and she took my hand.
She led me from the room, and I expelled a huge breath as we walked back to the wardrobe.
“You know you don’t have to do this,” Katia said softly.
Even as she spoke, she was browsing through the clothing racks. She knew better than anyone how much this money would mean to me.
“I can do it,” I assured her. “I have to. So sex me up, Katia. I don’t even care at this point. He wants sexy that’s what he’ll get.”
Katia grinned and winked as she pulled a tiny black dress from the hanger. “That’s the spirit baby doll. I think this should work just fine. And Franco would kill me, but I’m going to smoke the shit out of your eyes right now too.”
“And don’t forget the red lip,” I said in a mock imitation.
We both laughed, and some of the tension drained from my body. It was just a game, I told myself. I could totally do this. I could totally pretend to be someone else.
It was only two weeks of my life. What was the worst that could happen?
Chapter Five
When I walked out of the wardrobe, I was surprised to see Mr. King standing there waiting. He fidgeted with his cufflinks and checked his watch several times before he noticed me. He seemed on edge, but the moment he laid eyes on me, his expression changed.
His gaze burned a path down my body and sent my pulse skyrocketing. If I didn’t already feel exposed, the flare of hunger in his eyes definitely accomplished that. I wasn’t used to men looking at me that way. I wasn’t used to dressing… like this. My heels had gotten taller, the dress shorter, and the way his irises were contracting, I’d definitely met the requirements on his list. It set off a chain reaction in my own body, and I wasn’t sure why. On the inside, it annoyed me that I had to dress a certain way to meet his standards.