She began to speak.
I shook my head. “Get used to taking my gifts. It makes me happy, and I love to see you smile.”
That gorgeous smile appeared on her face.
“Exactly.” I licked my lips and went to shower. “I’ll see you tonight.”
Everything will be fine. It has to be. I can fix this. There’s no other option. It will all work out.
But in the back of my mind, I knew it wouldn’t.
The grandmother had been one step further to locking down the cage around Ava. For a year, I had slowly built one around my lovely ballerina. Bar-by-bar. And in one night, Fuego had rattled and cracked the foundation.
If her grandmother was physically or even mentally harmed, then no credit card or penthouse would keep Ava from running away from me.
What am I going to do?
Chapter 5
Ava
Where are we going with this?
After Misha showered, he left. And he did so with a bit of speed. It made me a little nervous. Had I made a mistake with sleeping with him so soon? Were his words all lies? Was it just a one-night stand with sweet words?
No way. I saw honesty in his words.
The rest of the time as I dressed, I couldn’t keep him out of my head. Over and over those moments played in my mind.
“So, we’re dating?” she asked with a wicked grin.
“We are. Exclusively.”
“You can’t just say we’re exclusive. That tends to be a discussion.”
“This is the discussion.”
“I see.”
“Do you disagree?”
“I don’t.”
I didn’t know where we were going, but I damn sure knew I would enjoy the ride.
I decided not to use Misha’s credit card. It would be taking too much from him, too soon.
But in the end, my decision didn’t matter. Gowns and dresses arrived at the penthouse thirty minutes after he left. Shaking my head, I laughed.
Misha knew I wasn’t going to use it.
A make-up team came next, along with a hairstylist. All of them explained that Misha would be footing the bill, and the goal was to make me feel like a princess.
He made sure several designers were present, just in case something needed to be tailored. A dozen roses came next. It took time making room for them next to the hundreds of roses he’d already given me last night at my performance.
How can I not feel like a princess with you?
A black card was with the roses and had gold writing on it. I pulled it out, touched the diamond studded ballerina on the front, opened it, and read.
Ava,
Vogue is a big deal. Make sure you dress and feel like you’ve won, because you have.
Sincerely,
Misha
A blush must’ve shown on my face. My cheeks burned with his romantic gesture. A silly grin popped up. My heart warmed.
The make-up artist stepped to my right. “Are you ready to pick your dress? I want to know what colors I should use on your eyes.”
I held the card against my chest. “Oh. Yes, I’m ready.”
“My name is Zoya.” She extended her hand.
I shook it. “Ava.”
“I was given a file.”
“A file?”
“Information on you. Your likes and dislikes.”
How would he know my likes and dislikes?
Zoya pulled the cart of dresses over. “Vogue is going to be an amazing opportunity for you. What time is the photo shoot?”
“Three.”
“Then, we have a few hours to make sure you look beautiful and confident. I won’t put on too much make-up now, but there were some favorite pieces that were picked out by Mr. Stronz.”
I grinned. “Misha chose some dresses for me?”
“Well, Mr. Stronz only picked one.” Zoya walked over to a black dress and pulled it out. “I was given an order that if you did choose this dress, then he wanted several photos.”
The dress was black, form fitting, and silk. It would cling to me like a second skin. The front collar was designed to scoop around my breasts. The gown didn’t have a back, exposing everything and then beginning again at the base of my spine. There, the skirt fell, swirling around my feet into an array of flowing silk. Meanwhile, a nice sized split hit the right.
Dark and daring. I would be naked, but clothed. Sexy, but in the most luxurious way. And Misha wanted to see me wear it.
I’ll do more than that. I’ll put it on. Hopefully, if he isn’t too busy, I’ll make sure he takes it off.
“What do you think?” Zoya asked.
“Love it.” I cleared my throat. “You can’t go wrong with black, right?”
“That was my thought exactly.” She placed the dress on the other side of the rack, so it hung by itself. “And. . .”
There’s more?
Zoya walked over to another cart full of boxes. “Mr. Stronz also said that if you picked the black dress, then you would need to wear this on your neck.”
I parted my lips as she opened the small velvet box.