Page 65 of Ms Perfectly Fine
Realising she still had her hands on him, she snapped them away as though she had been burnt.If the suit is a sin, then the aftershave is downright murder.
“As much as I don’t like the idea of being collected, if it gets you to come tonight, I’m in.”
“You’re serious? You’ll really go?” Her eyes went wide as he loosened the tie a little. She hadn’t seen him wear one before; as good as it looked, she preferred him sans shirt. Even the thought caused her to redden.
“I will, but you have to keep your promise about dealing with the roses after the showcase.” He placed his finger under her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze.
She nodded. “Seems fair.”
Elijah clapped his hands, breaking the tension between them. “You need to get ready; I don’t want to be late. I think only arseholes are late to charity dinners.”
“You go, I’ll meet you there,” she said, but he shook his head.
“We go together,” he insisted.
Wondering why his words made her stomach flip, Autumn hurried upstairs to get ready.I might have to suffer through an evening of schmoozing, but at least I can save face with Garrett.
She opened her wardrobe and looked over her performance dresses, the only formal dresses she owned. However, in the corner of her wardrobe, she spotted the suit from her last performance.
Perfect,she thought. The black suit hugged her curves perfectly; it was tailored to perfection, and the suit jacket crossed at the waist so she didn’t have to wear a shirt.If I’d said no to the dinner, I could have spent the night on the couch withMindhunter,she thought as she pulled it out. She sighed, but as excitement curled inside her, she realised she was actually excited about going out with the man she had sworn to get rid of.
The low neckline did wonders for her cleavage, which she emphasised with a long silver chain. She wore her favourite satin purple heels, which added some height, though she knew they would do nothing to help her back.Worth it for a night.
“The taxi will be here in five,” Elijah called up the stairs.
“Ready in two.” Quickly, Autumn redid her winged liner and added a nude lip.
Elijah was waiting at the end of the stairs. When he turned around, it was the first time she had seen him speechless.
“Will this suffice?” she asked.
It was his turn to redden. The reaction she had been hoping for made getting up from the couch worth it, even if the heels were already causing her back to ache. She still preferred her leggings andThe ThingT-shirt.
Brinkley barked, breaking the tension. Autumn rubbed her ears and thanked her for her enthusiasm while her owner continued to stare at her.
“If you don’t say something, I’m going to assume something is wrong,” she said, growing nervous under his intense gaze.
“I’m fine,” he started, clearing his throat as he pushed her lightly waved hair over her shoulder. Autumn shivered as his fingers grazed her collarbone.
“That’s my line,” she teased as Brinkley circled them.
“You look…the suit is…” he started, eying the deep V that told him she wasn’t wearing a bra.
“I thought a shirt would make us too matchy,” she said, playing with the silver chain.
“It’s…” He pulled at the back of his neck.
The honking of a horn outside interrupted them, and Autumn’s smile deflated.
“We should go—the taxi won’t wait forever,” said Elijah, but he surprised her by taking her arm as they made their way down the steps. The gesture did more to her than any caress.
They spent the first couple of minutes of the taxi ride in silence, but she couldn’t help but fidget under his gaze. If she had known how anxious she was going to feel attending with him, she wouldn’t have come. He only stopped staring at her long enough to give the taxi driver directions to the museum where the dinner was taking place.Trust Tim to rent out an entire museum to entertain his guests.But the more generous he was, the more generous the patrons would be, and the more the hospital would get.
“It’s rude to stare,” she muttered, looking at her hands and wishing she’d had time to touch up her nail polish.
“I didn’t realise I was.” Elijah pulled at his tie as though it was suffocating him, and she leant over to loosen it. He stilled as her fingers brushed his neck, and watching him swallow was her greatest triumph of the evening.
“I haven’t worn this since my last performance,” Autumn said, smoothing her hands over her immaculately tailored trousers.
