Page 49 of A Certain Appeal
Darcy sneers. “He feed you the sob story? The poor urchin plays nursemaid to my father, then I come along and rip his dreams away?”
The callous comments twist my stomach into a tight knot.Welcome back, Mr. Tolerable. It’s been a while.I drop the hand at his neck to his shoulder. “You’ve got the CliffsNotes version down.”
His jaw sets. “Don’t get in bed with him.”
I pull back enough that his hand slides to my waist. “Excuseme?”
Darcy’s eyes widen, the hand on mine pressing tight. “No! In business terms. Your boss, I hope, isn’t bringing him on or investing with him, is he?”
I shake my head, still stinging at the earlier implication, though the mention of Toby makes me stay where I am. “Why?”
He sighs. “I wouldn’t know where to start. Bennet—” My name comes out rough. “I need to speak to you as well. I—I can’t right now.” He sends another dark glance over my shoulder, then his attention returns to me. “Not now.”
Disappointment and frustration grip my chest. Despite everything Wickham told me, I want to give in to the pull of this man. I want him to redeem himself. But there’s no coming back from what he did.
“Why not?” I ask his lips.
“I’m sorry, I need to go.” He releases me, taking a step back. But as my hand falls from his chest, he catches it, pressing my palm. “I’m sorry.” His thumb glances over my pulse point. “I’m in California with Charles for the week, but I’ll be back. And we’ll talk. I promise.”
He squeezes my hand again, and then he’s gone, leaving a chill at every point where we shared contact.
CHAPTER
14
Ming pinches the extra material at my sides. “This good?”
I look in the full-length mirror. With the sides held by Ming, the dress hints at the potential I sensed at the vintage shop last week. The long-sleeved, shamrock-green mini was meant to fit and flare, which it’ll do beautifully after Ming takes it in. Pearl buttons run down from the low V of the neckline to just below my belly button, revealing tiny peeks of skin between each fastener. The spaces are barely the width of a fingertip, but the neat dots of exposure push the dress to the spicy side of sweet.
I’m not exaggerating when I say, “Perfect.”
“All right.” Ming releases the right side and shifts to my left, plucking a straight pin from the (naturally) penis-shaped pincushion strapped to her wrist. “Prepare to be pinned.”
“Ooh, Jane! Can you move the phone a little? I wanna see!” My cousin’s voice comes out tinny from the phone’s speaker.
Jane moves from his spot on the bed, where he’s been lounging since commandeering my FaceTime session with Chloe to fill her in on the dream-turned-reality that is Charles Bingley. He points the back camera of my phone at the mirror, and Chloe squeals in delight.
“Ooh, looking good, Lizard. Ming, I know we haven’t met yet, but let me just say, you areskilled.”
“I know,” says Ming, who starts pinning.
“So, Chloe, has Bennet told youhernews?” Jane catches my eye in the mirror. I mouth for him to shut up, but he just grins. “She’s getting back into the design game.”
“What?” Chloe shrieks. “Jane, turn me around. Or switch cameras, whatever. I need to glare at Liz.”
“Thanks so very much, Jane,” I growl.
“Think of it as an insurance policy.” He extends the PopSocket on my phone case, using it to nestle the phone in the space at the edge of my mirror. “The more people who know about your Meryton stuff, the more likely you are to actually go through with showing it off.”
“I’m not going to flake,” I say. “I want this.”
“Lizard, I’ve been waiting three years for this! Tell me everything.” On the screen, Chloe’s at her vanity, working on a look for her upcoming shoots. Her bangs are pushed back in a headband, and since Jane stole my phone, she’s made one eye up in a vibrant red ombre that covers the whole lid up to a thick, dark brow. “Meryton is where the burlesque show is, right?”
“Yes. But I haven’t shown the powers that be anything yet,” I clarify.
“Still, that’s so great to hear,” says Chloe. “I know what happened at the internship screwed with you. But I felt like you’d find your way back to it.” She beams at me, and it’s like a cross-country hug.
“Andrea said she and Charles would consider my work once the sale is final,” I say. “There are no guarantees, but it feels really good to have even that sliver of a prospect out there.”
