The curtain opens one more time, and my jaw hits the floor.
The deep emerald dress skims her curves like water, hitting near the middle of her shins, the modest length somehow making it even sexier. The neckline is appropriate for a charity luncheon, but showcases the elegant line of her throat. Her shoulders are bare except for small cap sleeves, and the color makes her cheeks pink and her hair glow like copper in firelight.
Damn…
She’s breathtaking.
I’ve seen Emily in coffee-stained business casual (quite fetching despite the smell) and nothing at all (perfection), but this…
This is something else entirely.
Suddenly, the madwoman who crash-landed in my life last night looks like a society darling, capable of holding her own at any upper-crust event. She’s poised, elegant, exactly the type of woman my mother’s been after me to find.
And if my mother and grandmother join forces to push this agenda?
Well, I might be disowned if I fail to seal the deal.
“What do you think? I thought it was perfect, but…” Emily cocks her head, a frown line forming between her brows. “Iliked that the green complemented your tie, but…maybe it’s too much?”
I still can’t speak.
My brain appears to have short-circuited somewhere between realizing just how beautiful she is and howdangerousshe is.
Maybe this isn’t such a brilliant plan, after all…
I’m seriously in for a world of pain if my nearest and dearest form an attachment, and then I appear to have let this lovely girl slip through my fingers. Unlike many noble families, they won’t care that she’s American. They’ll just care that she made me feel free to be my truest self, and that I didn’t appear to treasure that as much as I should have.
I’ll have to take the blame for the end of the relationship, after all, it’s the only way to protect Em from further cyber harassment.
Yes, mistakes may have been made, but…it’s too late to turn back now.
Forcing a smile, I shake my head. “No, it’s not too much. It’s perfect.” Our gazes lock, hold. “You’reperfect, and we should be on our way.”
Like a retail specter eerily attuned to her customers’ vibrations, Claudette suddenly materializes beside me. “Yes, that’s the dress. It’s incredible on you,” she announces, with a definitive nod. “The color is divine, and the cut couldn’t be more flattering.”
“Agreed, we’ll take it,” I say, still having a hard time pulling my gaze from Emily’s. “But as we mentioned, we’re in quite a rush.”
“Of course! Let me just snip the tags, and you’ll be ready to go.” Claudette flutters around Emily, wielding a pair of tiny scissors, before bustling out with practiced efficiency. As she goes, she calls over her shoulder, “I’ll meet you at the register.”
And yes, Idostand there gaping at Emily for nearly another full minute before pulling myself together.
So far, this fake boyfriend nonsense is off to one hell of a start.
“Right, then, do you want to gather your things, and I’ll meet you up front?” I ask as I back away. “I’m sure Claudette will give you a bag for your other clothes. This is my treat, by the way.”
“Thank you,” Emily says, “but I’m happy to pay you back for?—”
“Stop,” I cut her off. “What kind of fake boyfriend would I be if I didn’t buy my fake girlfriend a proper ‘meet the parent’ dress? Speaking of, I should fill you in on the things that irritate Mother. There are only three cardinal sins in the World of Vivian, the Dowager Viscountess, but commit any of them, and she’ll be cranky.”
Emily gulps, her eyes going wide. “Shit, Olly, you should have led with that! Now I’m going to be a nervous wreck.”
“Never, you’re gorgeous,” I assure her. “And we’ll have a full five minutes to prepare in the cab.”
“Five minutes!” she squeaks.
“Don’t worry! You’ll be great!” I duck out of the fitting room, congratulating myself on maintaining my composure and keeping my hands to myself.
But how long will I be able to keep up the farce?
