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I dress and do my hair and makeup. I pull my thick hair up into a chignon, keeping my makeup minimal and classic. My nails have already been painted a delicate gold that looks nearly perfect against my dress. As I pull on the gown, I glance at the dressing table. Specifically, at the yellow diamond choker and earrings there. Susan brought them and told me Dante insisted on me wearing them, something about how nice they’ll look against my skin.
I’ll miss Susan, I realize. I wonder if she knows this is the last day we’ll be dealing with one another.
Once I’m dressed, I slowly pick up the necklace and put it on. The large stone in the center of it rests in the hollow at the base of my throat. The earrings fall in delicate golden teardrops, hanging almost to my shoulders.
I look myself over.
I don’t know who this person is. She’s not me. She’s a role I’m playing, and at midnight, the curtains come down. I’m the girl who lives in jeans and bare feet, who buries her nose in romance novels or belts out the lyrics to musicals. I watch stupid movies, and my idea of a fun night is Netflix and delivery pizza.
One more night. I get my life back, plus some.
Why doesn’t this feel like a win then?
I take one more deep breath and walk out of my room. I grab my little gold bag on the way out. My wallet and keys are in it. I assume I’m going home at the end of the night.
When I step into the living room, Dante’s standing near the windows, a glass of amber liquid in his hand. He rarely drinks, especially before an event, but I don’t ask. He turns to look at me, and there’s something in his eyes that makes my heart squeeze.
“You look stunning,” he murmurs.
“Thank you. So do you,” I tell him, and he gives me a small smile, dark eyes still locked to mine.
“Susan said she delivered your things to your apartment,” he says, and I force myself to look calm.
“Tell her thank you for me,” I say, and he nods.
“She said you told her to take everything,” he says.
“Well, it’s better than having her have to do it later and waste her time.”
“So you’re not staying tonight, then?”
I study him. His tone doesn’t give anything away, and his face is expressionless.
“Our agreement ends at midnight,” I say softly.
After a moment, he nods. “So it does. Your fee has been released, so it should be in your account now.”
“Thank you.”
He nods. We’ve covered business. If he has anything to say to me, anything outside the realm of the agreement we’ve made, any sign that this means more to him than a business transaction, this would be the time to say it.
I’ve stopped breathing.
“Well. We should get going then,” he says, setting his glass down. It’s like a punch to the stomach, a twist of the knife to my heart, how calmly, how casually he says it. It takes every bit of my acting skill not to let on how much he just hurt me.
He starts moving toward the door, and I follow, keeping my eyes straight ahead, my chin up.
Stupid little girl, thinking he saw you as something more than a hired escort and a convenient fuck, an insidious voice in my mind sneers. I knew better. But I wanted to believe so much more.
The ride in the limousine to the venue for the gala is mostly silent. After a while, Dante glances up at me.
“We’re almost there,” he says, and I nod.
“This gala…it’s in honor of me,” he says, and I raise my eyebrows. “I’m getting an award for my charity work. I’ve won several awards over the last few years, but this one means the most. It’s a first step toward what I want to do with my life.”
“Congratulations, Dante.”
He meets my eyes. “My father is pleased with the PR this will give the company. I know you know what this means to me. It’ll be nice having someone there who gets it.”
