blue-black hair shining under the bright lights above us. Slowly, carefully, I watch as he lifts his hand
and reaches for my hair, gently brushing it over my shoulder until my neck and bare shoulders are
exposed in the dress.
The contrast between us is jarring. His strong hand, my soft one. His broad shoulders, my gently
rounded ones. His harsh breaths and my gasping ones. I raise my eyes to meet his in the mirror. He
locks on me, his jaw clenching as he stares, hand hovering in the air as he moves it slowly, slowly
towards my collarbone. The tension between us snaps tight, tighter than I’ve ever felt. It’s nearly
unbearable as I wait for his touch.
“I’ve found the most adorable clutch to go with that dress. You’ll be the bell of the ball,” Bridget
says cheerily as she returns, fussing with the bag in her hand. She raises her eyes at us and freezes,
“Ah, well, yes, let me just leave this right here for you.” She drops the bag on the small chair in the
corner, then hustles her tiny ass out of the room.
The moment is broken. Zach steps away, rubbing the back of his neck as he exhales heavily. “That
will do fine. Change out of it, and Bridget will package it up for you. She’ll arrange to get you another
pair of shoes from that same line as those ones to match.”
He spins, taking a few steps away, then stops. Glancing back at me, eyes glittering, he says the
most incredible thing anyone’s ever said to me, “You look beautiful.”
I stand frozen as Bridget bustles back in, a small grin on her face. No one, not once in my entire
life, has called me beautiful. And suddenly, I understand why women wear dresses like this and
plaster on makeup.
For men like him.
So men look at them just like that. Ok, and maybe for themselves. But I don’t think I’ll ever get
over the high of knowing Zach Lee, handsome man about town, billionaire extraordinaire, thinks I’m
beautiful.
It’s a dream. One I want to keep living in for a little while, so I ignore my even redder skin and
Bridget’s worried eyes. It’ll be fine. It’s the price of beauty.
And to get Zach to look at me like that again? It’s a price I’m more than willing to pay.
22
ZACH
S he’s the most beautiful woman in the room, hands down. She’s done something with her eyes that
