AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I finally managed to get a chuckle out of him, making me feel more confident than I had been a minute ago.
“I better get going now. Thanks again.”
He gave me a small nod, and I almost did my silly wave again, but thankfully my hand obeyed my brain, and I could refrain from embarrassing myself greatly in front of this man. I took my dress in my hand and ensured I wouldn’t step on my dress again before moving.
“Do I need to carry you to the stage?” He asked with a teasing smile.
Damn, the man was gorgeous. Seeing that smile aimed at me made me want to forget everything and ask him to whisk me away so we could be alone.
“Honestly, I was just thinking of crawling to my booth, but I doubt the designer would appreciate that,” I replied with a laugh, thinking about how amazing it would be actually to be carried to stage. Not only would I avoid walking in these heels, but I would also get a chance to be closer to him.
“Probably not,” he replied, humor dancing in his eyes.
“So, wish me luck. I’m going to need it out there.”
He didn’t say anything for a few seconds as he looked at me slowly from head to toe, then back up again. There was a hungry look in his eyes when he finally replied. “You don’t need any luck.”
The way he said it and how he looked at me made me feel like a goddess. As I walked away as fast as I could in my damn shoes, all I could think of was him. My ears felt warm, and I only hoped I wasn’t red all over. That was just what I needed before facing a hundred people, an embarrassing encounter with the most handsome man I had ever seen. Yet, the whole thing played again in my head as I took my position at my booth, and I couldn’t help but smile.
I quickly scanned everyone, and they were all dressed to the nines, reminding me of why I was here again. I looked at the other models and quickly fixed my posture to look more like them, tall and professional. Everyone was still taking their seats and not paying attention to us yet, but I didn’t want to be caught off guard. With a smile, I was ready to do my best to inspire people to spend their money for a good cause.
A movement caught the corner of my eye, and I looked to my left to see none other than Gorgeous Guy taking his seat in the front row. I thought he should be up here as a model. All the ladies would go wild. I doubted that any of them would hesitate to bid on whatever he would showcase, even if it were just a simple t-shirt. I watched as he leaned in next to the beautiful woman and said something before she laughed, drawing a smile from him. He shook his head and settled in his seat, looking up and assessing everyone on stage until his eyes met mine. He gave me that smirk that threatened to make me fall on stage again. Only this time, he wouldn’t be there to catch me.
2
Michael
I watched as the beautiful woman walked away from me, part of me expecting her to trip again like a poorly coordinated toddler. I was glad when she climbed the stairs safely and finally disappeared behind the curtain, wondering why I even concerned myself with this. The answer was simple. She was interesting. Her crazy rambling had seemed confident, but I could almost feel the nerves radiating off her. I didn't know that models came in the clumsy variety, but it seemed I had met the exception today.
I turned to go, but something caught my eye just moments before my foot met the floor. Upon closer inspection, I bent to pick it up and realized it was an old, well-preserved pin. Its blue and green jewels sparkled in the lights. That beautiful woman had probably dropped it, but it was too late to give it back to her now. Our reunion would have to wait until after the auction. I walked to my seat and sat down next to my mother, who was looking impatient already.
"This is why you should have let me help you organize. I would have asked everyone to send a check without needing all this," I said as I leaned in.
She laughed and playfully punched my arm, reminding me – for the thousandth time – fundraising didn't work that way.
"Oh, for heaven's sake, what happened to the suit I sent you?"
"First, you must stop trying to dress me like a child. I have a whole wardrobe full of suits, Mother. Secondly, I didn't feel like wearing one."
"Michael," she said with her best stern look.
"You said it would be a fun event, and I used my afternoon off to support you. So, let me relax and have fun."
She sighed but let it go, allowing me a moment to check if everyone was in place and this thing could get started. I hadn't had time to relax in ages, and while this wasn't exactly my idea of a fun afternoon off, my earlier encounter with Miss Two Left Feet had been interesting enough. It was hard to miss her in a bright red dress with gorgeous red hair. That had been the first thing I had noticed about her, that hair. I had never seen a shade so rich before, and I was certain it hadn't come from a bottle. When she finally looked at me with those green eyes, I was sure I had never seen anything so beautiful.
That gorgeous pair met mine now, and I didn't want to look away. I had met many beautiful women before, but there was just something about those eyes and that blush that captured my attention in a way I hadn't felt in a long time. Her nervous smile made me wonder if this was her first gig, which might explain the earlier clumsiness. Either that or she was still starting in the business and trying to find her footing, literally and figuratively. I intended to find out later if my interest in her hadn't dampened by then.
The auction started, and I bid on a few items, including a watch and a bracelet I thought would be perfect for two of my aunts for Christmas. The final item in the accessories collection was a designer hat I thought would be perfect for my mother, and she proved me right when she quickly gave the first bid. The model was doing poses to show off the angles of the hat when she stumbled and almost fell. Everyone gasped in shock as her tight dress ripped along the back seam while I sighed in exasperation.
"Isevery model employed at this event incompetent?" I asked my mother, who looked calmer than I expected.
I knewshe had to be boiling inside, being the perfectionist that she was. Ever since my father passed on, my mother had made it her life's work to be involved in every charity she could. Charity was her legacy and anything going wrong at one of her events was unacceptable.
"A little kindness, Michael,"she said with clenched teeth, letting me know that she was trying hard to keep it together.
I lookedat the stage again and saw Miss Two Left Feet taking off her shoes before rushing to the girl's side. There was nothing graceful about the act, but she didn't seem to care as she went to help the girl. I watched as she stood behind the girl, hiding her from view while giving me a perfect view of her dress from behind. The red dress looked like it had been poured over her and hugged every curve perfectly. The only thing that would look more perfect than the red dress on her would be that red dress off of her. Preferably on my floor, my hands tracing every curve I was looking at now.
An assistant ranto the stage with a shawl and wrapped it around her before quickly walking the girl off the stage. While everyone was focused on the model walking off the stage, I could not take my eyes off Miss Two Left Feet. She walked carefully back to her booth as she held her dress up, trying not to trip and cause another scene. She was shorter than all the other models, probably why her dress was longer, but I had enjoyed having her look up at me so I could see those eyes. When she finally got back to her position, a second of pure panic crossed her face, and she looked down and around her, no doubt looking for something. Probably the little something which was in my pocket right now. She quickly composed herself, and her eyes found mine as if she felt me looking at her.
