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“Because…the world doesn’t work that way. You can’t have whatever you want just because you say so.”
He winked. “I got you, didn’t I?”
* * *
After breakfast,Asher ordered clothes for her and had them delivered within an hour. The man was obviously used to getting whatever he wanted. She sent a quick text to her boss, explaining that she’d woken up sick, and followed Asher out the door without a second thought.
The clothes he’d picked out fit well, and she felt much more comfortable than she had the night before in her uniform. He led her down the stairs of his apartment building, past the doorman from last night with a slight nod of acknowledgement, and onto the busy street. That was another thing Blythe had yet to get used to. No matter where you were or what time it was, New York was always busy. There were people everywhere all the time. She guessed she’d known it would be the case, but she hadn’t understood the magnitude of its busyness until she arrived. It was breathtaking the amount of people there were in the city, and in a way, it gave her the room she needed to breathe. No one was there to notice that she was outside with a man when she’d just called into work. No one would be reporting said news to her aunt or her boss because no one knew her there. Say what you will about large cities, but that alone was enough to keep her there.
“Where are we going?” she asked loudly, as he pulled her across the busy street at a near-run.
“We have to get you something to wear, don’t we?”
“What do you call what I have on?” she asked, when they reached the other side of the street and she looked down at her outfit.
“Yes, well, those are great for right now, but tonight is black tie.”
She gasped. It all sounded so fancy. “Asher, I can’t keep letting you spend so much money on me. I’m starting to feel bad.”
He rolled his eyes playfully. “I want to do it or I wouldn’t be, so don’t worry about it.”
“Are you sure?” she asked. “I mean, I have a little bit of money. I could help some.”
“This party is for me. When you take me to a fancy dinner party, you can pay for my tux, okay? Deal?”
She stared at him, at the kindness behind his eyes that she hadn’t noticed before, the dimple in his chin, and the way he stared at her with such interest. He made her feel like the only girl on the crowded street, and that was something she’d never felt before. In Darlington, she was a choice only because the choices were so limited. In New York, the choices were endless, yet Asher had chosen her.
“Deal,” she agreed, taking his hand as he held it out again. If she had the option, she would’ve stayed right there in his grip, and in his eye line, for as long as she possibly could.
A few doors down, Asher pulled her into a dress shop. “This place is good. A few of the women I work with have ordered from here before. Take a look around.” He held out an arm. “Let me know what you like.”
Somehow he seemed to make even the most innocent of sentences provocative. “Okay,” she said, staring around. She walked toward a mannequin dressed in a simple, black dress, running her fingers over the fabric. She had no idea what size she would need—most of her dresses were sized with letters, not numbers.
“Oh, no.” A voice came from her side. She looked up to see a perky saleswoman with stark black hair approaching her. “That dress isn’t right for you,” she said, her voice polite though her words stung. “Pretty brown hair with just a perfect hint of red like you’ve got—we need a fiery dress to match a fiery woman.” She winked at her, taking her arm and leading her across the room. She cast a friendly glance over her shoulder toward Asher, making Blythe wonder if they knew each other.
“Okay,” Blythe said hesitantly. Asher took a seat in an oversized, white chair, seeming to be enjoying the view as the woman led her toward a mannequin wearing a floor-length red gown. The neckline was cut close to where she assumed her belly button would land; it had her blushing at the mere thought of wearing it. Her mother would’ve had a fit.
“How about this one?” the woman asked. “With a red lip, too, this would really help you to stand out.”
“Oh, I don’t know…” Blythe said softly, running her fingers over the fabric. It was a beautiful dress, there was no denying that. Whoever wore it would certainly have all the attention on her, but did she want that? She’d never been comfortable with being the center of attention.
“Would you like to try it on?” she offered. “Trust me, you and this dress…” She made an ‘okay’ symbol with her forefinger and thumb. “He won’t know what hit him.”
Blythe smiled, looking back over her shoulder to where Asher was watching and waiting. He smiled at her, sending warmth throughout her body. “Okay,” she said before she allowed herself to second-guess it. “I’ll try it on.”
“Perfect,” the sales woman squealed. “Now, let me look at you.” She placed a fist under her chin as her eyes trailed over Blythe’s body. “You’re…what? A size twelve, maybe?”
“Maybe,” Blythe said nervously. “I don’t really know.”
“No problem,” the woman assured her. “Here.” She grabbed two dresses from the rack. “We’ll try a twelve and a ten, and if these don’t work, we’ll come back for more.” With that, she whisked her away toward a dressing room, and Blythe tried to enjoy the morning in whoever’s life she’d somehow ended up, while it lasted.
* * *
When Blythe walkedout of the dressing room, sucked into the size twelve, she looked around the room for him. At first, she didn’t see him, surprised that he’d left the chair. Had this all been a prank? Was he trying to ditch her?
For just that moment, her heart lurched and she felt sure she was going to be sick. Within a minute, she laid eyes on him. He was standing at the opposite side of the room, talking with one of the saleswomen. When he saw her, his expression grew ashen and he walked away from the woman quickly, his eyes locked on her.
“Whoa,” he said as he grew near.
