AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My stomach cramped on cue and my breakfast rose into my throat. I shook my head, fighting the urge back. "Don't you do that," I admonished both of them, my stomach and my roommate.
"Well, if you need me," Raleigh sang out as she darted towards the door, a large black backpack slung over her back. "Tell me when you're back, and then I'll be over."
I wrinkled my nose. “I don't know how you deal with the Kingsman house."
"It's good value. Good humor. Don’t take any of them seriously.” She shrugged. "But it’s not as much fun now Barclay’s gone. But there's still the other Lord. What's his name? Nelly? Nelson? He plays like life is fun, but he’s intense and broken underneath.”
"So are most of them," I pointed out.
"Beau'll be taking care of you tonight, or I’ll be taking care of him." She marked her territory as a friend clearly. “Any unnecessary tension can go suck an egg.”
The memory of his mouth, gentle over mine, exploring and tasting swamped me. "No tension here," I lied.
Raleigh sent me a pitying look. "Girl, no boy who doesn't know you spends five days sleeping on a hospital bed or the floor to ensure the girl who he's not dating recovers."
"And then never messages, not once." Not even when I went a little stalker crazy.
The first time I've spoken to Beau Bennett in months was yesterday.
I pressed my fingers to the ruined, scarred flesh along my ribs beneath my tee. "Nothing about me is normal."
"Can't agree more." She grabbed the door handle and yanked, and a tall, strange and white haired elderly man bearing a large white glossy box stumbled inside.
"Oh. Have you got the right room?"
The man, who must've been a decade-long member of the octagon octogenarian club, peered over top of his large box through spectacles that originated in the last century. "Miss Sylvie Quick?"
"Over there.” Raleigh flicked me a cheeky grin and departed.
Thanks for that moral support.
The gentleman stepped slowly towards me. "Delivery for you. I'll wait and make any adjustments."
I ogled him. "You’ll wait?"
"I'll adjust the fittings," he spoke slower, his eyes narrowing. "Do I need to ask for identification as Sylvie Quick?" He shook his head. "Mr Bennett sent along specific sizing instructions.”
I scrutinized him. "Oh, he did, did he?" I snorted. My pet octogenarian backed up a step at my unladylike noise. "Okay. Let's see what's going on here." I slipped the box open. Wrapped in tiny little baggies were a pair of what looked like real diamond-encrusted shoes – knowing Beau, they likely were. Straps wrapped around each other and little bows decorated the tops. Beneath that was a matching clutch, also diamond-encrusted. I lifted it with two fingers and left the bag and shoes on my crappy little table, avoiding Raleigh’s coffee stain from earlier. Sucking in a long breath I flipped open two pieces of tissue paper to expose a deep navy dress studded with deep blue stones.
"Are they–?"
"Sapphires, ma’am. If you don't mind, could you please try the garment on?"
I blinked at him, grabbed the dress and shot into the bathroom, pressing my back against the door the moment it closed.
I fucking knew that agreeing to a date with Beau Bennett was a really bad idea.
***
That thought didn’tchange as I headed downstairs in the sapphire–actual freaking gemstone–studded dress, my hair hanging in oversized curls that fell just past my shoulders, wearing the white–yep, you guessed it,diamond, and my octogenarian friend confirmed it–shoes.
If ever there was ever going to be a riches to rags to riches princess moment in my life, this was it.
And a dark knight, wearing a suit a subtle shade darker than my dress that looked like silk, and knowing Bennett, it was, waited for me at the bottom floor of my dorm.
“You weren’t coming up,” was what blurted out of my mouth as I stepped from the elevator and pretended I dressed in formal attire every day of the week.
We both knew it was a lie, like so many things about this entire night.
