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She made a fair point, but I considered the background check I still had running on her. I may enjoy her company, body, and personality. But I couldn’t put my complete trust in her—not yet.
“I have a lot of enemies in this business, and they want to find a foothold. One man in particular is doing a lot to see me fall,” I finally told her. “This gala is meant to be a charity event to raise money for a business I’m starting in the near future.The guest list is comprised of some of my most influential and important contacts. Men and women who contribute largely to my businesses.”
She didn’t speak for a moment as I heard her rustling around. “To test their allegiance?” she asked.
She was too smart for her own good.
“In part.”
“And in part to remind them who you are and why they are partnered with you and not the other guy.”
This time, she didn’t phrase it as a question.
“And,” I added. “Because their pocketbooks run deep, and I need funding for my plans.”
“Which are?”
“None of your concern,” I chided back. Business, mostly. I needed funding to pay my people. But I also needed funding to keep up with Valentino’s assault on my assets.
She huffed again, and the lock on the bathroom door clicked before it swung open, and she emerged.
I couldn’t have imagined she’d lookthisphenomenal.
The woman who had lived in oversized shirts and jeans for nearly two weeks transformed into royalty before my very eyes. Her long locks of hair hung past her shoulders, and the dress hugged each curve of her body deliciously. It showed almost toomuch cleavage for public view, but I could hardly look away from the creamy skin there.
“My eyes are up here,” she chastised.
But I continued taking my fill. My eyes drifted to her impressive curves and the way the dress tapered out at her knees.
I thought the dress would be beautiful, but Sienna made it lookincredible.
I looked back up to the face that had a new brightness. The makeup Lucia had given her did more than I could have hoped.
While she was beautiful before, Sienna looked no less than a goddess tonight.
***
I expected her to argue or fight me tonight. It was a contingency plan that one of my most trusted men would escort her out and take her home if she did, but as we strode into the gala, the look of pure admiration on her face assuaged some of the concerns.
“It’s stunning in here,” she admitted.
The silver chandelier that hung across the middle of the room sent sparkles dancing across the marble floor. Tables sat along the outskirts of the room, all set with formal dinnerware. Several suited servers milled through the room with glasses of champagne, and even the most rugged of my soldiers made an attempt at looking presentable tonight.
It was exactly what I needed to impress the people here tonight.
“Is there a part I should play?” she asked as I nodded to one of the most formattable business owners across the room.
“If I ask you to act both civil and docile, would you kick me for it?”
“I don’tdodocile.”
“Then let’s stick with civil.”
She glanced up at me with a barely perceptible scowl before the lines of her face smoothed into a wide smile. “Like this?” she asked in a chipper tone.
I chuckled, but the smile did something to my chest. “Be careful throwing around that smile. You might convince someone here to try to steal you.”
“Like I convinced you?”
