She spun on her bare heel and stalked into the bedroom in an attempt to shield her enthusiasm from Henry. But when she unzipped the bag completely and gazed at the vision of a dress that he had brought her she practically squealed.
She stepped out of the yellow satin and slid the cool silk up her body, shivering at the musical tinkle of the silver beads that made up the fringe. Zipped up, the dress fit her like a glove, hugging her body in its soft embrace. A thin silver belt cinched the waist beneath the curtain of silver beading that fell from the neckline. Layer after layer of fringe fell from her mid-thigh down to her toes. Though it clung to her breasts, hips, and backside, the scoop neck was quite modest, and the skirt reached the floor.
As she looked at herself in the mirror, she felt graceful, elegant and feminine in a way she hadn’t since before the accident. She bit her lip and glided back out into the living room, both men turning to her as she approached them. Darren’s mouth dropped open and his green eyes popped wide. “Oh, Sophie! You look amazing!”
A muscle in Henry’s jaw tightened and his black eyes gleamed, but he didn’t speak. She brushed her fingers against the beaded fringe at her knee, setting it ringing softly. “I don’t know. It’s beautiful, but...”
“You look stunning in that dress. You have to wear it somewhere. Even if it is out with him.” Darren jerked a thumb in Henry’s direction. Henry ignored the jibe, though she saw his mouth tighten a little at the corners.
“Darren’s right,” he said, flashing the blond man a quick, dark look. “You do look incredible. You should let people see you in that dress.”
She actually felt pretty incredible too. But anxiety was knotting in her stomach. “I don’t have shoes to go—”
Henry extended a box. “I almost forgot.” His lips twitched upward this time as he suppressed a smile.
She took the box hesitantly, caught off guard by how prepared Henry was. “I’ll go try them on.”
Darren touched her arm. “Since my work here is done, I’m going to go. Call me when you get home, okay?” He brushed a kiss against her cheek. She nodded, shooting a quick glance at Henry. Darren cl
early didn’t want to spend any extended time in his company, and she didn’t blame him. Gorgeous dress or no, just because she’d agreed to his scheme didn’t mean she wasn’t still completely livid.
“Night, Dar. Thanks for your help.”
He flapped a hand at her and headed out the apartment door, completely ignoring Henry Medina.
“Can you give me a few minutes? I just need to finish getting ready,” she said, turning to Henry.
“I’ll wait here,” he said, taking a seat on Sophie’s couch and grabbing a magazine from her coffee table.
She went into the bathroom and began rummaging through her make-up. It had been so long since she’d done anything but a little eyeliner and lip gloss that she was momentarily overwhelmed by the sheer prospect of having to get made up.
But once she’d taken a deep breath it came back surprisingly easy. She’d been blessed with good skin, so she skipped a heavy liquid foundation in favor of a lighter foundation mousse, and she warmed the curve of her cheekbone with a little bronzer. A dramatic smoky eye and a dark cherry lip lent a subtle sexiness to her otherwise natural look.
She moved onto her hair, fashioning it into a smooth French twist and clipping it with a sparkling silver pin that matched her beaded silver earrings. Satisfied that she’d done all she could, she opened the shoe box Henry had brought.
She inhaled sharply. The heels inside were gorgeous, maybe even moreso than the dress. A four and a half inch heel with a peep toe, the shoe was covered with tiny, shimmering crystals. She slipped them on, once again marveling that he seemed to know her exact size.
It was time to face the music. Or the paparazzi, rather. She straightened her shoulders, lifted her chin, and glided back into her living room. Henry glanced up from the magazine, his hungry gaze attaching to her immediately. The look shot through her like a bullet. She stilled, spine stiffening, as his eyes raked her from head to toe. She felt her own hunger flare low in her belly. She remembered the feel of his lips on her skin, the dark, commanding tone of his voice as he’d told her to kneel in his bedroom. She shivered.
“We’d better get going.” Her voice came out wispy, but he jumped to his feet. “The limo is waiting.” He motioned her to precede him out the door. Sophie went, hoping he wouldn’t try to touch her. She was hanging on by a thread—one brush of his hand could set her off and Sophie didn’t know if she’d laugh, or cry, hit him, or throw herself at him.
He didn’t touch her. Sophie breathed a small sigh of relief, and disappointment, as they climbed into the elevator in silence. This was going to be a long night.
Chapter Eleven
Sophie tried not to twist her hands into the lovely fabric of her dress. She stared out the window, willing the traffic to move faster. But they were nearly at a standstill. Neither one of them had spoken since they had left her apartment and the silence was growing unwieldy. There was no way they could go out in public like this. No one would believe they were a couple.
Perhaps, if she could get them both feeling more relaxed, things would go more smoothly. “Do you go to this type of thing often?”
“It’s part of the job.” His eyes cut quickly to her and then away.
“Which is what, exactly? If we’re supposed to be a couple, shouldn’t I know what Medina Properties does?”
Henry shifted in his seat, finally looking at her. “We buy and sell land, mostly. Develop real estate. It’s not very interesting and most of the people there won’t want to talk about business anyway.”
She swallowed hard. “Ok. Do we have a story?”
“I think it’s best we stick as close to the truth as possible.”