Dropping The Ball - A New Year’s Billionaire Romance - Weston Parker Page 0,40

Whatever was going on in his bank account made no difference to me.

As for the rules, apparently there was concern that familiarity bred complacency and unprofessional relationships, and that could put the client in danger. Something told me that it wouldn’t be like that with Carter, but I still didn’t want to get him in trouble. I also didn’t really want to lose him as my guard. I’d gotten used to having him around, and I really liked it. Even if it’d been a struggle keeping my lips and hands to myself.

Jules accepted my agreement without question, simply sighing and gesturing toward the curtain. “Go get changed in there. I’ll get your hottie and bring him in. Just don’t let him distract you, okay? If you’re distracted by him, I’m going to have to assume that the same is true for him. I want you to be happy, and I can see you’re happier with him around, but my priority is keeping you safe.”

I nodded as I swept the curtain aside to reveal the closet beyond it. “We’re both capable of doing our jobs regardless of the chemistry between us. You’ll see in a moment.”

Now all I had to do was prove to him that I was right. One of the reasons why he was even giving us a chance and not going straight to Bart was because he’d seen Carter in action that day we’d had lunch together. I knew Jules well enough to know that he’d been impressed by Carter’s skills and awareness of our surroundings, which meant he was okay with giving me this chance as long as it didn’t put me in overt danger.

As I changed into the dress, I put my thoughts about my bodyguard on hold for the moment. If I was going to prove to Jules, and to myself, that Carter wouldn’t be a distraction, I actually needed to not be distracted by him.

The New Year’s performance was going to be a huge one for my career, and I really did care about it. It wasn’t difficult to focus on that instead of the low timbre of Carter’s voice on the other side of the curtain.

Every aspect of the upcoming performance mattered, the dress being an important part of the character I had to slide into. Taking a deep breath as I stepped into the black lacy number, I zipped up the side, admiring the exquisite workmanship and thought that had gone into it.

The lace was sheer with a layer of shimmering emerald material underneath it. My bodice and arms looked like I’d been painted that color, and though my legs were covered, the skirt was sleek enough that the emerald popped from my hips and thighs as well.

A high collar came up to just below my ears, and the frilly touches over my chest were made to look frayed. I found a matching pair of heels at the bottom of the plastic covering and slipped them on to complete the look.

There was a hat in there too, which I perched at the back of my head after pulling my ponytail out of my hair. I was surprised by the overall effect. I’d always admired costume designers and marveled at how their creations could morph a person into a character, but these people had surpassed my expectations.

After adding a bit of stage makeup from Jules’s closet, I looked just like the infamous Wicked Witch. The effect was dazzling—even to me.

When I walked out, Jules turned a finger in the air and examined me with a critical eye. Carter was seated in a padded chair facing the small stage, and he didn’t move, but I heard his sharp intake of breath when he saw me.

“I approve,” Jules said finally. “They did a great job. Let’s take it for a spin, shall we?”

I nodded and climbed onto the stage, forcing my gaze to stay off Carter’s as I prepared to launch into the song. Everything inside me stilled when I belted out the first note, and it went off without a hitch from there.

Putting all the longing of my character for her love interest and my own for Carter into it, I closed my eyes and put on the best show I had in years. Jules burst into applause when I was done, and I shot him a cheeky wink before finally allowing myself to look at Carter.

Without harsh stage lights in my eyes, I didn’t need to wait for my vision to adjust. I