“Keep calm,” I tried to tell myself as I practiced my deep breathing. “You can’t piss Chris off; you need somewhere to live. Gran needs somewhere to live. It’s this or the homeless shelter.”
But it was too much. I refused to be disrespected again by that alpha-hole billionaire.
Face screwed up, I marched across the hall. Cognizant of the fact that Chris liked to lounge around with very little clothes on and I did not need another eyeful of his banana split, I pounded on the door. I finally heard footsteps padding over, and he flung it open.
“Where are your clothes!” I screamed, covering my eyes. Okay, mostly covering—I might have snuck a little peek.
“You were knocking like it was an emergency,” he said, taking the towel slung around his shoulders and wrapping it around his waist. The skimpy towel somehow made him look even more erotic as it sat very low on his hips. I forced my eyes up.
He gave me that slow, lazy smile.
“Nice dress,” he drawled.
Right. I was angry about the dress.
“You did this on purpose.”
“What, make your nipples all hard like that?” he said flippantly, turning to head back into the depths of his bedroom. I followed him.
“You chose super-skimpy dresses to embarrass me.”
Chris turned, his body a perfect sculpture that I longed to photograph, and glanced at me over his shoulder.
“I assure you, I did not spend any of my valuable time ordering dresses. I asked your grandmother to pick out some you would like and in your size.”
I sagged.
“Gran.”
“Hubba hubba!” the parrot squawked from the doorway as Gran poked her head in.
“My apologies, I didn’t realize you kids were having a pre-party boink!”
“No!” Chris and I both shouted at once.
“That is not what’s going on here!” I said, waving my hands.
“Too bad. You look super sexy in that dress!” Gran said, giving me a double thumbs-up. “I’m glad you chose that one. It was my favorite.”
Lord help me.
“Gran, I cannot wear any of these outfits. I’m going to a conservative event.”
“It’s not that conservative,” Chris clarified.
Gran was looking a little too excited to see Chris in his towel and water droplets. I pushed her out of his bedroom and slammed the door shut.
“This is a disaster.”
“You look hotter than smoked salmon!” Gran said. “Now keep those tatas out! Rock what ya got! Here.” She pulled a bottle of perfume out of her pocket and doused me with it.
I coughed and sneezed.
“That will keep him interested!” she said cheerfully.
22
Chris
Grace tugged at the hem of her cocktail dress when I helped her out of the limo a few hours later. I offered her my arm.
“I am leaving that old woman at a nursing home first thing tomorrow,” she vowed.
I smiled down at her. “She’s just looking out for you.”
“I look like a stripper.”
I gave her an assessing look.
“No, you look too expensive to be a stripper.” Then I winked. “You’re more of a high-end escort.”
She shoved me, the motion making her almost topple over in the too-tall stilettos. I caught her and held her close to me briefly, the soft curves of her body pressing against me.
She looked amazing. The silk of the black dress gleamed in the low light from the crystal chandeliers as I escorted her into the lobby of the luxury hotel where the TechBiz event was being held.
The diamond earrings I had had her grandmother buy her glittered every time she moved her head.
“I know you probably don’t know anyone here,” I said, “but just smile and look like you’re happy to be married to me!”
Grace smiled up at me.
“Like this?” she said in a fake valley-girl accent. “I’m just here with my big important husband! I have no idea what’s going on!”
I took two glasses of champagne that a server offered.
“That’s not what I meant,” I said under my breath. “I was trying to be nice.”
“You were trying to be an asshole.”
“I know you didn’t want to come here. I assumed it was because you felt inadequate.”
She snorted and flicked her eyes up and down me.
“I’ve seen you in a towel. I’m not the one who is inadequate,” she said and strutted into the main ballroom, walked right up to Evan Harrington, whose hedge fund owned TechBiz along with a number of other magazines and real estate developments, wrapped her arm around his waist, and gave him a hug.