A Beautiful Lie (Playing with Fire #1)(39)

“That dress screams, 'I’m going to a funeral,' not 'Give me all your secrets and maybe I’ll blow you.' Plus, Garrett doesn’t like black.”

Parker put her hands on her hips and turned to face Austin.

“What the hell do I care if Garrett likes the dress? It’s a black-tie dinner. I need to look polished and elegant, like I work for a distinguished newspaper, not like a two-dollar hooker.”

Austin shook his head and tsk’ed her.

“Shame on you, ninja. You’d be at least a fifty-dollar hooker,” he said with a laugh as she stuck her tongue out at him. “Seriously, though, you can look hot without looking slutty. And Garrett’s favorite color is blue.”

Parker threw her arms up in exasperation.

“I don’t give a rat’s ass what Garrett’s favorite color is. And for the record, I have a vagina, so I’m well aware of the fact I can look hot without looking slutty.” Parker turned back to the mirror and cocked her head at her reflection. “And his favorite color isn’t blue. It’s red,” she muttered, refusing to make eye contact with Austin.

“Uh-huh, that’s what I thought,” Austin said with a grin. “I see the way you two look at each other when you think no one is watching.”

Parker reached her arms behind her and tried to unzip the dress she now hated.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Conrad.”

She watched out of the corner of her eye as Austin got up from his chair and walked over to her, helping her with her zipper.

“You can deny it if you want, but I know Garrett. There is no hiding the look on his face when you walk into the room. He watches your every move when you aren’t paying attention. And for the record,” he said as he stood behind her, staring at her reflection. “He’s done that for as long as I’ve known him.”

Parker pushed down the nerves she felt at hearing his words.

“We’re just friends, Conrad,” she whispered, turning away from the mirror to face him.

“And it’s a good place to start. But he doesn’t look at you like he just wants to be friends, little ninja. He looks at you like you’re the key to his soul and like he wants to devour you.”

Taken back by Austin’s observation, Parker was surprised she thought the same exact thing that morning.

If an outsider like Austin saw something, maybe she wasn’t imagining things. Maybe the feelings she had weren’t just one-sided. The thought scared the hell out of her and made her want to run back to the room, find Garrett, and confess everything. Tell him how some days she wished more than anything that it had always been him, how she shut everyone out of her life for fear of being hurt, and that he was the only one she wanted to let it all go for. She wanted to tell him the guilt she felt over not being able to give that to Milo should eat her up inside but all she could think about was loving Garrett and having him give her everything in return.

Parker glanced up and noticed Austin smirking at her as he watched her contemplate the things he had said.

“Stop looking at me like that,” she huffed in irritation as she turned to make her way back to the dressing room. “And bring me every red dress you can find,” she yelled, slamming the door closed behind her.



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Garrett looked at his watch for the third time as he paced the floor of the lobby in his black, five-button Hugo Boss suit, white dress shirt, red tie, and matching red pocket handkerchief. He’d given Austin his dimensions and was pleased with what he’d picked out for him.

The limo would be there in five minutes, and the only confirmation he had that Parker was even coming was a pat on the back from Austin with the cryptic words, “I picked out the dress.”

Brady, Austin, and Cole were going to spend the evening scouting all of the buildings on the “Front Company List” Parker had found so they could double check they were all legit. So far Brady hadn’t been able to find an address for The Target Agency.

The click of heels across the marble floor stopped Garrett’s pacing, and his head turned in the direction of the sound.

“Fuck me,” Garrett muttered to himself as he stood there watching his friend saunter across the room towards him.

Parker was dressed in a red, Carolina Herrera floor-length, satin evening gown. The material clung to her body and the slit up the front, ending almost at the top of her thigh, showed off one leg between the split in the fabric with each step she took. The dress was cut low in the front, and her cleavage was highlighted by the silver crystals that lined the edge of the bodice.

Garrett scanned her body, starting at the top of her head where her thick, chestnut hair was loosely pinned up in soft curls that cascaded down to frame her face. Her long bangs were swept off to the side seductively shading one eye.

He moved his eyes slowly over the swell of her breasts covered by the rich, red fabric and sparkling jewels, then they followed the curves of her hips draped in the sleek satin, and then lingered on her long, toned legs that shined with smoothness under the lights of the lobby as she walked. Her small feet were encased in four-inch crystal-covered peep toe Louboutin heels that showed off her amazing legs.

Garrett tugged at his collar as he watched her stalk towards him exuding confidence and sex. It felt like his throat was closing up and his heart was going to burst out of his chest. He felt himself harden as he thought about running his palms up the silky skin of her thighs and sliding her dress up to her hips to see if her underwear matched. Garrett had a weakness for red underwear. Frankly, Garrett had a weakness for anything involving Parker.