Mile High (Up in the Air #2)(63)

She stabbed the red ink on his chest. “When did this happen? It has to be brand new!”

He just grinned, turning to show her his back. She was struck speechless at the sight.

I turned my back on them, grabbing the dresses on the bed and heading into the closet to try them on, while they continued to chat.

You wouldn’t have known it was a guest room if you were going by the closet. It was the size of a guest room all by itself, with mirrors lining every wall. I assumed this was the room where he usually worked with Jackie, going by the clothing, both male and female, lining the walls, tags intact.

I hung Jackie’s choices on a bare stretch of racks, eyeing them up dubiously. They were gowns. I liked skirts and sundresses well enough if they were cool and comfortable, but I felt overwhelmed even trying on the gowns I was looking at now.

I took a deep breath, plunging in. I wouldn’t let someone like Jackie see that I was intimidated by the clothes, or any of it, for that matter.

I grabbed a plain navy gown first. I could see by the cut of the top half that I wouldn’t be wearing a slip with it, so I slipped out of it before working the silky material over my legs, hips, and finally my bust. It was a strapless gown, with a long slit up the side. It zipped in back, and I couldn’t manage on my own. I almost took it off just because of that, but with a sigh, I stepped out of the closet to get a hand.

Jackie was still studying James’s shoulder tattoo when I stepped out of the closet. He shot me a admiring smile. “That looks great.”

I gave him a rather weak smile. The more I got ready for the gala, the more I felt a little overwhelmed by my misgivings. This was not my world, I didn’t want it to be, and I didn’t know if I could fake it, even for James.

“Can you zip me?” I asked him, my voice very stiff. He did, after all, have a strange woman running her fingers along his back.

He moved to me, completely ignoring Jackie’s demand for him to hold still. He held the back together, zipping me in with more ease than I would have expected. The dress didn’t have a bit of give in the silken fabric, and I’d thought it would be tighter.

I turned to the huge mirror mounted on the wall, approaching it to eye the gown with a critical eye.

James followed me, watching my face more than anything. I thought he could sense my uncertainty. I thought the dress looked nice enough. “It fits,” I said flatly. “And it’s actually long enough. That’s pretty impressive, I suppose.”

Jackie made a little humming sound in her throat. “They make them long like that, for heels. Looks like you’ll need at least a three inch heel to pull that one off. It fits well enough. A little plain, but it fits.”

I headed back into the closet, biting back a comment about the fact that she had been the one to pick the thing out.

I chose a pretty lavender gown next. The top was a halter, and it didn’t take long to realize that I couldn’t wear a bra with the neckline.

I usually wouldn’t be caught dead going braless in public, but I tried it on, just to see. The way it tied gave the top a surprising amount of support in the bust area, and the silk was soft against my skin. It was fitted, but not tight, from neck to about mid hip, where it fanned out in fluffy layers of chiffon, a high slit showing a lot of one leg. Jackie liked her high slitted gowns. It was ultra-feminine but still sexy, and I loved it instantly.

James blinked at me as I walked out, his jaw going just a touch slack. I was gratified. I decided instantly to wear the dress. Jackie’s input be damned.

Jackie whistled. “Very nice. I almost want to save that one for a bigger event.”

“No. I’ll wear it tonight,” I told her. I needed all of the confidence boosting I could get for the night, and James looking at me the way he was looking at me did exactly that.

He swallowed, then licked his lips. All of his nervous tells. It made me smile.

“You look beautiful,” he said, with feeling. “But it seems a little revealing. Do you think it’ll pick up as see-through with the camera flashes, Jackie?”

She gave him a ‘do you think I’m an amateur?’ kind of look. “It wouldn’t be in the pile if it did.” She turned back to me, her voice brisk. “Now to accessorize. You can go start getting dressed yourself, James. I got this.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Jackie pointed me in the direction of shiny navy wedges with a peep toe and a four inch heel. They were more comfortable than they looked, though that wasn’t saying much.

“Does the navy go with the lavender?” I asked dubiously.

She gave me a very exasperated look. “Would I pair them if they didn’t? And James is wearing this amazing all navy tux. It’s very fashion forward. Only a supermodel like James could pull it off. And he mentioned that he likes you guys to match, so I think he’ll like the shoes.

Eyeing myself up in the mirror, I had to agree that the shoes went well. I would have never guessed the the dress would pop even more with shiny navy shoes, but I was no stylist.

She sighed, looking at my jewelry. “James obviously wants you wearing that choker and earrings.

While they’re lovely, I had other accessories in mind for that dress. Oh well. Sometimes I must compromise my vision. A girl’s got to eat.” As she finished speaking, James was striding back into the room, a jewelry box in his hands. He was still shirtless. He set it on the bed without a word, just smiling as he strode back out.