VAIN: Part One(23)

I glance at the clock on my phone and realize that the doors to the gallery will be opening within the hour. It wouldn’t hurt for me to go there now, and stand across the street to watch all the people filing in. It's also going to afford me the luxury of seeing Noah arrive. He's wearing a tuxedo. Since I've rarely seen him in clothing all, I was looking forward to the image of that more than anything else.
I pick up my phone, toss it into my clutch, and take one last look at myself in the elegant, understated black dress I chose for the evening and slip out the door.

Chapter 21

"Champagne?" A stilted voice asks from my left.
I turn quickly to the image of a waiter, dressed impeccably with a silver tray resting on his palm. "Would you care for a glass of champagne?"
I pull one from the tray and nod a silent thank you to him. I down almost the entire glass in one swallow. It's more to temper my growing anxiety than to calm my anger. The show officially opened more than an hour ago and Noah has yet to appear. The canvases are all covered in creased, white sheets awaiting the unveiling which isn’t going to happen until Noah makes his grand entrance.
"Is this your first time at a Noah Foster show?" A strong male voice asks from behind me.
I turn and I'm instantly greeted with the handsome face of an older gentleman. His hand darts out to take mine. "I'm Ron."
"Alexa." I smile back as I press my palm into his. "It's my first time."
"You're in for a treat." The way he cocks his brow is a little too playful. The old Alexa, the one pre-Paris, would have flirted shamelessly with him. Any and all male attention fed my unending need back then. Tonight, I want the focus to be on anyone but me.
"I can't wait," I offer in a lie that is strategically woven into a smile. "Does he always do this type of elaborate unveiling?"
"Always." He nods. "Noah Foster never shies away from putting on a spectacular show."
The words feel foreign to me. Noah likes to put on a show? That doesn't fall into the realm of the Noah I know. That Noah hides within the walls of his apartment.
I scan the room again searching in futile haste for Noah's face. I'm instantly aware of how many women are in the space. They're all blonde, blue eyed and about the same height as I am. Not one of them is attached to the arm of a man.
"Are you part of the show?" This time it's a woman's voice who invades my thoughts.
I signed a non-disclosure agreement and the consequence of breaking that is an amount of money that I can't hope to earn in my entire teaching career. "No," I lie effortlessly. "I'm just here to see."
She studies my face with elegant grace. Her hair bobs lightly as she twists her neck towards the door. "He's always late for these things."
"Are you part of the show?" I wonder aloud. The way she's dressed and the diamond pendant floating around her neck suggests she can pay any fine that Noah might dish out.
"Not this show." She pulls a weak grin across her lips. "Last year's show."
I soak in her appearance. She's brunette, her eyes a rich golden brown. She's slightly older than me, but her beauty is unmistakable. I can't help but wonder whether her experience with Noah mirrored mine.
"Attention." I recognize the man's voice calling to the room as Ron's. "Noah has arrived."
The crowd bursts into a raucous round of applause as my eyes dart around the room, searching for the one familiar face I long to see.
My gaze is pulled back to the front of the gallery and Noah's tall frame encased in a perfectly, tailored tuxedo. I try to get his attention, my hand flying helplessly in the air, but his focus isn't on me, it's on all the adoring patrons of his show who are eager to see the unveiling of the images of my naked body.
The space is so small. I feel trapped within a promise that I made weeks ago. Sharing my body with Noah had been one thing, but now, I'm about to see it in all its bare glory on four foot tall canvases.
"I want to thank each of you for coming." Noah's smooth and deep voice fills the small space. "I have a special guest I'd like to introduce you all to before we unveil the collection."
My heart pounds. He's going to call me up there and then everyone will know that the body he's been photographing for the past few weeks is mine.
"He's my hero." The fondness in the words is unmistakable. "I've admired his work for many, many years and he's one of my dearest friends."
I pull my body to the left as I try and catch a glimpse of Noah through the gathering crowd. I'm relieved by the knowledge that his special guest isn't actually me, after all. Maybe I can escape this evening with my anonymity still in place.