Page 7 of Ruthless Touch

Yanking the curtain closed, I take a deep breath into my lungs and let it out in a rush. I don’t know why I’m getting so flustered. It’s certainly better that Sasha might like me rather than how I thought she felt about me until today. Gideon is close to her, so it might help if his righthand woman approves of me.

The green dress feels cool against my skin since it’s satin, and when I finally get everything situated, I notice that the back is so low on this one that my ass is nearly showing. I wish I had used these past few weeks to workout. Gideon’s chef loves to cook rich meals, so I think I’ve put on a few pounds.

When I step out into the dressing area again, I hear Sasha’s audible gasp. “That black dress doesn’t exist now that I’ve seen this on you. Turn around and let me see the back since that’s where all the action is on this one.”

I do as she commands and hear her gasp a second time. “Stunning. Okay, that’s it. No more trying on dresses. This is the one. I’ll have Dominique get it ready. Do you want me to have her send all the rest of them upstairs so you can try them on when you feel like it? I’m sure Gideon will have more events he expects you to attend with him.”

Unsure what to say as her comment about my going to more events with Gideon fills my head, I press a smile onto my lips and nod. “Okay. Sure.”

Sasha strides out of the room, leaving me alone to see how this be-all-end-all dress actually looks on me. Even without stepping up onto the platform, I have to admit she’s right. It is stunning. In fact, in this dress, I feel more beautiful than I’ve ever felt in my life. It hugs me in all the right places and all the right ways while still hanging perfectly on my body. While not as low-cut as the black dress, it still shows off a good amount of cleavage. When I turn around, I see the back is quite flattering on me and I haven’t lost all the tone in my ass after three weeks of sulking around Gideon’s penthouse.

So green dress it is. Now to see if it has the same effect on him as it did on Sasha.

CHAPTER THREE

Gideon

I glance down at my watch for the second time in minutes, wondering when Aria will be ready. Cordelia Anzeloni’s ball is scheduled to begin in less than half an hour, and I prefer to be on site when the festivities begin.

On the table behind the couch sit the masks I had Sasha get for Aria and me. She spent nearly fifteen minutes raving about how the gold mask will go perfectly with the green dress Aria will be wearing, and when she began talking about how stunning she looked in it this afternoon, I had to stop her. She has far too much interest in my houseguest.

“Aria, we have to go now. Whatever you’re doing, wrap it up in there and let’s go,” I call out toward the bedroom door.

As always, she can’t just hear what I say and do as I want. She has to answer back, wasting yet more time. “I’m finishing my makeup right now.”

“I wouldn’t worry too much about that. It’s a masquerade ball, so you’ll be wearing the mask I have for you.”

That gets me no response whatsoever, which may be a sign she’s almost ready or might be a sign she’s sulking. I wait a few moments before walking over to the bedroom door and throwing it open. Whatever she looks like, she needs to be ready to leave.

I stop dead as Aria walks toward me in that green dress Sasha couldn’t stop raving about. She wasn’t wrong. It’s nothing less than stunning, and on her, it’s utterly breathtaking.

“Why didn’t any of you tell me it’s a masquerade ball?” Aria asks in complete frustration as she storms past me into the living room. “I know I don’t mean much in the big scheme of things here, but that seems like a detail I should have been told at some point. Why do you look like that?”

I pull my gaze up from her beautiful ass and shrug. “Like what?”

She hesitates for a moment, giving me more time to admire how beautiful she is. “Like you’re surprised. Or maybe something else. I’m not sure. You just look different. Maybe it’s the tux. I’m sure you know this, but you look great in that.”

“Thank you. We have to go, but there’s one more thing you need to wear,” I say as I walk across the room.

“Is the gold mask mine? It’s beautiful,” she says with a smile in her voice.

That may be the first time Aria has sounded truly happy since she got here. Who would have thought a mask would do that for her?

“Yes. Mine is the black one. I don’t like to call attention to myself. Now come over here. I have something else for you.”

“Other than the mask?”

Always with the questions and comments.

Aria stops next to me in front of the table, and I open the black jeweler’s case containing the necklace I got for her to wear tonight. As I carefully lift it out of its velvet home, I hear Aria inhale sharply.

“You want me to wear that?”

I nod, holding up the diamond necklace for her to see. “The jeweler told me it would be perfect for what you’re wearing.”

Her eyes as wide as saucers, Aria stares at the necklace for a moment before saying, “I’ve never seen anything so beautiful. You must really want to impress people tonight dressing me up in this gown with that rock hanging around my neck. How many carats is that large diamond in the center?”

I gently press my hand to the small of her back, noticing how soft and warm her skin is against my palm as I move her toward the mirror on the wall nearby. “Fifteen. The total carat count is forty when all the smaller diamonds in the necklace are counted.”

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