Page 71 of The Sweetest Surrender

“I don’t remember ordering anything,” she said aloud. Selena turned to peer down the street both ways then back at the package on her front porch.

“Be careful, girl, you don’t want it to be anthrax waiting to take you out.”

The ridiculous thought became comical, and Selena chuckled as she stepped closer. The box was thin but tall, almost taller than her. Selena frowned and reached into her purse to pull out a switchblade she kept for safety. She laid the box on the porch and opened the edges, deciding that even though it was cold as all get out, she wouldn’t take the package inside without knowing what it was.

After taking the blade down the center, Selena popped the FedEx package open and removed the sheer paper that covered the gift. Its revelation made Selena sit back on her haunches and gasp.

“Tell me how you really feel,” she crooned.

It was the gown Jordan had purchased for her; the one she was supposed to wear when she accompanied him to his awards luncheon tomorrow. He was doing it again; reaching out to touch Selena without being anywhere near. It was her ultimate invitation and his silent language of love. Jordan wanted Selena, not Madison, and this time Selena was sure of it. A prodding smirk started at the corner of her lips then browsed into a wide smile.

“Okay, baby, I hear you.”

She gathered the dress and walked the box to the curb. After fumbling with her keys and getting inside, Selena wanted to call him, but there was so much she wanted to say that the words steered clear of her.

“Tomorrow,” she promised. Tonight, she would sleep on it, and tomorrow afternoon, when she arrived at his luncheon, everything she needed to say would spill in one breath.

That night, Selena showered and wrapped her hair, applying a moisturizing nightcap. After speaking to her Savior, Selena sat in the middle of the bed and thumbed the numbers on her phone. The need to talk to Jordan now was insurmountable, but after another long second, Selena decided being face-to-face would be the best way to go. She leaned to the side and put her phone on the charger then slipped under her duvet covers.

Her mind settled around Jordan before she finally drifted off into slumber.

“Oh, come on.”

Selena ran back down the hallway and grabbed her purse off the bed. In a flash, she turned and fled back to the front door and wrapped herself in the mink coat that had arrived at her doorstep that morning along with the purple and white Manolo Blahniks. Jordan was in a league of his own, romancing her to the point that when they finally reconnected, she would teeter over with euphoria. He could’ve simply sent the coat and shoes with the dress, but this was just another way for him to claim her, thoroughly. Once again, his moves were calculated, and every intricate detail laid out in his own blueprint. Selena didn’t mind, but what if she’d decided not to go?

He made sure that wasn’t an option.

That he did. She closed her door, locked it, then dropped her keys in her clutch and twirled on her heels. Selena didn’t take a step when her eyes fell on the limo parked just beyond her porch. At the back door, the chauffeur stood with a smile on his face. The five-inch Manolo Blahniks clapped as she strolled down the walkway and stood in front of the limousine.

“I didn’t order car service,” she said, already knowing who’d sent it for her.

“Mr. Rose, Madame,” the chauffeur said, opening the door to let her inside.

Selena compressed her lips but didn’t make a fuss. She was already fashionably late from fighting with Octavia about her hair.

“You always have your hair wrapped,” Octavia had argued. “Let’s flip it back off your face with tight curls instead. It’ll still lay down in the back. But the flip, honey, will be everything.”

Selena slipped into the limo and rechecked her appearance for the one-thousandth time. The hair flip was executed well, holding a bounce that made her feel like Farrah Fawcett. A dazzling set of diamond earrings hung from her lobes, and her pecan brown eyes complemented the light foundation she applied.

The limo moved down the street and precipitously Selena’s pulse quickened. It felt like forever since she’d seen Jordan, and now her nerves were kicking into overdrive. With everything he set out accomplished, Selena assumed Jordan would be just as happy to see her as she was him. But, there was still that lingering feeling in her gut. What if he was perturbed by the way she’d run out on him?

It would be only fair if he thought she wasn’t a woman who knew how to work things out or talk things through, much like her mother. Selena frowned. She loved Margaret Strauss more than anything in this world, but she didn’t aspire to be like her. In that moment, Selena decided she would do better. Her own demons had sent her running for the hills, and she didn’t even know she had them. She sighed and hoped, for her sake, Jordan would be understanding enough to give her another chance and not dub her the runaway girlfriend.

Traffic was ironically smooth, and twenty minutes later she arrived at the Marriott Hotel where a host of camera crews stood on the outer edges of the red carpet, waiting to get a shot at whoever was coming in or out. Selena took in a deep breath.

“This is it, girl. Go get your man.”

The door opened on a hail of snaps as paparazzi went into a frenzy.

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