Page 44 of His Temptation
“Very well. Feel free to use your company card to buy a dress. I’ll approve the expense.”
With that, he spins on his heel and walks back to his desk like he didn’t just confuse the hell out of me.
Was this normal? Do CEOs fool around with their assistants and ask them to accompany them to dinner under the guise of professionalism?
And now I need to go find another dress. Only I have no idea what to wear to a dinner with the board. I should go see his stylist again, Hailey. She was really sweet and was so understanding of my lack of fashion knowledge. I think I still have her number.
When I get back to my desk, I pull out my phone and text her. Today is Monday, and the dinner is Wednesday. I don’t exactly have a lot of time to find what I need. I also can’t just leave work to go shopping. It has to be after hours, and who knows when I’ll be off tonight or tomorrow?
Luckily, Hailey understands what it’s like, working for these Manhattan CEOs, and tells me to come whenever. She will stay late tonight if she needs to.
By some miracle, I’m able to leave work at ten to six, which gives me enough time to get over to the store before it’s too late.
“Miss Ricci,” Hailey exclaims when she spots me walking through the door. “It’s so nice to see you again. Follow me. I already have some items picked out for you.”
I follow her back to the dressing room, where a line of dresses hangs on the wall. “Wow, you weren’t kidding. These all look beautiful. Although I’m not sure what I’m supposed to wear to a formal dinner with board members. Are some of these too revealing?”
She waves her hand in the air. “Not at all. You want to be sexy, but in a classy way. You can show a hint of cleavage, but not too much. The best thing to do is go with a more form fitting dress.”
She sifts through the dresses and pulls out a black dress with a gold metal belt wrapped around the waist. It is long-sleeved and has a slight V-shape in the front. It looks like it will go past my knees. “I say you try something like this on first. It's subtle and sexy but still very professional.”
I grab the dress and try it on. It screams sophisticated. Hailey insists on seeing me in it, so I walk out of the dressing room, where she is standing with a pair of black heels in her hands.
“Wow,” she exhales when she sees me. “You look so hot in that thing. Your curves are seriously amazing. I’m jealous.”
“Thanks,” I answer as I uncomfortably shift from one foot to the other.
“I think it has just the right amount of sexy but still generally remains professional. And that belt adds the perfect touch of fun. It also showcases how small your waist is. What do you think?”
I look in one of the dozens of mirrors surrounding me. It’s still strange to see this version of myself in the reflection. In some respects, I’m still just a lost twenty-one-year-old, trying to figure out her direction in life.
I’m not sure if I can pull this evening off. What if everybody finds out what Lincoln and I have done? Will they call me a slut? I could be labeled as a gold digger, just trying to find a man with money to take care of me. That’s exactly what all his other assistants were out for. Why would they think any differently of me?
In fact, one look at my life and living situation, and that would almost solidify their beliefs in their minds.
“You know, Mr. Monroe has never asked me to shop for another woman before,” she says casually as she starts looking through another box of shoes.
“He hasn’t?” I spin around and look at the dress from behind.
“Not at all. I suspect you mean something to him.” She approaches me with a pair of gold heels with gold rhinestones in different shapes and sizes covering the back heel. “Here. Statement shoes. It will tell everyone you’re one badass bitch who knows exactly who she is and what she wants.”
I look down at the shoes, but my hands won’t reach for them. I look up at Hailey. “What if I’m not any of those things?”
She just smiles at me. “The shoes will make you feel that way, I promise. You put yourself together and slip these bad boys on, and the night is yours.”
“You think so?” I take them from her extended arms.
She winks at me. “I know so. It works for me.”
It’s five o’clock on Wednesday, and our dinner is at six. Lincoln has been distant all day and it’s been driving me crazy. Now I have to go to a business meal with a bunch of rich, snooty people who will probably see right through me.
My hands are trembling under my desk as I try to calm my nerves. Deep breaths aren’t working, but I can’t hold off on getting ready anymore.
I begin to gather my things to bring to the ladies’ room when I hear footsteps behind me.
“You can get ready in my bathroom if you’d like,” Lincoln offers as he rests against the doorframe to his office.
“Oh, um, don’t you need it to get ready?” I ask.
