Page 14 of The Fix Up

“Definitely not. You look like a well put together professional. Very CEO-like.”

He frowned at himself in the mirror, then nodded. “I look like my father.”

There was an edge to his voice, and Holly watched his eyes darken in his reflection.

“Is looking like your father not a good thing?”

He met her eyes again. “Depends on the situation, I suppose.”

“A corporate event?”

He sighed. “It’s a necessary evil.”

“Okay then.” She smiled and watched the darkness drift from his eyes. “I’ll try on the dress and you can go try on the rest of the evil suits.”

He smiled and turned away, which gave her the chance to check out his ass. She wasn’t sure whether to credit the pants or what was inside the pants, but the man certainly looked amazing. A fact her racing pulse seemed determined to recognize.

She clutched the dress to her chest, hustled to the women’s dressing room, and ducked into the closest stall. She undressed in a hurry, not wanting to miss Ben trying on whatever he planned to model next. Part of her hoped it was the nutmeg-colored shirt that matched the color of his eyes.

Most of her knew she shouldn’t be thinking about his eyes or his hands or any part of his body that didn’t make business decisions.

She shimmied the dress over her head, savoring the feel of the silk gliding over her curves. There was something erotic about the slip and slide of the fabric, or maybe it was just the thought of Ben in a similar state of undress just down the hall. She felt her nipples grow hard and resisted the urge to stroke her palms over them as she turned to face the mirror.

It was a perfect fit. And Marcus was right, it did make her legs look fabulous, if she did say so herself. The strappy designer shoes she’d been wearing all day were perfect with the dress, and she said a silent thank you to Miriam for giving them to her last Christmas. She wouldn’t even have to run home before the event. She could go just like this.

She peeled off the dress and pulled on her own clothes as quickly as possible, hoping she hadn’t missed Ben’s next wardrobe change. She emerged from the dressing room and hurried back into the hall, but there was no sign of him.

“Ben?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you have more clothes you want to show me?”

“Not yet. Working on it.”

“I’ll wait out here.”

She sat down on the bench beside the dressing room to await the next outfit. Did men even call them outfits? She’d have to ask Miriam. While Holly was proud of her skills as a PR and branding professional, she was by no means a fashion expert. This whole job was a little outside her comfort zone, to be honest.

That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Her career was one of the most important things in the world to her, and pushing herself professionally was part of the package. She wanted to do well, to build her skills and her client roster and her list of reasons why she’d made the right decision picking her career over marriage to a man who wanted her to stay home ironing his shirts and popping out babies. A man who’d almost talked her into throwing away her whole career to be the sort of wife he expected.

“You can’t have it all, Holly,”Chase had insisted. “A career or a husband and family—you have to pick one.”

So she’d chosen the career. The decision wasn’t tough, since Chase was being a controlling jerk by then, but still. She hadn’t regretted her choice, but there were times she still wished shecouldhave it all.

She glanced at her watch, a little nervous to realize it was already six thirty. They still needed to drive back to Langley headquarters and get Ben changed for the event. Then she had to talk him through a few of the basics on social etiquette and making a good first impression and?—

“Uh, Holly?”

The sound of Ben’s voice from the dressing room stall jarred her from her incessant planning.

“Yes?”

“I’m having a bit of a problem here.”

“What sort of problem?” She stood up, ready to help. “What’s wrong?”

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