Page 47 of Kissing Danger

I held my breath, feeling giddly as an electric rush of pride raced though my veins, and truly prayed Nathan liked the unique piece as much as I did.

The name Las Vegas translated to “The Meadows” because the city was meant to become a green oasis in the middle of the desert. This never happened, due to the obvious lack of water, but the city persisted anyway.

This was one of the things I liked about the city. It thrived on defying expectations and not being what it was supposed to be.

Although, now that I thought about it, there was a deeply rooted link between the Mafia and Las Vegas as well. The criminal underworld played a big part in shaping “Sin City” into the desert jewel it was today.

It seemed I shared more in common with this city than I even realized.

When the last model successfully completed her walk and stepped off the bridge, I let out my held breath in a rush. Oliver and Ashes each gave me a high-five.

“Yeah! Even better than I expected,” Ashes cheered.

“It was good,” Oliver agreed. “Although, I think one of the models may have broken a shoe on their way off the bridge. Her last few steps were a bit unbalanced. I hope they get it fixed in time for the encore walk.”

Just as the words left Oliver’s mouth, all the models appeared again, this time coming from the other side of the bridge in single file line to show off the whole collection together one last time. Just as Oliver had said, one of the models had definitely broken a shoe. It looked to have been hurriedly reattached to her foot with straps that were similar but not quite the same material as the original shoe.

One of Kiki’s sharp manicured nails suddenly poked me right under my ribs. “What are you just standing there for? Get ready. It’s time for your speech.”

Oh, right.

The speech.

I’d been so focused on each outfit that I’d almost forgotten my role in the show.

Tugging at my clothing to make sure everything was in place, I stepped out onto the bridge. The glass under my feet had been carved with a subtle texture to make walking on it easier, but I still feared I would slip and plunge into the fountain. Watching my feet only made it worse, since I could see right through the bridge to the water below.

The models had danced on this thing?

Whatever we were paying them, we needed to double it.

I’d already been fitted with a microphone backstage, so my voice rang out through the speakers as I recited the speech Kiki had written for me. My mind was completely blank as I looked out over the audience filling the sidewalk and spilling onto the street, which had, thankfully, been shut down before the show. I couldn’t remember a word of what I was supposed to say, but my mouth went through the motions anyway, guided only by muscle memory after Kiki had made me practice the speech so many times.

Smart woman.

It was a generic composition, thanking everyone who had helped me, and waxing a bit of poetic about the freedom and beauty of Las Vegas that inspired me. Then, of course, I ended it by thanking everyone who had enjoyed the show, claiming that their satisfaction made all of my efforts worthwhile.

That was a lie, truth be told. I only cared about one person’s opinion. So long as Nathan liked it, the rest of the audience could hate every outfit I put on the runway, and I wouldn’t bat an eye.

Still, the public were the ones who would buyFantaisiste’sproducts, so they were the ones I needed to keep happy at that moment.

I finished my speech and gave a dramatic bow. With the afternoon sun beating down on the back of my neck, I was glad for Kiki’s choice of clothes for me. The tight pants were hot, but the shirt compensated for the temperature and gave my skin room to breathe. Missing sleeves, and the front mostly open, it was meant to look like a “deconstructed” suit. A homage to the “deconstructed” kimono that had started everything. Most people wouldn’t get the reference, but I didn’t care.

It made me smile and felt like my own little secret hidden right under everyone’s noses.

When I stepped off the bridge and into the shade of the backstage area, I stumbled as the weight of relief hit me.

The show was over.

I’d done it, and based on the sound of the audience’s applause, it had been a success.

A strong hand caught me under the arm and held me upright.

Looking up, I met Nathan’s gaze. As usual, his expression gave nothing away.

Was he happy?

Angry?

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