Page 33 of Dark Night Golden Dawn
Harlow glanced at the text again. “Verbatim.”
That was a lie. The text actually said,Good. Wear something to the Solon Mai ball so indecent that I’d be an idiot not to fuck you on the spot.
But she couldn’t quite bring herself to say that out loud. So she lied. And she’d be lying further if she said that every bone in her body hadn’t threatened to turn to jelly when she’d read it. As for her text back, all she could manage was,Will do. She was fighting the urge to cringe. Why couldn’t she think of better things to say to him? Snappy, clever things?
“I haveideas. Will you come to the atelier today? I’m scrapping my old plan for something different.”
Harlow texted the maters to tell them she was all right, and going to be fitted for her Solon Mai dress. “Yes, do you want to go now? I have the day off from work.”
Enzo laughed. “I bet you do, princess. Let’s go.”
He sat on the bathroom counter and chatted to her about Riley Quinn as she showered. Apparently, they were just in from Nea Sterlis, which was why she’d never met them before. “They’re gorgeous and smart as hell. I’m in so much trouble. My mother would have loved them.”
“What do they do for the Order of Masks, any good dirt on them?” Harlow asked as she rinsed her hair.
“That’s the funny thing. Riley’s not a member of the Order of Masks.”
“What?” Harlow peeked out from the shower curtain. “A Rogue?”
Enzo nodded. “A little dangerous.”
“Your mother wouldnothave loved that.”
Enzo smiled wickedly. “But I do.”
“You are delighted with this, aren’t you?” Harlow flicked water at her friend, who grinned.
“Oh, absolutely. I’ve always wanted to date an agent of the Rogue Queen.”
“So Riley works for her? She’s real?”
“Quite real, and yes.”
Enzo handed her a towel when she stuck her hand out. “And you’re seeing them again when?”
“Riley’s coming with me to the Solon Mai ball. By then, it should be our fifth date.”
Harlow wrapped herself in a fluffy robe and combed out her hair, then glamoured it dry, with a touch of makeup.
“Most excellent,” Enzo said when she came out of the bathroom, and handed her clothes to wear. “Let’s get you fitted for something wholly indecent. Something that will make Finn McKay lose his mind.”
Harlow gave Enzo a shaky smile and got dressed.
* * *
Several hourslater and the dress was nearly pieced together. Enzo wiped a bit of perspiration off his brow and snapped some photos. “I can finish the rest without you. Do you like it?”
Harlow nodded, hardly recognizing herself in the mirror. The dress was beyond what she could have imagined herself. It conformed perfectly to the Solon Mai standard: ball gowns must be floor length, long sleeved, and always black. Lace or damask were the only approved fabrics. By most stretches of the imagination, this would lead gowns to be rather staid, but in Enzo’s capable hands, the dress was wickedly extravagant.
The dress required that Harlow wear a strapless bodysuit that matched the color of her skin perfectly, giving the impression that she was completely nude under the transparent gown. The silky fabric mimicked the patterns of the most intricately woven lace, with none of the usual itch, making her tantalizingly touchable. The bodice fit close and had a high neck, but the skirt swept away from her hips suggestively.
Tiny reflective threads woven into the pattern of the lace shimmered slightly when she moved, giving the dress a subtle glow, rather than the flash of sequins. It was perfectly tasteful, yet wildly sensual at the same time.
“Something’s not quite right,” Enzo mused, pulling strands of magic from the air around the dress, weaving his vision into reality for the gown. The lace pattern emerged further to look like hundreds of wings, rather than the floral motif he’d started with.
“There,” he breathed. “I think that’s it.”
Harlow could barely speak.
