A pair of gold strap stilettos hung from Angelo's hand as he stared at me with a look that screamed he found me silly. "At your service, miss."
Trudging over to him, I took the shoes and slid them on. Just as he'd succeeded with the dress, the shoes were a perfect fit. I wanted to ask how he knew my size, but I figured it wasn't something worth knowing.
I held my arms out and modeled the dress and shoes for Tristan. "Well? How's it look?"
Tristan's expression was serious, and he folded his arms. "Gorgeous. Simply gorgeous."
I beamed at his compliment, agreeing wholeheartedly with his assessment. Turning toward Angelo, he said, "I'll leave Miss Edwards with you for anything else she may need." He looked over at me and smiled. "I have to get dressed, but I'll be back in a few minutes. Whatever you need, tell Angelo and he'll see to it."
He left and Angelo produced a gold choker necklace with diamonds. It looked dazzling merely sitting in his hand. "If you will allow me, miss."
I turned around and he clasped it closed around my neck. Looking down, I ran my fingertips over the necklace, loving the feel of it against my skin. Spinning around to face him, I said, "I love it, Angelo. You have the most wonderful taste!"
"Thank you, miss."
"And not just with my clothes. I love the way you dress Tristan also."
Angelo's demeanor changed ever so slightly and he gave me a genuine smile that made him look almost friendly. "Thank you, miss. If I do say so myself, you look beautiful."
"She does."
Tristan stood leaning against the doorframe dressed in his black tux and looking so incredible I wasn't able to formulate coherent words for a moment. Somehow, that night his tux looked so much better than it ever had in pictures or all those times he'd gone somewhere in it without me. His dark brown hair just barely hit the collar of his stark white shirt and his jacket fit perfectly. Peaking out from beneath it near his wrists were gold and onyx cuff links that seemed to go with my necklace perfectly.
"Thank you, Angelo. You've done a wonderful job. Have a good night."
Tristan's not-so-subtle dismissal of the man made me feel uncomfortable, but Angelo left without another word, and I got the sense that this was how their relationship worked.
"You look incredible, Nina. I want you to remember this whenever you think that you're anything less than anyone. If I wouldn't catch hell from the board, I'd close this door and make love to you for hours like every ounce of me wants to."
I walked over to him and adjusted his bow tie. "After all the work Angelo and I did to get me looking like this?" I teased.
He cupped my nape and pressed his mouth to mine in a hard, passionate kiss that almost took my breath away. My legs felt weak when he snaked his tongue inside my mouth and teased me with the tip of it. He looked so stunning and smelled so good that if he'd told me to strip and tear the pins out of my hair, I would have done so without even a whimper of protest.
Pulling away, he ran the pad of his thumb over my lower lip. "You're right. But tonight when we get home, I'm going to give your pussy what I just gave your mouth. And that's just for starters."
He took my hand and kissed it as he led me toward the car that waited outside. Instead of the usual Town Car or his Jag, we were taken into the city in a stretch Rolls Royce that made the drive feel like we were floating on a cloud. Settled into the leather seats, we talked about the release party and I found out Blake had been given a new job doing work on the rooftop landscaping at Tristan's hotel in the city. And even though I'd wanted Kacey left where she was, within a few days of the Executive Homes shoot and interview at the house she was to be reassigned to the Miami hotel and put in charge of concierge there. I couldn't say I was unhappy, but when Tristan mentioned that her first assignment in her new job was to oversee the placement of my choice of artwork for the Miami suite, I secretly jumped for joy—on the inside, of course.
The whole Blake-Kacey Incident, as I secretly referred to it, had taught me a good lesson. A little jealousy was fine. A lot and it spilled out all over the place and could ruin even the best relationship.
Tristan's hand traced figure eights on my thigh as we traveled down the highway toward the biggest and most prestigious party I'd ever even been invited to, but I wasn't self-conscious or nervous anymore. With every adoring look he gave me, I felt more confident and beautiful than ever before. By the time we arrived, I felt as good on the inside as I looked on the outside.
Jenson pulled up in front of the Richmont hotel and came around to my side to let us out. Quietly, Tristan whispered in my ear as I stepped my foot out onto the street, "Don't ever forget how much I love you, Nina."
Lights flashed all around me before I even could straighten myself and step onto the sidewalk. Thankfully, Tristan was quick to join me and took my arm to guide me into the hotel, poised and cool as if this was second nature to him. Men and women yelled his name and barked out requests to look this way and that way, but he ignored them and held my arm tightly as we walked the red carpet, a private couple no more.
We entered through the glass front doors and the interior of the Richmont hotel nearly overwhelmed me. An enormous crystal chandelier hung from the three story ceiling, reflecting the hundreds of tiny lights that adorned virtually every surface of the lobby. I looked up to take it all in, and in my awe, almost tripped. Tristan steadied me and leaned in to whisper, "Remember, you're marrying the man who owns this. You belong here."
Crowds of people mingled as a string quartet played gentle music meant to provide a background but not disturb the festivities. As Tristan introduced me to members of Stone Worldwide's board and other people he quietly referred to as "people he found worthy of his time and mine," I relaxed into my role as his date and actually enjoyed myself. The author was a quiet woman who seemed out of place at her own event, but I was able to get her to laugh at a story I told when it was just Tristan and the two of us, and by the time the night had ended, I could honestly say I'd had a good time.
Even more, I could say that Tristan had. As he socialized with the guests, I heard the same whispers over and over. Women and men leaned over to those people next to them and quietly noted, "I've never seen Tristan Stone smile like that." And that was followed by the words, "Is that an engagement ring on her finger?"
That he'd smiled because I was on his arm meant the world to me. I may not have been from his social circle, but I'd been able to make him happy. Me. No one asked if I was his fiancée, but it didn't matter. It was enough to know that for the first time, his picture on Page Six would be of the man I knew with me by his side.