She went to his closet and pulled out the bathrobe, shrugging it on over her lovely pink gown. When she tied it at her waist, he felt another surge of possessive lust and had to count backward from one hundred again.
“Now,” she told him, tightening the belt of his robe at her narrow waist. “I need you to bend over the sink.”
***
Twenty minutes later, Maylee was pleased with Griffin’s transformation. Gone was that old, glued-down, bone-straight hair that was always plastered to his skull. She’d washed his hair and then put a bit of styling wax on her fingers to tousle his hair, and with the help of a blow dryer, Griffin’s hair was now a light golden-brown crown that topped his head in stylish spikes. It was slightly tousled, but trendy, she decided. Way better than his old hairstyle. “There,” she announced. “You look ten years younger.”
He gave her a curious look, then reached for his glasses and put them on, studying his expression in the mirror. “I look like I belong in a boy band.”
She laughed. “No, you don’t. You look very handsome. And I’ll have you know, this is how Luke Houston’s hair was done in his last movie.” She’d seen a picture of it in one of the magazines at the hair salon and was inspired. “Trust me, you look like a young, dashing viscount instead of like my Pepaw did your hair for you.”
He still looked uncertain, touching one of the spikes. “And you like this?”
“I love it,” she enthused. He did look incredibly handsome this way. It took his look from slightly too nerdy and scholarly to a bit more devilish.
Griffin nodded, and then reached for his shirt. “Very well, then. We should get going.”
“All right.” She averted her gaze so she wouldn’t watch him dress—because really, if she was caught staring at her temporary boss, that would embarrass both of them—and concentrated on taking off the borrowed robe and then replacing it in the closet. Her hand smoothed down the soft fabric of the robe. It had smelled like his soap, and it was odd how reluctant she was to part with it. Party dress, she reminded herself. You’re wearing the prettiest party dress ever. You can’t wear a bathrobe over that, no matter how good it smells.
But, she had to admit, it did smell mighty nice.
When he put his jacket back on, it was safe for her to turn around, and she watched him put on his cufflinks with long, elegant fingers, and then held the tie out for her again. She fixed him up, and then gestured at the door. “Shall we go?”
Griffin smoothed his jacket one last time in the mirror, and she realized he was nervous. It made her feel a little better about tonight. Heck, she was nervous, too, and no one was really expecting much out of her.
“I have something for you to wear with your dress,” Griffin said.
“An employee badge?” she asked.
He gave her a wry smile. “Not a badge. A necklace and some earrings. They belong to my title.”
“Oh.” Her eyes widened. “I don’t know that I could, Mr. Griffin.”
“Well, I certainly can’t,” he said, fidgeting with his tie. “They’d clash terribly with my cummerbund.”
Maylee’s voice rose in a hysterical giggle. “I’m picturing you with earrings on and it’s kinda funny.”
He grinned over at her, and she felt like she always did when he smiled—genuinely smiled—at her. Like she’d been gifted a present. “I’m more of a brooch man.”
“Stop it,” she said with a laugh, pressing her hands to the front of her gown. “You’re going to make my boobs pop out of this dress.”
“Heaven forbid,” he said in a dry voice that implied he wouldn’t mind that so much, and it made her flustered all over again. And she could have sworn he glanced down at her boobs.
They did look pretty nice in this dress, if she said so herself.
He picked up a small case off the top of the dresser and opened it, then showed her the jewels. Big, square unadorned emeralds hung from two earring posts, and the necklace consisted of glittering diamond ropes twisted together, with three more square emeralds dangling from the center.
“Oh, lordamercy, that looks rather expensive,” Maylee breathed.
“It is.”
“Oh, dear.” She touched an earring and winced. It was heavy. “What happens if I lose one?”
“I sue you for three hundred thousand Bellissime notes.”
Maylee felt sick. She dropped the earring back onto the velvet tray. “Really?”
“No. It’s just an earring. And it’s insured. Don’t be so nervous.”
“What happens if I barf on it?” she asked as he picked up the necklace.
“Is that likely?” He indicated she should turn around.
“Pretty likely,” she admitted, turning around. Lordamercy, this was just like something out of Pretty Woman, except she wasn’t a hooker. Maylee frowned at the thought. “Do you normally buy girls’ clothes?”
The cool chain of diamonds slid over the base of her throat, and then she felt Griffin’s hands brush against her nape as he did the clasp. “I can say with perfect honesty that you are the first one I have ever purchased clothing for.”
For some reason, that made her feel better. She patted the necklace and then picked up the first earring. To her relief, it had two backings—one that was a normal gold clasp, and the other a wax ball that would prevent the post from slipping out of her ear. Thank goodness. Maylee put both earrings on and gave her head a little shake to test them. “How do I look?”
“Quite elegant,” Griffin said.
“So in other words, nothing like myself.”
“Nothing like yourself,” he agreed, that odd look on his face.
And for some reason, that hurt her feelings all over again. He didn’t seem to like her dressed up or in her regular clothing. She couldn’t win with him. Couldn’t he just tell her he thought she was pretty and actually mean it, darn it? Maylee sighed, all the fun of the evening vanishing again. Now she just felt weighed down, like she was wearing a wallet around her neck. “Are you ready to go, Mr. Griffin?”
He extended his arm to her in a courteous gesture.
She put her hand in the crook of his sleeve, and they headed downstairs.
To Maylee’s surprise, it wasn’t Robbie driving the car tonight. Nor was it the usual sedan. The Verdi limo was out again in full force, and an elderly gentleman was their driver. Maylee smiled at him to make him feel welcome. He had to be nervous on such a big night. She knew how that felt.