The Deal We Never Made

son

y. The dress Ethan had delivered earlier fit my body too well. Its sparkling fabric caught the low light in my bedro

thoughts. I opened it to see a driver in a s

's car is ready," he said

ng a smile. This marked my debut as

nxiety grew every moment. Ethan had wanted us to take different cars to avoid r

This fashion show was all about glitz and power, what with that red carp

de my way out bombarded by a mess of inte

s Ru

this

about

. On the slick surface, my heels were not too steady, and

sharp in his tailor-made suit, owning the room. He locked eyes

ched out to shake my hand. "Glad you're here

said under my breath,

reathed out squeezing my hand a bit

world, every move I made picked apart by cameras and hushed gossip. So it happened. I snagged my shoe heel on the carpet, which made me s

keep me from falling. He yanked me close, with one

his breath on my ear. Every camera in the place went nuts snapping pics of our every move. L

grin. "You'll ge

é act . As the room got dark and the event kicked off, I put all my effort into watching the models work the catwalk. Yet, my brain kept looping back to the red carpet moment when Ethan snagged me like it was nothing. "It's not too shabby here, right?" Ethan whispered edging in. A quick look his way, and I caught the playful glint in

ty and my reason for being with Ethan Blackwell. A sense of pressure clamped down on my chest. I had dedicated years to chase down leads always in the backdrop digging for facts. Now, I had

et. , I caught this look in his eyes like

lks, money people, and fancy types. Problem was, all their names just started to mash up in my brain. I did my best to play my part always grinning and g

" I muttered breaking away f

sed a bit. "Try not t

ht eye roll.

nst the wall, shutting my eyes. The buzz and giggles from the shindig

journalist, not somebody who rubs elbows with the elite. And pret

ed yes to this mess. I knew

hinking I'd bitten off

one was behind me. I spun around to see Ethan obse

he questioned, his voice airy but w

eath back," I replied g

me. "You're holding up bett

nsure if he was giv

ng back, he threw in, "The night's still you

. This was the start, and I doubted whether I

nod and a fake gr

bbed it, thoughts buzzed in my head ab