“You don’t like it,” Alice said with a note of panic in her voice.
“It’s beautiful. I was just expecting something longer. More formal.”
Her blue hair shimmered as she nodded her head. “If this was the Grammy’s, I’d agree with you, but the AMAs are much trendier. Brady’s tux has sharper, more modern cuts with a midnight vest that has silver striping to match the shimmer coming off your sequins. You don’t want to look like you’re trying to fit in at the Oscars.”
I realized how much thought Alice had given to the clothes. It was as much thought as I put into my apparel every time I’d attended an event in D.C. But instead of a stuffy ballroom full of politicians, I was going to be mixing with the cream of the musical world. Definitely a different vibe.
“I can see why Brady said to trust you. You absolutely know what you’re doing,” I told her, and relief washed over her face.
She hung the dress back up on the door and then pulled out a smaller bag. “We have to keep the jewelry simple with the sequins and the boat neck, but these platinum chains should be okay. Once it’s all on you, we can decide to skip them in favor of a platinum choker if it’s too much.”
“What did this all cost?” I asked.
“The jewelry is on loan, and the dress was donated by the designer.”
“Really?” I said, surprised.
She smiled. “You’re Brady’s date for the AMAs. They know their name is going to be dropped on the red carpet every time they show Brady for each nomination. It’s a lot of airtime.”
“I guess I’m used to more sedate political events where I have to pour money from my pocketbook to attend and pay for the dress.”
“Well, one thing I can promise you…this will not be sedate.”
♫ ♫ ♫
Almost two hours after Nash had left me, I was ready to head upstairs to Brady’s suite. I looked one more time at myself in the mirror. The dress was almost too short, but I was determined not to pull at it all night. The three metal chains of varying lengths Alice had given me to wear were so thick they could have held an anchor in place. They weren’t a style I would have picked, but they screamed chic and trendy even if they were so heavy they almost dragged me down. I’d be glad to be rid of them by the end of the night even more than the four-inch silver stilettos.
As the time started to tick away, I texted Nash to make sure he knew I was waiting for him. He texted me back, saying he was heading up with Malone as they discussed a few more things but that Marco and Trevor would escort me up. It was an unexpected act of trust in the two men.
I could barely fit my phone, keycard, and a lipstick in the tiny yellow bag Alice had provided as my one splash of color. There was no room in it for the earbuds I’d need for my meditation app. But for the first time in over a year, the thought of riding in an elevator didn’t send me into a panic. Striding down the hallway with Marco and Trevor, my only thought was of seeing Nash’s face when he saw me in this dress. Of being able to tell him without words exactly how little I cared whether anyone knew about us or not.
As soon as the elevator doors shut, I did a self-check. My heart was racing, but again, thoughts of Nash always had my heart racing. My hands weren’t shaking. My eyes weren’t blurring. I probably would never love elevators, but I wasn’t going to lose it completely in one anymore. It brought a smile to my face that I couldn’t keep back.
Before I knew it, the doors opened, and there was Nash with a worried look on his face that didn’t match the elegantly cut tuxedo he wore. Nash was so handsome it was almost impossible on a normal basis, but dressed in a tuxedo, it was easy to see why someone had put him on a calendar. He was everything I’d ever want staring down at me. Tall, dark, and broody with his dark-green eyes cutting through my body like lasers.
He saw my smile, and relief coursed over him as he realized I hadn’t freaked out in the elevator. On seeing my calm, he dragged his eyes slowly down every part of me, starting with my eyes that had been accented to glow almost neon blue, down to the dress that clung to my curves ending just below my butt. His eyes continued to slide down along my toned legs which had been dosed with a hint of shimmer. When he made it back up to my face, my smile had widened, and I turned around so he could see the small dip in the back of the dress and the way the partial updo made my dark curls cascade over my bare skin.
Before I even had the chance to turn, he was tugging me to him. Marco and Trevor chuckled before heading down the hall without us. When Nash went to kiss me, I put the tiny bag up between our lips. “I really want to kiss you right now, but if I do, Alice will literally stab me before Fiona gets a chance.”
Nash growled, pushing the bag out of the way and placing a kiss on my temple that sent little tingles of joy through me. I
