Stay with Me by Awesomekristii (jenna bush book club .TXT) 📖

C H A P T E R 41

DELILAH

 

I had never been to a business party.

 

Standing in front of the mirror with the red knee-length dress, my hands holding it was sweating badly. My eyes ran over my figure shadowed by the dress, and I didn’t know what to do with this entire situation. For the last few months, I had already come to know Damien was a famous businessman. And the possibility of having numerous paparazzi was only deteriorating the little bit of courage I had pulled up.

 

It wasn’t my wish at all to join him until he presented even though he was unwilling to visit that place, this would help with his business, and not analyzing much, I agreed. But now facing the situation in present brought out my nervousness even more.

 

I kept the dress on the bed and stared at it for a while. It was a beautiful piece, with thin straps, V-neck deep enough to show my cleavage a little, and reached just a few inches above my knees.

 

But I had never tried such revealing dresses, neither had I gone to places of such high class. And in that situation, I realized how different were our worlds. While it’s normal for him to visit these places and face the paparazzi, for me it’s nothing less than a sweating, nervous and hazardous chore.

 

I sighed and walked inside the bathroom to freshen up. I couldn’t control the thudding of my heart and the nervousness creeping onto me with the mere thought of being at such a party with such high-class people.

 

Why did he have to choose me?

 

I washed my face with the cold water from the faucet and looked in the mirror. My brown hair was huddled up in a bun, and my face was bare of anything, so I had to put on a lot of makeup to hide those scars. My fingers brushed those near my cleavage and a sigh left my lips.

 

It was just the scars he had seen that day, and I didn’t know if he knows all the entire truth about what would happen. There was a little inkling in my heart that says he would understand, while the other part knew how society didn’t accept tainted girls.

 

“Are you done, Lilah?” I jostled at my place, splashing the water on the bathroom floor. I pushed the hair away, drying my face. I walked out of the bathroom and was met with Damien. He was looking more handsome in the dark suit with the little red bowtie. His raven hair gelled back perfectly while his light stubble was groomed so well. Everything was oozing confidence and dominance.

 

“No… I’m just …” He shook his head at me and walked towards the bed and took the dress in his hands, eyes running over it thoroughly. I shifted on my heels when his eyes fell on me, running over my entire self. He handed me the dress before saying, “Get ready, I will wait here.”

 

I nodded at him and got into the walk-in closet.

 

Grandma had left yet I didn’t know why I was still living in his room. Neither did he ask me to leave nor did I opt to do so. It felt like a routine, we had come to follow now.

 

I got out of my PJ and grabbed the dress, sliding over me. It reached above my knees but except that there wasn’t much exposure. I reached for the zip in the back of my dress but my hand could hardly reach there. I tried for another so many times but in futile.

 

“It’s more than half an hour you’re inside there. Is everything ok?” I bit my lips from asking him for help. I looked at my exposed back and didn’t know how to get with this already. He knocked again, and I remembered I didn’t answer him back.

 

Gulping down the nervousness and embarrassment I decided to ask him for help. “I…”

 

“Let me come inside.” He walked into the closet, and I immediately turned towards the door, hiding my back. His eyebrows furrowed at me, confusion marring his face. “What happened?”

 

I clutched the side of my dress not to slide it down, with the lack of support it had attaching to my body. This caught his attention more somehow because before I know he was standing in front of me. “What’s the matter?” his tone was insistent and not having any other way, I turned around facing my back to him.

 

“The zip is too low to get in my hands.” He didn’t speak for a long while before I heard a hum. “I will help you.” He moved closer to me, his hot breath falling over my exposed back. I felt his cold fingers sliding down the skin, making the place rise by several Celcius. I gulped down a lump forming in my throat when his light stubble brushed against my shoulder. I heard the sound of the zip going up when I knew he had zipped up the dress.

 

I tried to turn around but he gripped my arms, stilling me in my place. I felt his lips hovering over my ears and neck, which made me shudder slightly. I bit my lips when he pressed a light kiss on my earlobes, his finger caressing my exposed neck and back. “You’re looking gorgeous in this.”

 

I could feel the thousands of butterflies fluttering in my stomach with his words, and the erratic beating of my heart but I managed to nod at him mumbling a “thank you.”
 

He left my arms when I heard his phone ringing. He groaned and I took the opportunity to turn around. I saw him, pulling out the phone, and looking at me. His voice dropped a few decibels as he spoke.

 

“I wish it is me alone who can see you looking so beautiful.”

 

 

******************************************************

 

The more the car neared the location, the more I couldn’t control the sweating of my palms, and the nervousness buzzing in my veins. How would I behave in there? How did people face the limelight with so much confidence?

 

The car stopped near a huge building, and we were immediately surrounded by reporters from every direction I knew. I felt Damien intertwining his fingers with mine, when he spoke, “Don’t worry. It will be alright. Just stick to me, okay?” I looked up at his eyes, unlike coldness were so warm and caring and I nodded at him. He brushed his thumb over my cheeks before dropping a light peck.

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