Elizabeth let out a gasp as she gazed at her niece taking slow steps into the living room. There were tears of joy and admiration in Elizabeth’s eye. It felt just like yesterday when she had found Céline in front of her house that morning. The little girl was now a young beautiful woman she had nursed so well.
“How do I look?” Céline twirled. She was beaming with joy.
She was dressed in a silver intricate gown that flowed around her feet like silver clouds. It had fringes draping around it, sparkling in the light of their living room. It was the most expensive gown, Céline had ever owned. It had embedded diamonds lining the breast cups. Céline felt like a queen in it. She could not stop smiling down at herself.
Real fucking diamonds!
“You look wonderful.” Elizabeth sniffed and Céline removed her eyes from her beautiful gown to her aunt’s face.
“Aunt? You don’t think it’s too expensive?”
Usually, aunt Elizabeth would have complained that the dress was too expensive and Céline shouldn’t be such a careless shopper. So, she couldn’t believe her ears when her aunt thought she looked wonderful in a dress that could mostly solve all her problems and then some others.
“Céline, I know you didn’t buy this. All our savings put together can’t afford it. But that doesn’t mean you don’t deserve to wear the prettiest of dresses! Come here!” She opened her arms calling Céline in for a hug.
Céline took long steps and pressed herself against her aunt. They both sighed happily.
“I was wrong about this. If he truly makes you this happy, then I totally support you my child. You deserve all the happiness in the world.”
Céline really deserved to be happy. They both deserved to be happy.
Céline sniffed back her tears and took a step back from her aunt.
“I still haven’t done my make up and I don’t know what to do with my hair!” Céline exclaimed packing her hair up with her arm as she pouted to her aunt.
Elizabeth stared up at her niece’s red hair thoughtfully.
“Let it down. The redness goes impeccably well with the silver of your dress.” She told her.
“Thank you.” She placed a quick peck on her aunt’s cheeks and ran back to her room to finish up her ensemble.
At the last minute, Damien had called asking her to get a dress for the gala. She was dumbstruck. She couldn’t speak, she couldn’t think. It was like offering a child a pack of candy it had been crying for. It was the best call ever!
She smiled and giggled to herself as she applied a light coat of mascara to her eyes. She applied a small amount of foundation and concealer, then proceeded to apply a light pink lipstick as a finishing touch. Everything was finally falling into place.
Following her aunt’s advice she let her hair, cascade down her naked back. She also applied cream on her exposed left leg, the gown had a long slit by the left, that ended high above her thighs. Céline wanted her leg to be extra shinny.
Looking at herself in the mirror one more time, she thought she looked like a very rich and classy woman.
The door bell rang and she hurriedly picked up the small silver clutch that came with the dress and opened the door to her bedroom.
“Finally, I get to meet the man that has been making my niece go crazy.”
Elizabeth’s voice made Céline pause in front of her bedroom door. Who was she talking with?
“It’s a pleasure to meet you ma’am.”
Céline could recognize the hot sexy voice anytime and anywhere in her life. It was Damien. Her heart started beating with joy as she thought it through.
He came to pick her up himself!
Céline shut her fist in the air in a silent victory dance. She took short but fast steps on her tiptoes to get to a good spot so she could listen in on their conversation.
“I know this relationship started with a lot of complications but she seem very happy with you. Please keep it that way.”
“I will always make her happy.”
There was a pause in their conversation and Céline could hear the seriousness in Damien’s words as the echoes filled her ears. Did this mean he had accepted her?
“Hmmmm, I want her back home before midnight. The world isn’t safe out there.” Elizabeth told him.
“She will be back before midnight.” Damien assured her.
He was standing by the door dressed in a tuxedo that screamed money and power. His hair was gelled back and his brown eyes sparkled with something she couldn’t put a finger on.
Céline used that moment to make her presence known. “Hey!” She whispered walking to him.
Both her aunt and Damien gawked at her. Céline looked beautiful. Beautiful did not even give a full description of her she looked. She was astonishing in the dress. It looked like it was made specially for her. The hair contrasted with the dress color, creating a sort of enchantment around her, one could mistake her for a true Angel.
“Waoh!” Damien whispered as he stared at her.
Céline’s heart was beating with a sweet tempo and she thought she’ll melt away under Damien’s intense gaze. She blushed deeply and she looked down trying to hide it.
“You look amazing.” He finally managed to say.
“Thank you.” She mouthed, if Damien wasn’t already looking at her soft pink lips, he would have missed it.
“I think you should start going now. It’s getting late.” Elizabeth ushered the youngsters out of the house for it seemed they would remain there like statues admiring one another for eternity if she didn’t push them out.
When they got outside, the white limousine parked in front of her house seemed extremely out of place. The length of the exquisite vehicle seemed longer than their porch. Céline knew her neighbors would be gawking from their windows. It wasn’t everyday an expensive vehicle like this one came into 6th Avenue. It was even more satisfying that it came to pick her.
Céline’s blush had become permanent as she bade goodnight to her aunt.
“Make sure you lock all the doors and windows aunt.” She warned.
“I will my dear. Do have fun!” Elizabeth stood, watching them retreat to the vehicle.
Damien slipped his hand to the low of her back and Céline could feel goosebumps rise from the place he touched. Their chauffeur for the night opened the limousine’s door and Damien led Céline into the exotic vehicle.
Once inside, Céline looked out the window and caught sight of her aunt retreating to the safety of their house. Damien pressed a small button by the side of his seat and the windows rolled up, leaving them together in an awkward silence in the dimmed yellow light of the limousine.
Céline didn’t know what to say. She was worried she might say something that would trigger him off again. He seemed to be allowing his emotions for her show again, she couldn’t afford to have him lock them back up in his head.
She positioned herself across from him as she peered at him from under her long thick lashes. If she was asked to sketch up her dream man, she would definitely sketch someone that looked like Damien.
“Would you like a drink Céline?” He asked her.
She felt butterflies fly around in the pit of her stomach with the way he said her name. Not trusting her voice, she nodded her head and Damien smirked.
He knew exactly what he was doing to her.
“You like what you see?”
The question triggered memories of their first night together. That day, he had asked her the very same question and like in some magical movies, she got the same reaction. Her eyes got drawn to his lips and she wanted nothing more but to lose herself in his arms.
But she held back. Céline didn’t want to do anything that would make her push him away again.
Damien stretched his left hand to a compartment behind him and brought out two wine glasses. He opened a latch beside his leg and pulled out a bottle of champagne.
He popped the bottle and poured the bubbly liquid into their glasses. Afterwards he returned the bottle in the small fridge compartment by his leg and gave Céline her glass.
Their fingers brushed lightly as he passed the glass to her and they both stared up into each other’s eyes. For a brief moment she held her breathe. The tension in the vehicle was so thick a coconut could be broken in it.
Damien was the first to recover. He pulled back and raised his glass into the air. “Let’s toast to more nights like this.”
She raised her glass and clinked it with his. ” To more nights like this,” she whispered, taking a sip of her drink.
They remained in comfortable silence as the vehicle navigated through the crowded streets to the venue of the gala. It was a Saturday night and most people were either rushing to catch some fun at the club or just joy riding.
Thirty minutes more and they had gotten to the venue. The driver parked the vehicle and Céline could hear the whispers of the frenzy that went on outside the padded walls of the limousine.
The world was waiting.
For the first time that night, she thought about how people would perceive the entrance she was about to make, going into the party with the CEO himself. In the few weeks she had worked in the Culhane group, she got to understand how big a name Damien Culhane was in the state. A lot of women and men, wanted him. She would be critiqued from her hair to the last toe of her legs. What if they found her unworthy of him? What if he had a secret girlfriend no one knew about and was only leading her on?
“Are you ready?” Damien stretched his hand to her and she almost wished she could refuse and return back to her aunt.
But the way he looked at her, with so much admiration and something deeper, she got confident again. If Damien thought she was right for him, she would care less what the world thought.
She held his hands and together they stepped out of the vehicle to the world outside.