“And there you are, all glammed up!” Jessy cooed excitedly as she helped me apply some cherry-scented lip gloss. She drew back to let me stand and take a full look at myself in her vanity mirror and I gasped, tongue-tied.
The gold-colored, short, sequined dress she’d lent me stuck to my body like a second skin, the sharp slit at the side exposing my shiny, porcelain thighs. My hair was rolled up into a curt bun, and a glittering tiara was balanced on my head with studded diamonds. Jessy had also given me her personal crystal bangles and expensive necklace. I felt like a midnight queen. The gown was strapless, and my makeup was completely top-notch. I was buzzing with nerves and happiness. I’d never looked so… glorious and to think it’d taken the whole day for me to get ready. I hadn’t caught a glimpse of Max since the day started, and I knew he missed me as well.
I turned to her with tears streaming down my eyes. I didn’t care if it would ruin my makeup or not. “I can’t even – ”
She waved me off, her face radiating with joy. “Don’t thank me. That’s offensive. You look gorgeous, darling. Max would have his jaw on the floor when he sees you.”
“You have no idea what you’ve done for me today,” my hands went up to balance the tiara well, lest it fell. “I don’t know what to say. This deserves more than a thank you. I feel so… heavenly, and you’re such an awesome, incredible person – ” I pulled her in for a hug, letting my tears fall as we both cried on each other’s shoulders. It was such an emotional moment, and I couldn’t get a hold of myself.
“Now, now,” she huffed when I released her, dabbing my eyes carefully with her handkerchief. “Crying is offensive as well. This is such a big occasion for us all and I’m really looking forward to having you as a full-fledged family member. I want you to be a Sturm wife, and I’d kick Max so hard if he ever fucks this up.”
My cheeks were hurting from smiling so much, and my guilt level tripled. I hated this. I hated how bad I was feeling. “I’ll go look for Max now so you can get dressed. The guests must’ve started arriving already.”
She nodded. “Yes. I’ll need you and Max to help welcome them at the door. Think you could handle that?”
“Definitely.”
With one last look at myself in the mirror, I turned and sauntered out of the bedroom, down the corridor, and into the elevator. I found Max scouring the fridge in the kitchen for snacks. He was wearing a blue Armani suit, with sparkling black loafers and the first few buttons of his inner shirt popped open. He’d changed his black glass frame for blue-rimmed ones that matched the color of his eyes, and his blonde hair was tied back. When he looked up from the burger and milk he was munching, I felt my insides tighten as his eyes roved down my body in delight, then back up again to my face.
“Cherry?” he blinked in disbelief, setting down the snacks in his hands and moving over. My heart did a backflip as his arms snaked their way around my waist, his breath hot against my neck. “You look, magnificent,” he growled. “Fucking ethereal.”
My heart was beating faster.
He held my hand and twirled me around a little, his eyes still not done with inspecting me. The heat of his gaze is unnerving and tingling, making me swallow hard as I wipe my hands nervously on my thighs.
“But you forgot one vital necessity, Cherry,” he smirked, a mischievous glint in his eyes. I shook my head, knowing that he was about to say something stupid. “My cock would look good in your mouth.”
“Knew you were about to say something dirty,” I chuckled, swatting his arm lightly. He pouted.
“Oh really?”
“It never escapes you, sex freak.”
I shivered as his thumb caressed the spot between my ear and he leaned down to peck the side of my lips. “What can I say? You always leave me all hot and bothered,” his lips dragged over my skin to my earlobe which he sucked delicately. “You’ll have all the women here tonight floored with how gorgeous you look right now. I’m proud to be your man. To have you beside me for the entire night.”
I bit my bottom lip, tears filling up my eyes before I could stop them. He furrowed his brows, frowning. “Are you okay? Did I say something wrong?”
I swallowed the lump in my throat as more tears fell. Oh great. Way to go, Elaine. “No, far from it. They’re just… happy tears, you know? I’ll be the most fucked up woman if this ends sooner than we expect. I don’t even want to think about it, because it’ll make me lose my mind. I love you, Max Sturm.”
He smiled, brushing his lips against mine. “I love you more, Elaine Matthews. Don’t be scared. As long as we’re both willing, we can keep the spark going long enough. I’m sure of it.”
I nodded meekly. “Promise me if something comes up between us in the future, you won’t turn your back on me. You won’t hate me,” I whispered against his lips.
He deepened the kiss at my words, sucking my tongue aggressively, his cock pressing the side of my thighs. “Please don’t ever say that again. I can never hate you, even if I want to.”
I managed a smile as he drew back and wiped my eyes, his cheeks flushed and his thumb delicate over my skin. “Close your eyes.”
I stared at him, confused. “Uh, what?”
“Close your eyes,” he clamped a hand over my eyes gently, ignoring my squirm of protest. “I’ve got a surprise for you.”
When he was sure I had my eyes shut, he retrieved a little box from his suit pant pockets and placed it on my hand. “Now you can open them.”
I fluttered my eyes open, looking up from the box in my hand to him. His smile was out of this world, and it made my heart melt. “What’s this?”
He shrugged. “How would I know? Open it.”
With a deep breath, I opened the box to find a beautiful black wristwatch with white straps and white studded stones around the edges. Gasping, I glanced up at him sharply. “Max, you know how I feel about you getting me gifts. I don’t need this.”
“I know you don’t, but I still want you to have it. What’s the use of being your boyfriend if I can’t get you nice stuff every once in a while?”
I held his gaze. “That’s so thoughtful of you, but I don’t want to get spoiled. You’re effortlessly good at that.”
He smirked. “For the first time in my life, I’m getting stuff for someone I truly love, and it’s not out of compulsion of any sort. Allow me to spoil you, babe. Sincerely, I’ve not gotten really started yet. I’ve got lots of goodies in the future, up my sleeves.”
“Thank you.”
I handed it over to him to help me put them on, and we both beam at each other while he tightened the watch straps against my wrist, his eyebrows etched with utmost concentration. There and then I decided that this was how I wanted to remember him. How I wanted to remember us. There was no way I was going to lose this precious memory that I’d safely tucked away in my memory bank.
When he was done, he took a step back to let me admire the watch on my wrist. “It’s beautiful,” I whispered with a giggle, then glanced towards the direction of the noisy living room. “Where are the children?”
“Upstairs,” Max shrugged like it was the most natural thing in the world.
My jaw went slack. “What? Why? This is their home. What’s wrong in letting them run around?”
He strode out the door and I followed suit, keeping up beside him. “You don’t realize how risky that is with so many people here tonight. The paparazzi never fail to sneak their way in, and the Sturm family has a fine list of enemies that wouldn’t think twice about kidnapping one of them and demanding ransom. It’s happened before, so Samson doesn’t want to take chances anymore. On a normal day, they can run around without being bothered. But tonight, they’ll stay in their room. It’s for their own good.”
I understood what he meant perfectly, but then again if only they could separate business from family get-togethers. There was a horde of dignitaries coming, and it made it seem like it was a grand hall, instead of family fun. But hey? What did I know? I was only getting to know the family for the first time.
And even though I still couldn’t get accustomed to the wealth, I knew I had a lot to learn here.