Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 33020 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 165(@200wpm)___ 132(@250wpm)___ 110(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33020 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 165(@200wpm)___ 132(@250wpm)___ 110(@300wpm)
Each night, Gabriel would appear while she was catching up and preparing for the next day. He’d help her, and then they would go out to dinner. Six of the seven nights, they went to that Italian restaurant which served the most amazing meatballs, pizza, and carbonara. She was in Heaven. One night they went to a French restaurant, as Gabriel had given his table to Larry and his wife. That man had a soft side. Not many people were going to see it, but it was there.
Now, she was in his office at lunchtime. Trudy was out doing another errand, and he wanted her help in picking out a suit. They all looked the same and fit him perfectly.
She didn’t need to stand there drooling at her boss—or her friend. Nora didn’t know if she could call him a friend yet. It seemed so familiar. Still, it had only been one week.
“Well, the blue or the black?”
The blue was so dark it looked black.
“The blue?” she asked.
“I think you’re right. Now, I want you to choose a dress.” He pointed to the other stand of clothes.
“Huh?” Now she was confused.
“Trudy is going to be busy, and I need to take a date to the charity dinner tonight. I don’t go alone.” He clicked his fingers. “Choose your dress. Try it on.”
She had noticed a partition had been placed in his office. “I, uh, I don’t think I should be going to a charity dinner.”
“Why not?”
“Won’t there be like … press? I am one of your employees.”
“It’s not one of those meals. The press will be there, but it’s not to gossip or gather dirt. It is for children, but it is more of an … honest event.”
“Honest event?” Nora asked.
“I’m not there to have my name splashed in the papers. Nancy, one of the organizers, doesn’t like to make a big song-and-dance. The event is to be described as what it is. It is a dinner, but the caterers volunteer. We donate, and the money spent on the table goes to the cause. There are no prizes to be won. All funds go to the children’s charity.”
“Wow,” Nora said.
“And I would like to go, as there will be women there, and I have no interest in fighting them off.”
She mouthed the word “wow” and turned toward the stand of beautiful gowns.
“I’m not being full of myself if that is what you are thinking,” Gabriel said.
Nora turned to look at him.
He winked at her. “I saw that ‘wow.’”
Her face started to heat. “I, uh, don’t think any of these are going to be in my size.”
“Nonsense. I got Trudy to order them, as she had seen your size when she took care of your clothes. Pick one.”
This was getting even weirder.
She was about to choose a gown to accompany Gabriel to a charity event. She had to be dreaming. This kind of stuff never happened. This was a fairy tale.
She tried to pinch herself to see if she was going to wake up, and she winced. Nope, very much awake.
“Why are you pinching yourself?” Gabriel asked, and he was suddenly right there behind her.
She let out a gasp and quickly pressed a hand to her chest.
“You scared me.” How did he move so fast without her hearing him?
“I think the red will suit you,” he said.
He was so close. Her heart started to race. She did not want to panic.
Picking up the red dress, she made her escape behind the curtain and attempted not to scold herself. She needed to get herself together. The temptation to slap herself was so strong, but she avoided it. This was just a favor.
Gabriel was her friend, which was as crazy as it sounded, but they were friends. He just happened to be a multibillionaire and her boss. Bosses and employees could be friends.
She was now naked in his office. When was the weirdness going to end? Stepping into the dress, she couldn’t help but pray that it fit. Please, please, please fit.
And the weirdness continued as it slid right over her hips and fit her like a second skin. The straps were thin, and it had a built-in bra, which meant she didn’t have to wear one. Nora knew she shouldn’t take her bra off, but she needed to know if it fit.
The bra came off, and she reached for the zip, only able to pull it up halfway. She gritted her teeth. This was typical.
“Could you help me?” she asked, looking behind the curtain.
“Yep.”
She stepped out, presented her back to him, and Gabriel zipped her up. Did he go slowly? Did it register to him that she wasn’t wearing a bra? It was stupid for her to even think of it.
With the dress on, she turned toward Gabriel. “What do you think?” she asked. Did she look pretty? Cute? Ugly? Fat?