Chapter 9 - The Velvet Trap
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"Me? At the Mayor's gala?" I stared at Leandro like he had lost his mind. "I'm a waitress. I'm her maid. They won't let me through the front door."
"You're my guest," Leandro corrected smoothly, walking around his desk until he was standing inches from me. "I’ll have a dress sent to your room. You stay glued to Stella. When she makes her move to leave for the pier, you follow her. And you keep this open."
He reached into his pocket and handed me a tiny, sleek earpiece.
"Keep it in. Tap it twice if she gets in a car. Tap three times if you're in danger."
"And if she sees me?" I swallowed hard.
"She won't." Leandro reached out, his thumb brushing a stray lock of hair behind my ear. His touch sent an electric shock straight down my spine. "Because she'll be too panicked to notice the shadow behind her."
Three hours later, I was staring at myself in the full-length mirror of my small servant’s quarters.
The dress Leandro sent wasn't a maid's uniform. It was a midnight-blue silk slip dress that hugged every curve of my body, with a slit that ran high up my thigh. Paired with diamond drop earrings and stilettos, I didn't look like Maya the broke waitress anymore. I looked like I belonged in the Perry family.
When I walked downstairs to the foyer, Stella was waiting with her father.
She turned, ready to bark an order at me, but the words died in her throat. Her eyes widened as she took in my appearance.
"What is the meaning of this?" Arthur Perry barked, his heavy brow furrowing. "Why is the help dressed in couture?"
"She's my plus-one, Father," Leandro's smooth voice echoed from the top of the stairs.
He descended like a dark god, wearing a perfectly tailored black tuxedo. He didn't look at his father. His eyes were fixed entirely on me, burning with a heat that made my breath catch.
Stella looked like she was about to vomit.
"Let's go," Leandro commanded.
May you like
He offered me his arm. Trembling slightly, I took it. As we walked out to the waiting limousines, he leaned down, his lips brushing the shell of my ear.
"Don't lose her tonight, Maya. Or the dress won't be the only thing ruined."
