Splendor(30)

‘Damn it!’ He cursed softly to realize he was hard and throbbing, no better than that rutting rake Jason. But unlike his amorous cousin-in-law, Ian would never, ever harass Tessa or even give her the slightest hint that he was attracted to her.

He cursed again, for attracted was far too mild a term to describe what he felt for the beautiful girl who could never be his. Obsession was more like it, and he wondered in near desperation how much longer he could keep his hands off of her.





Chapter Six

December

“There, all done. Let me take a look, make sure I don’t need to touch anything up.”

Tessa continued to sit patiently at Julia’s dining table while her friend carefully inspected Tessa’s makeup. With brush in hand, Julia swiped another bit of powdered blush on each cheekbone, then finally smiled in satisfaction.

“Perfect. Wow, you look stunning, Tessa, just – wow. Every head in the place will be turning when they see you tonight.”

‘Tonight’ was the annual office Christmas party that Tessa had somehow allowed herself to get talked into attending. Not only had all of her co-workers done their best to convince her, but once Julia had heard about the event, she too had gently but firmly urged Tessa to go.

“It will be good for you to get out a little,” she’d prodded. “You’re too young and too hot to sit at home every night. It’s way past time for you to start having fun.”

And when Tessa had still resisted, Julia had asked rather bluntly, “Don’t you think it’s what Peter would want you to do?”

That had finally convinced her, because Julia was absolutely right – going to the party was exactly the sort of thing Peter would have encouraged her to do. So she’d allowed Julia to drag her on a mini-shopping spree to find a new dress and shoes, mindful of Tessa’s very limited budget. Julia had a knack, however, for finding beautiful clothes even at a discount store, and the strapless blue cocktail dress Tessa wore tonight was every bit as glamorous as one from a high end store.

Julia had actually offered to ask her aunt – who was the head buyer at some fancy New York department store – to send a dress and shoes for Tessa, but Tessa had gently but firmly refused.

“I just think it would look a little odd for me to show up in a really expensive dress,” she’d explained. “Gina and Alicia in particular would be sure to recognize a designer gown, and then ask all sorts of questions about where I got it. And – well, you know I hate discussing anything personal with them.”

“You mean Anastasia and Drizella?” At Tessa’s puzzled look, Julia had laughed and clarified her question. “Those were the names of Cinderella’s evil stepsisters.”

“Oh.” Tessa couldn’t help giggling along her friend. “Actually, I’ve always thought of them as the nasty Siamese cats from Lady and the Tramp.”

Julia had thought that hilarious, and they’d shared a good laugh. Then she had assured Tessa she understood her concerns about the dress, and instead offered to go shopping together.

“Not everything I wear is expensive or from my aunt, you know,” she’d confided as they scoured the racks at several different discount stores. “In fact, Aunt Madelyn is the one who taught me how to look for the best dress in places like this one, and how to mix high and low end pieces. Oh, my God, Tessa. Look at this one – it’s absolutely perfect.”

Tessa had fallen in love with the chiffon dress with its strapless bandeau bodice and the way the fabric fell from the gathered bust to a few inches above the knee. Julia had declared that silver shoes and accessories would go best with the deep blue color, and they’d found a pair of strappy silver heels on the clearance rack at DSW. The rest of Tessa’s ensemble this evening consisted of items loaned to her by Julia – a sparkling round brooch pinned to the gather at the bust; a wide cuff bracelet; a pair of dangly earrings. Julia had assured her that all the pieces were costume jewelry and not very expensive at all, so that Tessa wouldn’t have to freak out about wearing actual diamonds or worry about losing them.

Julia was also loaning her a sparkly silver clutch, into which she was placing the tube of shiny rose lip gloss that she’d just painted onto Tessa’s mouth. She had spent over an hour doing Tessa’s makeup and hair, and now it was time for the “big reveal” as Julia teasingly called it.

“Come on, you can see for yourself how awesome you look,” cajoled Julia as she propelled Tessa into her bedroom and inside the walk-in closet.

Tessa had been dumbfounded the first time she’d seen Julia’s closet, never having imagined that one person could own so many dresses or shoes or bags. She only owned about three pair of shoes that were suitable for the office, and one oversized purse that she used for everything. Julia had been horrified at the thought of Tessa taking the rather beat-up bag to tonight’s formal affair, and had set her foot down that she use the clutch instead.