His Unexpected: A Demon Romance (COMPLETE)

Chapter One - Proper Friends

Blaise

After my father left, Ash called Vel to reschedule our fitting. If he was upset with me for effectively taking the day off, he didn't show it. He simply moved the appointment to the next day and made us lemon tea. We spent the rest of the afternoon stretched out on either end of the sectional watching horror movies, Ash only occasionally leaving the room to take calls, and it was exactly what I needed to recover from Edison's visit.

The following morning, we started off fresh with a late brunch of egg sandwiches, and fresh fruit salad and then headed to Vel's. Ash explained on the way over that we would be trying out a handful of styles that day, some for more casual cocktail events leading up to Fashion Week and some for the actual red carpet appearances.

"Are we going to be repping anyone else this month?" I wondered, remembering how Vel had done our outfitting for the Alt party as well.

"Not this year," Ash told me. "Since this fall marks Vel's brand debut, we will be repping their line exclusively."

"Is that frowned upon?" I asked. "I mean, I'm sure you've gotten asked to model for lots of bigger brands."

"I have," Ash said with a quick nod out the limousine window. "But I don't particularly care. I'm far too sought-after for brands to burn bridges with me over one rejection, and I like Vel more than any of them anyway. Vel has all the talent they need to be an enormous success. Now, they just need eyes on their work. Which is where we come in."

"But I'm not a model," I reminded him as we parked outside Vel's studio. "I'm just an assistant."

"On paper only," Ash said quietly. Anthony opened the door before I had the chance to ask what he meant, but I tried not to read into it. Obviously our situation was more complicated than normal boss and assistant, and since part of my job was to eavesdrop, I had to fit in at events better than a background employee. That didn't keep me from putting it in the overthink-this-later file in my brain.

Vel was particularly chipper when we arrived. According to them, they'd been brainstorming looks for Fashion Week since the last time we visited, and couldn't wait to see us try them out. We barely had time to say hello before they were shoving clothing bags into our arms and pushing us into the twin dressing rooms on either side of the studio.

The first outfit consisted of loose, high-waisted black pants that shimmered turquoise when I moved, a matching sleeveless top that was more or less a tight fabric tube around my tits, and a long, blue jacket. I adored the getup, from the dramatically flared slacks that fit me to a T to the midnight color pallet, and spun out of the room when I finished changing.

"I love these pants," I told Vel, doing a little kick as I showed off the look.

"They really suit you," Vel said with a beaming smile. "I figured you could wear this one on Friday. I love Paradise, but there isn't shit for seating."

"Oh, I've been there!" I realized. My first event had been at Paradise Lounge, a glitzy skyscraper joint that was often reserved for high-profile cocktail parties and exclusive award ceremonies. While at the event, I'd discovered that a member of the Decagon was sending people to spy on Ash, but the night itself turned out to be rather enjoyable. "Will Mandy be there this time?"

"She will," Ash answered from behind Vel as he stepped out of the fitting room. He wore fitted black pants that bunched at the ankles, a vest made of the same shimmery blue-black material as my pants, and a matte black overcoat that went down to his knees. He did a little bow and Vel clasped their hands together.

"Oh, that vest was made for you," Vel gushed, and then winked. "Literally this time."

"I'm flattered," Ash said with a smirk. He let his eyes flick over to me and wander down my body, taking in my outfit before returning his gaze to mine. "We match."