Stay

fourteen.

Aaliyah changed outfits three times before settling on a simple black dress. It was short, mid-thigh length, thin sleeved, and clung to her body like a glove. Instead of an abundance of jewelry, she opted for a simple gold chain and hoop earrings. Her heels, roughly four inches, were solid black and her handbag was forest green with black lining.

She did absolutely nothing to her hair aside from spraying some water on it to accentuate her curls; however, it was her face that had her on edge.

Aside from three thick coats of mascara and translucent chapstick, she opted to forgo makeup.

Although she'd been walking around the hotel without her veil or makeup, this was different. This event would consist of countless people, people that she didn't know, and people that might include a certain judgmental sister of hers.

Aaliyah clutched her stomach and felt the uneasiness that she'd been trying to set aside try to crawl its way back to her.

She'd asked if she could dress herself and, of course, no one objected. Since arriving, she'd had someone, usually Naomi, pick out her outfits. This time though, just this once, she wanted to dress herself. She wanted to see how she would look in each outfit without her usual veil or makeup.

"Damnit." She cursed when she dropped her clutch. Crouching down, she held onto the bottom of her dress and picked it up to make sure that the buckle was secure. When a large hand appeared in her peripheral vision, she froze and slowly lifted her gaze. "Hi." She took his extended hand and felt her face flush at his bemused expression

A questioning gleam in his eyes, she noticed how he towered over her even with her four-inch heels. She then took a moment to look over his outfit which consisted of a dressy black suit and a green tie.

"Hello." He spoke after a few seconds of silence and took a moment to observe her attire. She was fidgeting with the strap of her dress when he brought his eyes to her face.

Dropping her gaze, she found her stomach in a hot and knotted mess. "I wanted to see how I would look without makeup."

"The same way you do with it." His reply came out quick and smooth. She looked up and studied his expression as she wanted to see if he was saying it just to appease her nerves. She didn't put it past him as she was certain that her apprehension was painfully obvious.

All she found was honesty.

Typical Oliver.

"You look down to no one." She gave him a small smile and inhaled the euphoric scent of his cologne. One hand went to cup her right cheek while the other rested on her hip. "Not even your sister." His voice was firm and held conviction. She acknowledged adherence to his words with a slow shake of her head.

"Thank you." Aaliyah moved her mouth to kiss the palm of his hand and pulled out of his embrace to pull the bag on her shoulder. Turning around, she noticed that her compact mirror was still on the bed. Walking over, she bent over the edge of the mattress to grab it.

"Aaliyah."

"Hmm?" She said absentmindedly while looking down and dropping the item in the cutch.

"The dinner doesn't start for another hour."

She looked up and her eyes widened when she noticed that he was loosening his tie. She detected immediately the hungry look in his striking blue eyes and knew that his voraciousness wasn't for the steak that they would be eating later that night.

"Oh." She said plainly and let her bag drop to the floor when his hands began to snake their way down her sides. Encouraged by Oliver's light pushing in the direction of the bed behind her, she allowed her legs to slowly move backward. They stopped when the back of her knees hit the footboard, and her dress had been raised to her hips. "I suppose we have some time to kill then, no?" She pushed her lips together as she felt her own carnal desires starting to grow.