Flawless // z.m

Twelve.

I was dressed in a fitted, black floor length gown that would've dragged across the dirty floor if it weren't for the insanely high heels suffocating my feet. I ran my hands down my sides to smooth the silky fabric that had arrived at my doorstep only a few hours ago. I was hesitant to open it at first, considering packages were usually left near or in our mailboxes, but after seeing my name scrawled in elegant cursive I decided it couldn't do much harm.

The dress was beautiful and simple. There weren't any rhinestones or obnoxiously large jewels hanging off the fabric, nor was it so tight that I was struggling to breathe. It fit perfectly to my curves and flared out at the end to give my legs room to move. The dress also came with a pair of heels that were much too high, so I opted for a pair of my own.

I inhaled sharply, my eyes widening as I barely recognizing myself in the mirror. Dressing up wasn't something I did very often, mostly because I was never invited to events that required such lavish clothes. My hair was still a right mess, but oddly enough it worked well with the dress so I decided to just leave it.

The box the dress and shoes arrived in was still on my bed. I hesitantly walked over to it, knowing there was a note attached to the top of the box. I would've reached for that first, but when I first laid eyes on the large white rectangle that was intricately designed with gold swirls, I knew who the gift was from and what its purpose was.

My name was written in gold ink that perfectly matched the designs on the box. I reached for the crisp white paper and gently unfolded it.

7 PM

I'll come up.

-ZM

 

I swallowed thickly and left the paper fall from my hands. I had predicted exactly the paper said and that's why I was so shocked. It meant that I wasn't so delusional to believe that whatever that was going on with Mr. Malik and I was something. I couldn't put a title on it but something was there and we both knew it.

Some things were left unsaid during our lunch yesterday, I could see Mr. Malik struggling against what was right and what he wanted to say, the latter winning in the end.

Not that I minded.

If he had said what he was supposed to say, I wouldn't be dressed in this beautiful Burberry gown waiting to accompany him to an event that reflected him, his company and his work. He trusted me enough to want me at his side. As his PA or as his date, whichever it may be, both titles held a high amount of respect.

A sudden wave of heat flushed down my neck and planted a seed of nerves in my mind. Mr. Malik was under a lot of pressure tonight and I knew that I had to be equally as sharp as he was for tonight to go smoothly. He had to collect and impress as many clients as he could at the party and I had to keep my distance enough that I didn't cause any trouble, but close enough that I could round-up a few clients of my own.

And maybe that's all that tonight was. Maybe Mr. Malik's intentions were to have me around so I could do some scouting for him. The thought made me frown because as much as I shouldn't want this, I was hoping Mr. Malik wanted me around because he enjoyed my company.

I sighed and went back over to my vanity. I dug around my jewelry boxes until I found the diamond bracelet my parents had given me on my eighteenth birthday. It looked simple, but the perfectly round set diamonds caught every bit of light greedily and brought attention to whoever was wearing it. I fastened it to my wrist and ruffled my hair a bit before leaving my bedroom. If I stood in front of the mirror any longer, I knew I'd end up changing my entire makeup look a million times and that took time I didn't have.