Belly of the Beast

Chapter 9

My first week of work progressed pleasantly, and the rumors were manageable apart from one accidental eavesdrop when I learned I would be the cause of Vincent's bankruptcy. But everyone was nice to my face, and I was nice right back with the hopes they would stop focusing on my life and get on with theirs.

Bates had been helping me prepare for our trip to Europe, showing me the proper way to pack cashmere and offering tips for London footwear. He had finally gotten over his crush on Vincent now that we were officially Mr. and Mrs. At least, he was doing his best to pretend, like insisting he help me dress for Dmitry's party while filling me in on our host.

"Besides his secretive lifestyle, Dmitry Stepanov is known for his extensive collection of rare art and unusual relics. He uses several buyers to locate and procure his treasures. Some go to great lengths."

"What would be considered great lengths?"  

"That's depends on who you ask? Would disturbing sacred ground for the bones of a dead witch do it for you?"

"Yeah, it would." 

He pulled items from my closet and laid them out. Then he began pairing the outfits. "How are you feeling these days? Has that awful morning sickness hit you yet?"

"I doing pretty well. Not like some people."

"Well, you aren't like some people, are you?" He offered me a wink as he held out a relatively new wrap dress in teal. Not my favorite color, but it was an attempt at spicing up my predominantly gray and black wardrobe. "I'm not sure this makes the best statement for a private party. You're a Valentino. You need to command the room."

He switched to a black dress, lifting it and giving me a scrutinizing eye. "A little too form-fitting for your condition, I think." He laid it back down and I glanced at my belly. Was I showing already? I said nothing while he did the same with another black dress, pursing his lips and cocking his head side to side as if he was fitting me for an audience with the queen.

With a frustrated sigh, he gathered up all the dresses and returned them to the closet. "I thought you and Vincent went shopping recently."

"We did, but only for work clothes. I did sneak-in a red dress that I wore for the Mega Mag photo shoot."

"Really?" His pale eyebrows tweaked as he rifled through my clothes, yanking out the red bombshell number. "Oh, Dorothy. I hope you have the shoes." He pressed the dress against his body and spun around while I stifled a laugh, digging out the box with the Gucci heels. When he saw them, he actually squealed. "Gurl, you must."

"Do you really think this is appropriate, though? The invitation said a small dinner party of five, which means it's us plus Sam and Beth Martin. And I'm not trying to impress my boss or his wife."

"What about your host? Despite his reclusive nature, he's well known in social circles."

"I think I've got the social circles covered, Bates. Why don't I just wear the teal dress. I'll fancy it up with the necklace Vincent bought me in Verona."

Bates looked dejected, but he couldn't deny the red dress was not the way to go here. "Very well, but let me know when you decide to wear this. I want to make sure you do it properly."

"Of course, I will. And I appreciate your help tonight." While I'd had plenty of practice making myself look presentable, I didn't want to ruin the good thing I was building with Bates. I'd already experienced his bouts of jealousy, and I wasn't interested in a repeat performance. "Do you think I should wear my hair up or down?"

With a nudge and a fake best friend smile, Bates ushered me into the bathroom and proceeded to coat my hair with gel. Then he worked it into a fishtail braid, wrapping the band with a twist of leather. The theater never left him, which had become one of his few redeeming traits.