Impostor

Chapter 9

The boutique we went to was lavish. I wanted to live there. The ball gowns were hanging elegantly from hangers on each side of the boutique. All the colors of the rainbow and then some were displayed and at my fingertips. The sky was the limit, at least that's what Emma said. We searched the most popular brands for a gown for me and came up with nothing. The saleswoman, Nora, held up her finger and disappeared into the backroom. Emma and I sipped lazily on our champagne while we waited.

"So, how long have you and Michael been together?" I asked when the alcohol reached my brain.

"Well, we have been dating for two years now. He asked me to marry him two months ago while we were flying over Paris in his private jet. How romantic is that?" she gushed as her eyes lit up at the memory. "That is so romantic." I cooed. My mood was taking a little dip until Nora walked back out the door with the most beautiful red dress I had ever seen. The bodice consisted of a lacy sweetheart that hugged my chest and flowed out into silk when it reached my waist. The dress had a short tail that dragged a little when I walked. My favorite part of the dress was the slit that revealed my leg up to mid-thigh. I couldn't wait to wear the dress.

Emma found lace black heels and paid for my attire with Michael's card. I was pleased that the amount paid was more than the cost of an expensive car. He would definitely notice that amount missing from his account. I smiled brightly at Emma as we went to get lunch before getting our nails done. I had mine done in acrylic red with black swirls. Emma decided to get olive green gel. It would look great with the dress she was telling me about while we waited for our nails to dry. It was a mermaid tail with a v-neck. The dress was made of olive green silk. It sounded absolutely beautiful.

"Come on, we're getting our hair done at the penthouse. I have my own stylist who will do both of our hair. He's the best of the best, Michael made sure of that." She beamed as she looped her arm with mine and pulled me to the car where Trevor already had the door pulled open. She gave him a grateful smile and jumped in, pulling me along with her. I stumbled into my seat and looked back to see Trevor slowly shutting the door behind me. I gave him a quick smile before turning back to Emma. She was holding a black tablet in her hands. She turned it to me and showed me what she was looking at.

"Which hairstyle do you want? I think you should do a half-up do. This rose bun with a single braid would look brilliant with your dress." She said and pointed to a model with a bun that resembled a rose. Half her hair was hanging loose in delicate-looking curls. A single braid hung from under the bun, adding a little sophistication to the hairdo. I loved it. "I love it; I'll definitely let your man do my hair like that. What about you?" I asked while scrolling through the pictures. "I've already decided. Here, let me show you." She said taking the tablet and searching for a braid crown with half the hair down and curled. It looked amazing. "You are going to look so beautiful." I said excited. She beamed at me. "We are both going to look beautiful." She corrected and turned back to the tablet to start searching for an adequate make-up style.

I rested my head on the headrest and looked out the window at the bustling city outside. I used to people-watch all the time. I tried to imagine what people were saying or thinking. I tried to gauge the financial state of people and if they were as stressed about bills as I was. Now I was going to a gala with rich people. I was getting a salary that would enable me to buy an apartment and pay all my bills. I was one lucky girl. The only thing was that I didn't feel very lucky. I kissed an engaged man and now his fiancée was being incredibly nice to me. She was slowly crawling into my heart and becoming one of my best friends.

It felt like I was betraying her by not telling her about Michael kissing me and me kissing him back. My feelings for him made me feel incredibly guilty. Emma was one of the best kinds of people. She was kind, loving, and true. I felt sick to my stomach. Maybe I should just tell her and she would understand because I didn't even know he was engaged. He told me he was single. I just have to get this mountain off my shoulders. Maybe I should wait till after the gala. She was so excited about tonight and I didn't want to ruin their first gala together. Then again, the sooner I tell her the better. She should know what he has been up to. I was just about to tell her when she turned to me instead.

"I have a confession to make. I didn't really go to the bathroom after lunch." She said blushing a little as she handed me an American Swiss bag. I looked inside and found a black velvet box inside. I opened the box and my heart melted. Inside the box lay a delicate diamond necklace with matching earrings. I looked up at her with tears in my eyes. No one has ever given me such an expensive gift before. The jewelry was truly breathtaking. I grabbed her arm and crushed her in an appreciative hug. She smiled brightly, satisfied with my reaction. I couldn't stop smiling through the tears.

"Thank you so much." I said while wiping the tears away. "You're welcome. What are friends for?" she said and hugged me again. I felt like crap. Soon we reached the penthouse and Trevor was at my side, opening the door and helping me out of the car. I gathered a few bags and walked over to call the elevator down while Emma got out. She grabbed the rest of our bags and joined me at the elevator. We patiently waited while we took the elevator to the apartment. "You can do make-up first. I'll let Fernando do my hair first." She said when the doors opened. We went to my room and found that Fernando and his team had already set up their things. My room looked like a portable beauty salon.

They ushered us in while complaining about how late we were going to be. I had a girl do my make-up while Fernando did Emma's hair. His assistants were running around like ants. The girl applied light makeup to my face, keeping it simple. She added thick eyeliner and a bright red lipstick. I was amazed at how different I looked. I put my dress on with the help of two girls while Fernando did the finishing touches on Emma's hair. She already looked fit to be a queen. She was so beautiful. I can't think of a single reason why Michael would cheat on her, especially with me. I put my heels on and sat down when Emma moved to get her make-up done. Fernando worked quickly to do my hair.

When he was done we looked like princesses. I felt beautiful. Emma and I gushed over how gorgeous the other looked and giggled like school girls all the way down the stairs. Michael stood at the bottom of the stairs in a black Armani suit. He looked handsome. He had his back to us while talking to Sarah. When he heard us coming, he turned around and I was pleased to see his jaw drop a little at the sight of us. He looked at Emma appreciatively before moving his eyes over me. His eyes darkened when he saw the slit and he clenched his jaw.

He looked back at Emma. "You look beautiful." He said and flicked his eyes back to me. He held his arm out for Emma and then lifted the other for me. Emma smiled brightly at his gesture and sent me a wink. I smiled back at her and took his extended arm. He escorted us to the elevator where I dropped my hand from his arm so that he could press the button for the garage. I was surprised when he offered me his arm again. He looked deep into my eyes before looking at the elevator doors. This was going to be a long night.