"Okay, Alicia definitely picked that dress out."
I stood in front of the mirror after getting help from Alicia, and then from a professional in doing my hair and makeup. My hair had been put in a loose bun, where strands of hair fell all around my face. My makeup was mostly natural which I liked, with shiny highlights and a blue eye-shadow, to match my dress.
"What is that supposed to mean? I asked, turning around to face Clarke, putting my hands on my hips.
I knew what he meant, I was just playing dumb. Alicia spent nearly twenty minutes convincing me to get the dress because it made me look good, and it was definitely not something I would normally wear. It was a light blue dress that had a holster top that formed around my body, but it was the back that made the dress, because there was literally no back. Like my whole back was exposed, like nearly everything.
"How did she convince you into that? Cause it's safe to say I know you by now, and you would never wear this," Clarke said, looking me up and down.
"You know, I've always wondered how women wear dresses like this, without it falling off their ass. I know the answer now. Its tape, double sided tape. Butt tape," I said, looking down at my dress.
"I...would've never have guessed," Clarke blinked. "Don't get me wrong, I like it on you."
I rolled my eyes a little at him. "Yeah, well it took her forever to convince me, and if you're not careful I could change my mind."
"Oh, no, please don't do that," Clarke said quickly, stepping close to me. "I will be nice to know if that if I get stressed out, all I'll have to do is look over at you and it'll calm me down."
I felt myself blush. Oh God, I had never blushed with him before, what was wrong with me? Usually his words were...well, just words.
"Well, we better go," I said quickly, kind of breaking the moment between us. "You wouldn't want to be late."
"No, you're right. The car is outside."
I put my shoes on and grabbed the clutch Alicia also insisted on me getting. The car ride to the event Alicia seemed very excited and I kept noticing Clarke looking at me, but it didn't take me long to realise he couldn't do that all night long. He needed to look at Alicia like that all night long, she was supposed to be his girlfriend, and no one could know what Clarke and I were.
Once we got to the event it was way bigger than Paris. There was an actual red carpet and actual people with cameras, yelling out people's names and snapping photos of people as they walked by. Unsurprisingly, they yelled at Clarke and Alicia to pay attention, and they stood together and got some photos. I stood there and watched then for a minute, and I realised how good Alicia was at taking photos.
"Is there actual celebrities here?" I asked Clarke as we entered the building.
"What do you call Alicia?" Clarke joked.
I rolled my eyes. "I mean, why is there so much press?"
"This is LA, there's some big names here," Clarke shrugged. "Is that okay?"
"Oh, yeah, it's fine. Just didn't expect so many people here," I muttered but he didn't hear me.
Why was I so naïve to how in the spotlight Clarke was? Was it because he hadn't been in the tabloids that much lately or was it because I hadn't been around that. Those thoughts escaped me as we walked into the event room which was huge. There was a live band on the stage, currently playing something quite soothing. There were waiters walking around holding those tiny little bite sized foods, and others with champagne, and there was definitely an open bar in the back.
I stood next to Clarke as he looked around the room. Last time we had been to one of these Clarke had been very nervous the whole time, and this time he was actually quite calm. I mean he was still extremely worried because he needed to secure a client tonight, but he was much more optimistic about it.
"Hey, I'm going to go talk to those people over there," Clarke said to me suddenly, pointing towards a group with someone he recognised. "You can mingle for a bit. I'll need you later though."
"Yeah, course, sounds good," I agreed quickly. Clarke needed to mingle and be friendly before he tried to make any deals.
"Alicia, you better come with me," Clarke told her.
Alicia nodded and locked her arm around Clarke's as they made their way over the group of people. Alicia gave me a kind of sympathetic look that I was being left alone, but it was what I expected, it was what happened last time and I honestly didn't mind, and the more people that saw Clarke and Alicia together, the better.
It was very easy to entertain myself at a place like this anyway. I got a drink or two because I could and watched the live band, which picked up as the night went on. I don't how long I was left alone and I couldn't even see Clarke and Alicia anymore, but I found myself thinking that was for the best.
"What exactly is a pretty lady like you doing standing alone at a party like this?"
I moved in surprise to the fact that someone had spoken to me. I had been so focused on the band I hadn't even realised someone had walked up to me. He was tall, clean and sharp dark hair, strong figure and in a very nice suit.
"Maybe I want to stand here alone, how would you know?" I asked with shrug. Wow, that was a weird bit of crazy confidence.
The guy laughed, he couldn't have been much older than me. "See, that's kind of attractive. At least tell me why you're here, so I can figure out why you're alone."
I smiled a little. "Well sorry to disappoint you, but I work for someone here. I'm their assistant."
"No, no, that's not disappointing," he said quickly shaking his head. "Your job is very important. Without assistants I doubt most of us would be here, or very possibly this event wouldn't exist."
I laughed slightly. He wasn't wrong, at least in my eyes. I knew as well as Clarke that he wouldn't be at half his meetings if it wasn't for me. It was hard to believe how some people mistreated their assistants, and I knew it happened, because yes we didn't earn as much money but what we did was just as important. I mean, I literally made Clarke's life happen.
"You are not wrong," I agreed, smiling.
"Oh, how rude of me, I just realised I gave no explanation of who I am. My name is Heath Gunn," he said proudly.
He had every reason to be proud too. I knew who Heath was, and I knew because I knew about the company he worked for, Gunn Industries. It was a direct competitor of Clarke's company, but a friendly one. The only reason for that was because they were on opposite sides of the coast and they didn't exactly interfere with each other, business wise, expect for events like this. Henry always had a good relationship with the CEO of Gunn Industries, I mean they both built companies from the ground up.
"Am I supposed to be impressed?" I teased. After Clarke, it didn't exactly phase me anymore.
"Well, no, I guess," Heath agreed. "Most people just know who I am, I never have to explain it."
"And you still don't, I'm just not super impressed," I shrugged. "You're the son of Wallace Gunn."
"Ah, okay, who do work for?" Heath said suspiciously.
I rolled my eyes and thought about not answering, but so far he had actually been quite genuine.
"Clarke Watson," I said finally.
"Oh," Heath said stringing it out. "Now I get it. Clarke and I are compared a lot in the news."
"Not lately," I pointed out. "Not that you were ever in there for being bad."
Heath laughed. "There are bad headlines, every now and again."
"They're mostly good, and you know it," I said. "Anyway, what are you doing here if your Dad is the one running the company?"
"Mostly shadowing my Dad, honestly," Heath explained. "One day I have to be him. So I need to see how things work. Like...right now, dammit."
I followed to where Heath's eyes were now looking to see a man standing, looking at us with his arms crossed over his chest. He looked like he wanted his son to stop talking to me, and right now.
"Sorry, my Dad does not appreciate me picking the prettiest girl in the room and talking her," Heath explained.
I straightened up, kind of flattered.
"I know, we've just met, but maybe I could see you again?" Heath suggested. "Maybe you could give me your number...and your name too, your name would be nice."
I stood there for a minute unsure what to do. It was really the first time I had a guy come onto me since Clarke and I started out deal, but it was just a deal, we weren't together. If I wanted to get to know someone else, I could. That was kind of part of the deal honestly, that we could do whatever else we wanted, and this boy was cute, and treating me like a human being, not an assistant, I like that.
"Okay, fine," I sighed slightly as he held out his hand out for me to type in my number and then I handed his phone back to me. "I'm only here for a couple more days though, then we're going back to New York."
"That's okay, I can make that work... Rory?" Heath said, looking up at from his phone.
"It's short for Aurora," I explained quickly, "but if you want to know more than you need to use that thing."
"Mysterious, I like it," Heath commented smiling. "You will hear from me, I promise."
As he spoke, he started walking backwards and I smiled slightly. "I'm looking forward to it."
Heath flashed me one last smile before walking up to his Dad, who still didn't seem impressed. He was quick to whisk him off into the crowd. I thought it was going to be standing there alone now, left with the slight lightness that I had just been hit on, it was kind of nice.
"Were you just talking to Heath Gunn?"
The voice came from just behind me and when I turned around I was slightly surprised to see Clarke standing there. It hadn't felt like he had been gone for long, but I suppose he had, but he had also seen me...talking to another guy.
"Yeah, is that a problem?" I asked him slowly.
"Yes, I mean...no...I mean, you can talk to whoever you like just be careful with him, because he's a good at being all nice and innocent but in reality, he's not," Clarke shrugged.
"And how would you know that?" I said, turning fully to face him.
"I've see him in some of the same places back in my...bad day. I've see him manipulate a girl or two with his money," Clarke explained. "He's good at doing it in such a way that the press don't pick up on anything though."
I had slightly gotten that impression from Heath, but at the same time I think he was interested by my reaction. I was cautious, but honestly that was justified.
"I can handle it," I told him calmly. "Why does it matter to you anyway? I can see other people if I want, that's the deal."
"I know," Clarke said quickly, straightening up. "I just wanted to let you know."
Clarke seemed bothered. Oh God, was he bothered? Did the idea of me with someone else bother him for once? It shouldn't though, it wasn't like I was his or anything. I could talk to anyone I wanted to.
"Anyway, how are things going, made any deals yet?" I said to break the weird silence.
Clarke rolled his eyes slightly. "Now I know you know it's not that easy. I will need you now though, to take some numbers down, I've got a few people interested at least."
"Hey, that's what I'm here for," I shrugged, kind of in a smart-ass way.
Clarke noticed and gave me a not impressed look before I rolled my eyes and followed him off into the crowd.
The rest of the night was pretty straight forward. I did as Clarke said, took down details, set a meeting for tomorrow even. It looked promising that he was going to get a deal out of this. We drank for the rest of the night, taking advantage of the free bar, and ate whatever the fancy food was. Once the party started to break up, the three of us left, not really having any need to hang around too late.
"Oh, please can we go to In-N-Out?" Alicia begged, as we sat in the car. She may have had a little too much to drink.
"I thought you couldn't have that type of food," Clarke said, eyebrow raised at her. I did notice he was sitting oddly close to me.
"Eh, I'll have to work it off, big deal," Alicia shrugged. "I'm hungry now and we're in LA, so please."
Clarke didn't argue again and before I knew we were getting greasy fast food, and honestly it was better than the stuff at the party, so much simpler and just good. We didn't hang around and got back to the LA house. Both Clarke and I made sure Alicia got into her room and into her bed before we left her alone. She was a tiny girl and alcohol got to her quickly.
"So," Clarke breathed as we entered the room.
"Yes?" I said, turning around to face him as I slowly stepped out of my shoes. Relief rushing over me from the pain of wearing those heels for hours.
"Last time we left an event like that I seem to recall something happening?" Clarke pretended to play dumb as he walked up to me.
"Did it? I can't seem to remember?" I shrugged, but held my arms out and dramatically shrugged. "Maybe you could tell me?"
"I mean, I could tell you," Clarke agreed. "Or...I could just show you."
Before I could get another word in Clarke was suddenly on my lips. He quickly moved his hands to my hips, wrapping them around me so his fingers brushed on the gap in the bottom of the dress. His lips were strong and powerful, like he had been waiting to do that all night. I moved my hands up to his chest, sliding them under his suit jacket, feeling his chest as I did.
I found his body more interesting each time, like I was learning about it, remembering it, remembering every part of it. He let me take the jacket off, throwing it to the ground, his lips literally hypnotising me. His lips seemed to be working hard too, slowly moving them to my neck but each kiss was strong. I rolled my neck around, moaning slightly with every moment. I grabbed onto each button of his shirt, undoing them to get his shirt off. He didn't seem concerned about taking my dress off though, I think he enjoyed it on right now. It was a very sexy dress after all.
I grabbed onto his belt once his shirt was off, to bring him over to the bed. I felt his hands tighten, pulling on the fabric of my dress. At the same moment I felt it tug at my butt tape.
"Oh, shit, no, don't do that," I pulled away from him, slightly laughing. "You're ripping the butt tape."
"Oh shit, really?" Clarke laugh slightly, leaning over to look at my butt. "This dress is far too sexy though."
"Is that why you were bothered when Heath was talking to me?" I asked Clarke.
He moved back to look at me. "I knew... no one could miss you in that dress. He's...a player, like me...or like I was, I guess."
I raised my eyebrows slightly. "Are you saying you're not a player anymore?"
Clarke shrugged. "I don't know. I know I'm not exactly in the most conventional relationship with Alicia, but I don't feel like...just finding some random girl anymore."
"You want something real?" I was kind of whispering, surprised at his sudden admission.
Clarke started to nod at me. "I'm done being alone."
It hadn't even occurred to me before that Clarke was possibly alone. I mean, I knew his family situation wasn't good right now. I had never heard him talk to his Mum once since I had known him, and he had only spoken of her once when I had asked. Yes, for the last couple of years Clarke had been separate from his father, but Henry always tried to reach out to him and let him know that he was there. He didn't have that now, and he obviously started to realise it. To hear him say he was alone though...I didn't like it. I didn't want him to feel alone.
I reached up and put my arms around his neck and kissed him. I felt him respond quickly and strongly. I didn't waste a second to get him onto the bed because honestly I was sick of standing at this point. He made sure not to squish me as we both feel down, still trying to kiss. We both slid up on the bed so we were more comfortable.
It was a whole moment, and I didn't realise it til later. I mean, the curtain was open over the pool so there was a light blue light glowing in the room, and there was a nice breeze coming through the open door. Every moment we had was slow, and delicate. We were both strong with our actions, but it was more passion than aggression. As I ran my hand down his body, I did it slowly and almost barely touching him, but making sure to memorise every part of his body. I felt him doing the same, especially once the dress finally came off. The whole night was just intense and on another level I hadn't experienced with him before...and what I realised more than anything was...I really liked it.