The Saturday of the gala came around before Kit knew it. It felt strange to her to be dressing for an evening out with Noah when she was now officially seeing another man, but Terrence remained fine with her attending the event. Partly because, as a result of work pressures, they’d only just gone on their third official date, so things were still new, and partly because Terrence knew Noah’s reputation.
“He’s taking you so his parents won’t hassle him about bringing his latest flavor of the night, right?” Terrence had said to her on the phone yesterday, not long after she’d finished a workout with Steve.
Lying flat on her back on the exercise mat, Kit had agreed—Noah’s strained relationship with his parents wasn’t her story to share.
Now she finished up the old-Hollywood glamour look she’d chosen for the night, her eyes deceptively simple but her lips coated in glossy scarlet. She’d parted her hair in the center and pulled it gently back into a deliberately soft knot, allowing a few tendrils to escape.
Normally she’d have asked Becca to do her makeup and hair, but given her friend’s loyal dislike of Noah, she’d decided on discretion and fallen back on Adreina’s teachings. At least with a look this classic, there wasn’t much she could mess up.
As for the dress—she rarely wore black, but Noah’s family was old-school, and this dress would fit right in while standing out, exactly what an A-list actress was supposed to do.
The latter words were Thea’s. “You’re hot right now, sweetie,” the other woman had said. “But you aren’t yet molten, and your place on the A-list isn’t set in stone.”
Blunt as always when it came to the industry, Thea had gone on to add, “The movies you’ve got on your slate will get you some traction, but we also need to capitalize on the current level of interest—part of that is continuing to build your image as elegant, stylish, and intelligent.”
“Thea, this is Noah’s deal.”
“It might be his deal, but as a woman you’ll be photographed as often, if not more,” Thea had reminded her. “The intelligent part is a given since this is a private gala hosted in the home of a renowned art collector. For elegant and stylish, the gown is going to be key, makeup to be decided once we find that gown.”
In the end, the two of them had settled on this sleeveless but not strapless floor-length gown that skimmed her body to the hips before opening out into a gorgeous skirt created of multiple layers of material. It draped in a way that meant it had a lovely flow in motion and a stunning line when she was still. The back was a deep vee, but not so deep that she was in danger of looking trashy, while the front neckline was cut straight across at an angle that gave the dress a point of interest suited to the high-class charity/arts event.
Jewels glinted in the light, the only hint of color in the entire outfit coming from her polished green nails and the long emerald-and-diamond earrings borrowed from a jeweler. She acted as his walking billboard; he gave her gemstones she couldn’t otherwise afford—courtesy of Thea’s contacts.
Thea had laughed when Kit sent her a photo from the nail salon earlier today. “I love it. Kathleen Devigny is still Kathleen Devigny, even when she’s going to a stuffy gala. No blending in for you.”
Slipping her feet into ankle-breaker Jimmy Choos that exposed her painted toenails when the dress moved, she picked up her simple black clutch and took a deep breath, released it as slowly. “I’m his friend, and he needs a friend tonight.”
The intercom buzzed, Butch letting her know they’d cleared Noah through.