Chapter Eight
Selena
My eyes went wide the minute the limo pulled up to the famous building on Fifth Avenue. My jaw had probably dropped down to my chest too; I wasn’t sure. All I knew was that the store before us had been burned into my brain. My mom had always been an Audrey Hepburn fan, so I’d grown up on My Fair Lady and Breakfast at Tiffany’s. I blinked and tried to remind myself that I was still awake; that I hadn’t slipped into some dream. Since he wasn’t in shock, Brandon slid out of the limo first and, like the gentleman he was, yanked open the door on my side for me. He stood there with his elbow crooked and a broad smile on his face.
“Don’t be so shocked. It’s just a present, I swear, nothing like rushing the gun to an altar. I like you a lot, but I’m not expecting… Whatever we are, we’re having a good time, and we respect each other. I just wanted to show you that I don’t think of you like I do the other women I’ve been with.”
I nodded and tried to keep myself from feeling upset. What he could have added about the other women was that they’d been disposable, the women who hadn’t lasted at all.
Of course, they’d never been led to Tiffany’s for a shopping spree, so this had to mean something; a show of good faith.
Gathering my wits, I took his arm and let him lead me to the shop. It had been closed down by now to others, but the guard opened the door and followed us in. There was one man, an older gentleman with steel gray hair, standing behind the counter. He grinned at Brandon as we entered.
“Mr. Duncan, can I just say again how thrilled we are that we could serve your needs today.”
I had to stifle a giggle at that. It was another thing I was learning to get used to; the way people revered him. I understood that everyone wanted one of New York’s favored sons and scions to be a repeat customer, but it was still such a contrast for me. I was an often broke Bohemian student who was sometimes glared at as I made my way through stores. Now, I felt like Julia Roberts on the arm of Richard Gere, like I was a princess.
How could I even argue with that feeling when he’d brought me to such a beautiful place to be showered with a gift. Maybe I should have said no, to let the relationship take a slower course, but I also didn’t want to insult him. Brandon was trying to show me he really, truly cared, and I craved that. After Kevin, after so much rejection in my life, I wanted to believe that everything was going to be alright.
Corinthian columns, engraved into the tan marble, rose above my head. The whole store was a Neo-Gothic dream, like something out of a movie of the 1940s. The glass containers were stacked on each other at least seven feet high and rimmed the edges of the main counter. Diamonds glimmered before us, of course, but so did gold, silver, and the occasional sapphire or emerald. It was everything any girl could have wished for, and a place I hadn’t even known I wanted to visit.
Brandon led me to the counter and nodded toward the efficient little man behind it. “Is it ready?”
“It was a quick bit of engraving, but of course we could do it.”
“Good,” Brandon said, nodding toward the attendant. “Could you please hand it to me?”
The little man nodded and presented Brandon with a large, flat box in the traditional Tiffany’s turquoise. I frowned, still not sure exactly what type of jewelry he was presenting me with. There was no way it was a ring—and no way I wanted it to be, not right now—but it was a huge box, and I was betting that meant it was bigger than a bracelet too. Brandon turned and opened the top of the box, and I gasped at the beautiful gift inside.
It was a gold necklace with a charm fashioned into the shape of an antique, Victorian-era key. In the center of the flat “head” of the key sat a bright star composed of real, glittering diamonds. I traced my fingers over the diamonds and could scarcely believe it was mine.
“I can’t even… I don’t think I deserve this.”
“Tiger, it’s not about ‘deserving.’ It’s about how much I think you need to have this. I know you can’t wear it often, but you can around me. It helps let you know that I consider you mine, that I value you. In fact,” he said, slipping the chain out of the box and unfastening the clasp. “I’m going to die if I don’t see you wearing it.”
I grinned and pulled up my hair, giving him access to the arc of my neck. He set the thin, filigree chain around my neck and then clasped the necklace behind my neck. My hands seemed to have a mind of their own as they reached up and strayed over the gold and diamonds.
“It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
He flipped the key over, and I squinted down at the words engraved there:
Tiger, you have the key to my heart. Don’t forget it.
My throat grew dry as if it had been stuffed with cotton. I didn’t know how to react to that; how to process it. What we had was the ultimate doomed relationship. There was no way we could ever be public, even after the merger finished. It would gut Tammy. Fuck, I was a terrible friend just for getting this far, for not saying no to the job offer.
For dreaming of him, craving him.
I wiped at my eyes, hoping he didn’t notice that I’d been close to crying. I had everything I wanted right here at this moment, but I couldn’t keep it. It would die out eventually, and that was the last thing I wanted. To lose him… To lose us.
“It’s amazing,” I echoed.
He stepped around me and planted his lips on mine. We stayed like that for what felt like hours, exploring each other, feeling every inch of each other’s mouths. Finally, he pulled back so he could speak.
“You’re incredible, and you know it, Tiger. Anything that makes you happy, makes you look this gorgeous, is totally fucking worth it.”
“I…”
He grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the door. “Don’t worry, there will be time to talk later.”