Perfect Gown

"You look pretty, Mrs. Behrakis," Darius smirked at me, rubbing his chin as his eyes stared deep into my soul, which made me feel nauseous.

Tongue-tied, I broke eye contact with him, blushing awkwardly.

The bastard wore a dark blue tuxedo, and I assumed it had a satiny texture due to the light hitting the fabric as it shined like the sun on certain angles.

Darius wore dark trousers with silk stripes down the sides, a red bow tie, and a jacket.

He also wore a fancy royal cape over the jacket, and I noted the imperial crown he wore over his head with suspicion.

Is this an engagement party, or was this another Christmas party event I had joined with the 'Masquerade Ball' as a theme?

Frowning, I suddenly realized that this engagement party was a surprise.

I felt like a fucking fraud.

I didn't know what was going to happen, and Darius didn't tell me anything I needed to know.

I was starting to dread the moment the host would call me as Darius' fiancé on stage in front of the crowd, not knowing how to react.

I haven't been engaged before.

I can do it with confidence if this was a set, acting as if I was in a movie while the production crew instructed me, and the director telling me what to expect.

This?

This was equivalent to acting in real life.

Could I handle it, though?

Yes, because I had no other choice when I was already in deep shit.

I couldn't fail anyone who prepared this event, especially Darius.

I couldn't humiliate him in front of his family and business partners.

There was no turning back.

The man was as powerful and bright as the sun itself, and I fought the urge to cover my eyes because of his intimidating presence.

I admit the man was as handsome as the first time I had seen him, and I figured out quickly that my feelings for him didn't actually change—nor did it fade—which was annoying.

Scratching my neck awkwardly, I cleared my throat and grimaced, "You look handsome, Darius."

He slowly bit his lip and gave me a slow grin.

My future husband knew how he looked like, wielding it like a weapon.

He knew that his beauty had an everlasting effect on me and on every woman in his vicinity.

Grimacing, I wanted to slap this bouquet into his smug face.

I didn't have to tell him that he was my weakness.

I felt hot and bothered all of a sudden, feeling the intensity of his eyes crawling all over my skin, sending delicious shivers down my spine.

The sexual tension and the silence between us made me want to scream so that I could break the magic spell he had placed on me, hypnotizing me, tempting me with his animal magnetism.

I wonder if his pretty ex-girlfriends were used to this kind of sexual aura because I sure couldn't withstand this for too long, being exposed to his undivided attention,

Well, perhaps, they were used to him already even after breaking up.

Those actresses and models didn't just date losers.

They dated high-quality men with the same level and as their power, beauty, and influence.

Frowning, I stood on this platform for Darius's satisfaction as he ogled me without saying anything more.

Darius Behrakis, my future husband, remained seated on the couch, and by the looks of it, he had no intention to move soon.

Clutching the bouquet of lilies the assistant had asked me to hold, I watched the man scrutinize me like I was a bug under his microscope.

When I couldn't stand his intense gaze anymore, I regarded the floor as if it was the first time I had seen them, peering at him behind lashes every few seconds, wondering if he had stood up to approach me on the platform and help me out...or something.

The bastard didn't.

His smoldering gaze continued to burn into my eyes even behind the mask, settling on my lips, my breasts, then to the curve of my hips.

Despite my being clothed from neck down to the toes since the virginal gown itself had completely covered my body as if I belonged to the monastery, I felt naked under my future husband's intense perusal.

He regarded me as he had already seen how I looked like if I was naked, imagining the quickest way to undress me in his mind.

I couldn't really blame him if his fantasies had entered that zone.

It wasn't my fault that the gown was the color of my skin.

It wouldn't be a surprise for people to see me and visualize me in my birthday suit.

Wait, a minute.

Of course, it wasn't my fault.

"I wonder who chose this gown…" I said out loud to no one in particular, trailing off.

I hoped that Darius had heard that statement from where he sat because I was sure that he was the one who chose this flesh gown.

Perhaps, he did this on purpose, humiliating me in front of the guests wearing a fitting gown that clung to me like a second skin, literally.

Everyone would do a double-take the first time they laid eyes on me because they thought I was stark naked.

Shaking my head, I clenched the bouquet handle just in case Darius said something that would annoy me, and I had no choice but to throw it into his face.

Exhaling, I willed myself to relax because it was too early to create drama when the engagement party hadn't started yet.

I swallowed and it took me a minute to speak as I regained my composure.

That made him arch an eyebrow, tapping his shoe on the wooden boards, leaning farther into the cushions.

"Did you choose this gown?" I asked finally.

Darius acted like the sofa was his throne, and he was the Emperor while I was the captured slave who had requested an audience to meet him in person.

"I didn't choose the gown, actually."

Darius heard my question, alright, but I wasn't sure his answer satisfied my curiosity.

Narrowing my eyes at him, he met my gaze as he curled his lips in amusement.

"It was my younger brother, Elliot, who chose it randomly when I told him I was marrying someone. This is the first time I have seen it, though. It suits you."

"Nice." Blooming at his compliments, I fixed my hair hurriedly and blurted out before I could change my mind, "Do you want to see the back?"