Celeste smoothened the dress as it clung to her body like a second skin. She did a small twirl, trying to capture what it looked like from all angles.
She hastily ran her fingers through her hair to make sure it went well with the dress.
'I wonder if Mr Martino would like it? Thank goodness my butt looks nice in it' She sighed.
As soon as she felt confident enough to step out, Celeste drew back the curtains and walked out. However, she walked smack dab into a solid frame and it caused her to stumble a bit before righting herself.
"Heyyy..." She started to complain, but she shut up when she realized who she had run into. Marcello righted her immediately then slowly released her in order to get a good look at her.
The dress accentuated her curves, the emerald green making her skin, hair and eyes pop in a way that had him feeling a slight irritation and possessiveness he didn't understand.
Marcello silently cursed his wandering thoughts and handed her the shoes he picked out, "put them on let's get going" he said, letting his eyes stray a little bit before looking away.
After she put on the shoes, she joined him as the manager Bethany Alfonso handed him a gift from the boutique, a custom teardrop diamond earrings. The earrings were so delicate it looked like they would shatter into a million pieces if they fell.
Celeste wondered what it felt like to touch or wear such beautiful earrings. She smiled brightly at the staff and manager then thanked them for their services before following Marcello to the car.
As soon as they sat inside and she buckled her seatbelt, Marcello spoke.
"There is no need to grovel at their feet for services you're paying them for, è senza gustu ( it is tasteless) Celeste" He scolded, narrowing his eyes, disappointment etched on his face and she quickly apologized.
The silence stretched long and painful throughout the drive till the car pulled into the Senator's home. Marcello glanced at Celeste who hadn't said a word since his outburst and groaned.
He only wanted to correct her mistakes not scare her into deathly silence.
"What are you thinking about Celeste?" He asked quietly, watching her closely to see if her tense muscles would ease a bit because the last thing he needed was for her to embarrass herself there or appear incompetent.
"I am fine Mr Martino, shall we?" She asked with a tight smile indicating the house where the wife of the senator waited to receive him. Marcello stared at her for a fraction, then gave up and opened the door.
As soon as he left the car, Celeste's stomach lurched and she quickly covered her mouth before taking deep breaths in to calm herself down.
Marcello greeted the Senator's wife Merida Ferdinand who was a beautiful redhead but a spirited woman who was the opposite of her husband and daughter that's why he got along with her more than her husband.
As he turned to introduce her to Celeste, he realized that she wasn't standing with him. 'Where the hell is that woman' he thought irritably,
"Just a moment Merida", he said and quickly rushed to the car, wondering if she had somehow chickened out and locked herself in.
When he got to her side of the car, he saw her bent to the ground heaving her guts out. She looked so pale and on the verge of passing out. Marcello was shocked, he bent lower and quickly pulled her hair out of her face then held it up, before gently rubbing her back.
'Is she sick?' He wondered,
"Stai bonu (are you alright) Celeste?" He asked after she had stopped heaving, which was after a full minute. She said nothing and remained in that position but he could feel the silent tremors raking through her body. He carefully turned her to him, even though she kept trying to resist.
When he eventually turned her to face him, he was shocked to see tears running down her cheeks and she looked so broken it squeezed his heart tightly.
"Why are you crying, Celeste?" He asked urgently,
"I am so sorry Mr Martino please don't fire me, I was going to come out but somehow ended up on the ground" She wailed, and Marcello was speechless.
Did she get so nervous that she emptied her guts just before meeting the senator? And when did he say he was going to fire her? Well now wasn't the time to dwell on such, the most important thing was to get her calm before worse happened.
Carefully placing an arm around her waist, he scooped her up like she was a sack of feathers and carried her toward Merida.
"Mrs Ferdinand could we use the restroom, my secretary appears to be sick," he said, Merida's eyes widened slightly at how intimately he held 'Said' Secretary before she composed herself and smiled.
"Yes please follow me, My apologies for my husband's absence in welcoming you," she said, leading him through a shortcut towards the guest rooms.
"It's fine, sorry for the inconvenience must have been something she ate at work," he said before going into the door she escorted them to.
"I understand, please feel free to freshen up here I'll send Jeffrey here to escort you up after you're done" she offered and Marcello smiled his thanks before carrying Celeste through the door.
As soon as they were behind closed doors, Celeste tried to scramble out of his arms and race for the bathroom and lock herself in, but Marcello was having none of that. He held her still and carried her into the bathroom, where he dropped her carefully till she stood on her own.
"Do you need help or should I leave?" He asked watching her downcast head.
"Give me a few minutes" was all she said and he nodded before leaving the bathroom.
"Call me if you need help", he said from behind the door,
Celeste walked to the mirror and gasped when she saw her face. Mascara mixed with tears had ruined her face, only her cherry red lips remained perfect.
She wanted the ground to open and swallow her knowing Marcello had seen her like this. Knowing how much Marcello had endured of her inexperience, she quickly set to work.
With a resolved and steely will to redeem herself, Five minutes later she walked out of the bathroom looking very formal and elegant.
"You do know how to make a dramatic entrance..." Marcello started to say as soon as the door opened but stopped when he saw her standing, looking like the past 10 minutes had been hallucinations.
"You do clean up nicely Celeste," he said impressed, and she smiled her thanks.
"I'm so sorry about what happened, my nervous breakdown is something I can't control" she apologized, unconsciously picking at her sleeves.
"No it's my mistake dragging you into this without proper guidance, I got so used to Natasha that I made assumptions without checking facts," he said, opening the door so they could leave.
Jeffrey was already waiting, and he quickly escorted them to the dining room. Claudia was nervous and still stewing over the fact that Madam Alfonso had sold her dress to someone else just because the person paid triple the price, not like she could not afford $210,000 for the dress.
She had loved that dress and wanted to show it off to Marcello. As she sat at the edge of her seat, eyes glued to the door, she almost sat up from her seat when she heard footsteps.
Marcello stepped forward, and Celeste followed closely, both looking so good together. Claudia's jaw dropped as she stared at Celeste.
'My dress! That bitch stole my dress and what is she doing with my fiance!' She thought wildly, glaring at Celeste whose eyes were on her now, cooly assessing her as she and Marcello greeted her father.
Celeste sat ramrod straight on her chair, as she exchanged small talks with Mrs Ferdinand, feeling Claudia's gaze on her. She had no clue why the senator's daughter had been shooting daggers at her since she walked in.
She had tried being polite earlier but had been snubbed entirely, Marcello noticed how the Senator mentioned nothing about the spurious engagement, Lorenzo must have worked his magic as usual.
After dinner, the men began discussing in the living room and Mrs Ferdinand excused herself leaving Celeste and Claudia alone.
"Could I have a word with you, Miss?" Claudia said, moving out the doors to the patio. Celeste followed closely, wondering what the senator's daughter wanted from her.
The patio was beautiful, adorned with hyacinths, lavenders, marigolds, gardenias and roses. The scent was intoxicating and Celeste wished she could bottle it up and keep it to herself.
It was late, and the September evening breeze was already chilly, her silk dress couldn't do much to protect her against the cold and she shivered slightly as the breeze caressed her skin causing goosebumps to scatter all over her skin.
"How long have you been sleeping with him?" Claudia asked coldly, as they stopped in front of the pool which shimmered under the moonlight since the underwater lights had been turned off.
"I beg your pardon?" Celeste gasped.