“I can’t wear this, Sierra. It’s beautiful — the most beautiful gown I’ve ever even seen, because I certainly haven’t ever worn one this stunning. But I can’t wear this. Not in front of strangers.” Misty turned back to the mirror in dismay.
Gazing back at her was a woman who certainly looked as if she belonged in this magical fantasy the Andersons had created, but it wasn’t Misty. Her dark hair shone as it tumbled down her back, the bright sparkle of her green eyes was accented by expertly applied makeup, and her body…well, her body looked curvy and sensual, and…
“Nope. Can’t do it,” Misty sighed. “You have to have something more...more…I don’t know, something that shows less?”
“It’s a Cirque du Soleil theme,” Sierra told her. “Just wait until you see what Joseph has planned!” She was practically bouncing on her feet as she held out a beautiful necklace and placed it around Misty’s neck.
“Please tell me this isn’t real.” Misty brought her finger up and ran it over the large blue stone in the middle of a cluster of other brightly colored gems.
“Okay, it’s not real.” Sierra turned away to fasten her own jewelry around her neck and her wrists.
“What if I lose it?” Misty asked. This was getting to be too big of a deal. Maybe she shouldn’t have agreed to go to the fundraiser.
“Don’t worry; it’s insured. Besides, if you lost it, someone would find it and take it to Joseph or Katherine,” Sierra replied.
“Not everyone is that honest,” Misty told her sadly.
“Anyone who comes here is. Now, come on, sweetheart. It’s time to go.” Sierra was not about to give Misty any chance to back out or change clothes, and she tugged the reluctant beauty from the room.
Then, Misty was slowly descending the tall, wide, polished staircase, and she could do little more than concentrate on not tripping in her silver heels. What sort of sickos were behind fashionable women’s shoes? Seriously!
Stepping down the hallway — not quite gliding, but she was getting her stride on the mini-stilts — she heard music, and she couldn’t help the pounding of her heart. This was like all the middle and high school dances rolled into one night. Except that she’d missed out on them all. No clothes, no dates. And she suspected that all the dances at the many schools she’d attended, even if you added them up and multiplied them by ten thousand, wouldn’t have reached this level.
Got it in one!
When they entered through the silk-draped doorway into the massive ballroom, she stopped in her tracks.
It had been transformed into what looked like the sets of various Vegas shows. The ceiling had to be at least three stories high, it reached so far, and so many people were walking around, it seemed more like a real theater than a room in a home. Of course, Joseph and Katherine’s home wasn’t just a home. It was a castle that seemed to go on for miles in all directions.
Two performers were shooting fire from their mouths on one corner stage, while in another corner two women were performing an aerial “ballet” in silk that was draped from on high. Others were performing Cadre — acrobatics between two bars — leaping from one bar to the other, using only their legs in an amazing feat of strength. And one more stage featured several dancers moving in perfect synchronization, in what looked like a blend of a belly dance and hip-hop moves.
Misty was transfixed by the spectacles before her.
“Champagne?”
“Yes, please,” said Sierra. She took two glasses and handed one over to Misty, who accepted it without looking. Her eyes were too busy. The ceiling was lined with glittering balls, light shooting from the crystals circling them, and the waitstaff were wearing brightly colored tuxes. The women wore the same jacket and top as the men, but sported skirts instead of trousers, and they all wore glittering half masks in different colors.
There was already a crowd, all dressed to the nines and exuberant.
I can do this, Misty told herself. Yes, her teal dress was strapless, and it dipped dangerously, its front held on only by ingeniously placed tape and who knew what else, and it had a slit clear up to the top of her thigh. Still, what she wore was almost modest compared with some of the other gowns in the room.
Since the costumes of the female acrobats were diminutive in the extreme, the men’s eyes would surely be glued to them. She had nothing to worry about, she told herself.
After her second glass of champagne, Misty’s worries diminished further.
“Ooh, I finally spotted Damien and Bryson,” Sierra bubbled, and she took hold of Misty’s arm and led her across the room.
“Sorry we’re late, darling. We were talking with Lucas and couldn’t slip away,” Damien said as he leaned down and kissed his wife’s lips. “You look good enough to ravish.”
Though he whispered it, Misty heard, and her cheeks instantly flamed.
“Let’s dance,” said Bryson, gazing at Misty with pure heat.
She accepted his hand and followed him to the dance floor, where he pulled her against him.
“You are always beautiful, but right now…” he began and then cleared his throat. “Right now, it’s taking all my restraint not to haul you upstairs and peel that dress away to see what it’s barely hiding.”
“We might get in trouble, Bryson, but I’m willing to risk it.” She’d seen as much as she needed to of the circus acts. And there were so many people in the room, no one would miss them if they snuck away.
Bryson tensed as if thinking of an escape route. His eyes fixed on the door and he stopped dancing.
“I wouldn’t try it. My dad will come looking for you,” Lucas said as he stopped dancing next to them. “Hi, Magnolia. I’m glad to finally meet you. I’m Lucas, and this is my beautiful wife, Amy. I won’t stand here and bother you all night, but we’ve tried to sneak out early during a number of dad’s events, and he has a radar for potential escapees.” He accompanied his warning with a laugh before he swirled his wife away, leaving Misty speechless.
“I think Damien told them not to hold you captive with conversation,” Bryson said in explanation of Lucas and Amy’s hasty retreat. “Your brother is worried you’ll get overwhelmed by the throng of family members and you’ll run off.”
“I have to admit that that’s how I’ve been feeling. There are just so many of them, and I don’t know what to say, and I hate saying the same thing over and over again. It might be easier to just stand in a room with all of them and answer questions from a podium like the president does,” she said with a champagne giggle.
“I could arrange that,” he joked as they began dancing again.
“I’d kill you if you dared.”
“You’ve already tried with your stun gun, and that ended up with you lying beneath me, so go ahead and try. I like the outcomes of our matches.”
“I will best you, Bryson Winchester. Just you wait.” She laughed as he spun her in a circle.
“I could dance with you all night, beautiful, but I’m parched. Let’s get a drink, then come back for more.”
After a couple of glasses of something blue — she had no clue what it was, but she loved the decorations on the large stick — boy, was she ready for the dance floor.
The hours whooshed by with dancing, meeting new people, and laughter. So much laughter. Who said clouds wandered lonely? As the Cirque acts continued, she was walking on them. Each member of the Anderson family she met was as kind as the last, all of them were easy-going and humorous, and they all seemed to be glad she was there.
She’d never be able to remember all the names. What she would remember was this fantasy world she’d been invited into. Joseph played a wonderful ringmaster, commanding his audience, and raising millions for his foundation.
The guests left with much lighter pockets, and they told Joseph it was by far the best such event they’d ever attended. At the end of the evening, hand in hand with Bryson, Misty found herself in front of Joseph and Katherine. Joseph’s wife looked radiant in her golden gown.
“Thank you for inviting me to join you this weekend,” Bryson said as he took Katherine’s hand and kissed it, making her cheeks glow.
“It was a pleasure to have you, Bryson, and of course, to spend time with you,” she said as she kissed Misty’s cheek.
“I hope to have you back real soon,” Joseph said with a wink and a lift of his eyebrows as he looked to Misty.
“You are quite subtle, aren’t you, Joseph?” Bryson said with a laugh.
“I’m too old for subtlety.” He slapped Bryson on the back hard enough to jolt him a step forward.
Joseph kissed Misty’s cheek, and she practically floated away to the sleeping quarters of the mansion, Bryson’s hand clutched in hers.
“This night has been magical, Bryson. I don’t want it to end. You have been the perfect companion,” she said, leaning heavily on him as they neared the stairs.
“We all need magic in our lives. It keeps us young,” he replied.