The dress was gorgeous. Liam went all the way out this time. Orla knew Liam was good, but he outstripped her expectations.
"This is beautiful," she remarked for the tenth time that evening.
She gushed at herself, her eyes unmoving from the V-neck, open-back red gown that enveloped her. Running her fingers through the silky material, she let out a satisfactory smile. She won’t look like a pauper in the midst of her family.
The front slits ran from both thighs down to her feet, hiding her toes and revealing more skin. She loved everything about the dress, it suited her perfectly, analyzing her slender frame in a glamorous way.
Sexy.
That was the best word to describe how she looked right now.
"He took his time to make this," the brunette applied the final touches of makeup to Orla's face when she sat back, stretching back to take a full glance at her handiwork.
It was perfection at its peak. The color combination blended with Orla's skin, leaving it smooth and glossy. She nodded her head in gratification.
"I have to take some pictures. The boss needs to see this." She squealed, bustling towards the vanity table to grab her camera.
Orla smiled. Liam had professionals all around him and she admired that.
"My name is Lola. You can always call on me to give you something like this." She said, gesturing to Orla's face. "My Boss taught us well."
"Thank you so much, Lola." Orla was satisfied with what she saw in the mirror.
She arranged the tendrils that were falling from her hair in place, looking into the full-length mirror again.
"If gorgeousness was a person, that would be you.” Lola smiled heartily, taking pictures of Orla. When she had captured her in different poses, she dropped the camera and smiled again. "You have to go meet your husband downstairs. We’ve taken enough time."
"Sure.” Orla bent a little to fit her feet into the nude ankle straps heels. "Thank you." She said again when she was done.
"Sure," Lola arranged her makeup equipment back into the makeup box and straightened up. "Come on, I'd like to present you to Mr Barlowe, he needs to see how lucky he is to have you as his wife." She reached for Orla's hands but she quickly pulled away.
Lola has no idea how Callan can be. Orla didn’t want him to embarrass her.
"That wouldn't be necessary, Lola." she said, hurrying out of the guest room before Lola pushed her further.
Orla clutched her long dress with her hands as she walked down the hallway, and she soon noticed Lola's footsteps behind her.
The stairs were closer and she decided to make use of them instead of the elevator. She gently descended the stairs, her heels clanging hard against the tiles. She got to the living room and Callan was on a call, his back turned to her.
A sigh left her mouth. She didn't have to give him a full look before commenting that he was hot. Even his back, his posture, was sexy as hell.
When he turned towards her, she took him in at a glance.
Tousled hair. Black slim fit suit. Black Tom Ford lace up shoes. His mint and woody scent assailed her nose.
He smelled like a billionaire, like Callan Barlowe. What a beautiful man.
"I will leave now, the driver is waiting outside." Lola's loud voice intruded her daze.
"I will see you some other time." She hugged Lola and waved her goodbye.
If Callan wasn't with her, she was certain she would have relinquished her interest to attend the party. Arnold had celebrated his birthday over the years, but she had never attended.
She was always locked up in her room and the one time she was allowed to attend, she was severely warned not to act like his daughter. She was just meant to stay in the crowd and watch from afar. Sophia had given her one of her old dresses to don.
Orla smiled. She never thought she would ever attend her father's birthday looking like a runway model. It was all thanks to Callan. But she knew she couldn't trespass, she had to stay within her lane and not make it known to the guests that she was Arnold's daughter.
She resumed feeding her eyes with Callan's features when he turned back to peek at her. Her face flushed as Callan's eyes swept all over her.
The look on his face was pleasant, his mouth was slightly raised in surprise like he wanted to compliment her but the words never left his lips.
His stern face soon took over the cool one.
"Are you ready?" He asked, now staring back at his phone.
"Yes," Orla was disappointed.
She had wanted Callan to look at her and say something about the way she looked. She wanted her husband's comment, but it was obvious it was never going to come.
"Good," he secretly checked her out when she wasn't staring at him.
She was extremely beautiful, more beautiful than he had ever seen her. He so badly wanted to run his fingers through her ginger hair, put his hand on the small of her back and walk her out of the living room. He wanted to do things with her and to her, but… she almost, almost caught him staring. He coughed out to hide his admiration for her.
“We shall leave now."
Callan led the way to the garage. David opened up for both of them, he stopped when he saw Orla and couldn't help but admire her.
"You look great, Ma'am." He said, bowing his head.
"Thank you so much, David." Orla smiled a small smile, wishing that it came from her husband and not the chauffeur.
"We are running out of time, David." Callan spat sternly, annoyance in his expression. How dare David compliment his wife when he didn't do that? He thought. "And you do know that I employed you to drive me not to flirt with women." He couldn't hold back the words when David sat in the car.
"I'm sorry, sir. I was only…"
"Start the car and get us out of here. You know I love to keep to time."
Orla snorted. If only Callan was a little kinder, he would have been her definition of Mr Perfect.
"Where is your cat?" Callan asked teasingly. "I thought you said she was your best friend. Why didn't you bring her along with you?'
She sighed.
Betty meant so much to her, but was that what Callan wanted to talk about now? The cat and not how pretty she looked? Weird.
She sighed and nodded her head. "I found a cage for her, she's in there and I didn't bring her along with me because I don't want her to be a menace out there. She jumps out of my grip sometimes and runs around." She simply explained.
"Just as nosy as the owner." He whispered, but Orla heard him audibly.
Callan looked at her again, this time it wasn't to check her out, but to read the mood on her face. She squeezed her hands together, a tiny bead of sweat trickling down her cheeks.
The nervousness was glaring in her eyes as she looked out the road from the mirror. He wanted to hold her hands and whisper to her that it would be alright, but he backed off. There were so many things he suddenly wanted to do for her.
"I got the birthday present for your Father. I hope he's happy to see us again." He smiled, recalling his last encounter with Arnold Sullivan.
Orla looked forward to arriving at her father's mansion. Minutes rolled into an hour, and finally, the car halted in front of the grand gate of Arnold's mansion.
Orla's heart skipped a beat when she sighted the gate. She had left the house in despair the last time she was there, now she was back again.
The gate automatically pulled open and David drove in, he found a perfect spot to park the car.
With shaky hands, Orla opened the door and got out of the car while Callan stayed a little longer to give David some instructions.
When they were both ready, she looked at him, but he didn't acknowledge her gaze. He took a step forward, leaving her to struggle with her overly long-dress.
She had loved the dress before, but now she hated it so much she wanted to rip it off her body. Her stomach churned and she tasted bile as she walked behind Callan. He didn't care, other couples who were present linked arms with their partners, but she was left alone to walk in.