She arrived home just in time to do something with her hair. She was just about to pull her long, dark tresses into her normal chignon but decided against it. Instead, she curled the ends and pinned up the sides with sparkling clips, allowing the rest to flow down over her shoulders to the small of her back. It felt good to have her hair down for once. She knew it would feel good against her skin as well once she put her dress on. The back to her dress revealed a great deal of her back, flowing down to a smooth line once it passed her hips.
With her sexy new dress on and her hair falling down her back, she felt pretty and sexy. The thought came through her mind that she wished Max could see her like this. But then she pushed it aside. They were a great working team and she didn’t want to ruin that by this silly fantasy of hers that would never be a reality. Max needed someone who could handle the pressures of being queen someday. Not Tara.
Sighing, she heard the cab honk his horn and she touched up her lipstick one more time and grabbed a black, silk shawl to throw over her shoulders before leaving her house. She gave the cab driver directions to Greg’s office. It was very close to the palace but she didn’t worry about that. She knew that Max had some huge gala he was attending tonight for one of his sister’s causes so he wouldn’t be venturing outside the palace tonight.
Greg met her in the lobby to his office and whistled when he stepped out of the elevator and caught sight of her. “Wow! You look fabulous,” he said, taking her hand and twirling her around so he could get the full effect of her dress. “I’ll be the most admired man tonight,” he chuckled.
Tara was now glad that she’d gone out and gotten the dress. The look in his eyes was flattering not to mention his words. “Thank you. I was hoping you’d approve,” she said and smiled gratefully.
“Let’s go. I can’t wait to show you off,” he said and took her hand to lead her out of the building. His car was on the street and he helped her into the passenger seat, then rushed around to the driver’s side. “It isn’t far away, but it’s more convenient to drive than take a cab.”
“I don’t mind. I’m hoping to save my feet for dancing rather than walking,” she joked.
“Me too,” he said with a grin.
They talked casually about where he’d been traveling to and Tara forced herself to concentrate on the conversation instead of letting her mind slip to a comparison of what Max looked like in a tuxedo versus Greg. There really was no comparison anyway. Greg looked nice and handsome but Max was about four inches taller in height and about five inches broader in the shoulders. When Max put on a tuxedo, he was absolutely breathtaking. Add his charming smile to that and she’d seen women literally melt in his arms.
Who was she kidding, she thought as Greg talked about the horrors of his flight. Tara was one of those women. She remembered the first time she’d seen him in a tuxedo. She’d been working late one evening and he’d stopped by to pick up some information. He’d smiled casually at her and her mouth had literally dropped open in astonishment. Thankfully, he’d just grabbed his material and left the office again, off to wherever he’d been destined for that night. And she’d continued working for several more hours, suffering through the work she’d been doing in an effort to impress him with her dedication.
There was silence in the car and Tara looked over at Greg who was obviously waiting for a reply.
”I’m sorry, I was distracted with a memory for a moment. What was that?” she asked.
“No problem. I’m excited about tonight as well,” he laughed. “It isn’t every day we get to visit the palace, is it?”
That caught Tara’s attention. “Excuse me? Where are we going?” she asked, sure she had misunderstood him.
Greg smiled proudly. “The palace. My boss wasn’t able to make it tonight so he gave me the tickets. He donated money to some charity function and tonight is the big event to thank all the contributors. Aren’t you excited? I wanted to surprise you.”
Tara could barely catch her breath. “The palace?” she asked blankly and looked out the windshield. Sure enough, they were already in the security line, only one car away. She looked over at Greg and thought quickly.
“Greg, I can’t go in there, not dressed like this,” she said quickly, deciding to be honest about her reasons.
He glanced distractedly toward her but then quickly back to the car in front of him, obviously nervous about getting through security. “Are you kidding? You look fabulous,” he said and moved forward, already rolling down his window to hand the security guard his invitation.
Tara smiled weakly at the security guard who looked over at her, the surprise obvious on his face. “Good evening, Ms. Tara,” the guard replied.
Greg was confused and looked between the guard and Tara, trying to figure out how the two knew each other. “You know him?”
“Yes,” Tara smiled, but didn’t offer any explanation.
The guard, named Phil, looked over Greg’s invitation and identification, then nodded him through the gates. “Pull on through. There will be additional security at the entrance,” he warned. “Have a great night, Ms. Tara. Behave!” he said and laughed softly at her stricken expression.
Greg laughed along with him but he obviously didn’t get the joke. “How do you know that guard? Does he live near you?”
“Oh, we talk a lot,” was all she would say.
They pulled up to the doors of the palace and a valet rushed over to their car. “Good evening,” the young man said, opening the door for Tara. Greg handed him the keys and then came around to the entrance, putting a hand to the small of her back to escort her through the second security checkpoint.
Tara could feel the dread moving through her body as they slowly worked their way through the metal detectors and another guard searched her small purse. Thankfully, it only held her driver’s license, a credit card and lipstick. There had to be some way to get out of this night, she thought to herself. She glanced quickly up at Greg but knew it would be a futile effort. He was so excited he was almost sweating. His hands were clammy too, she noticed.
They were finally through and Tara walked into the ball that was thankfully crowded with so many people, she could barely walk into the room. It was an odd feeling to be on the other side of one of these events. She could feel the excitement from the other guests and, because there were so many people, she considered that perhaps she could avoid running into anyone she knew. Having been on the working side of these, she knew the way they would flow and perhaps she could stay away from the royal family, all of whom knew her.