The topic of Joseph and his wild schemes came up eventually. He thought he was being secretive, but it seemed that his antics were very well known.
“I can’t figure out what Joseph’s doing. He keeps talking about school, and marriage and kids, then he looks from Bryson to me. We’re not a couple. We’re just…” she trailed off, not knowing how to define their relationship.
“Yeah, I was just…” Sierra got a big smile on her face. “…just nothing with Damien, too,” she finished with a giggle as she looked pointedly to the sleeping baby lying in her husband’s arms as he talked with Joseph and Bryson.
Damien was so natural with his daughter, cradling her protectively in one arm while he rubbed along her soft bald head or patted her back gently with his free hand. He would look at her every few moments just to assure himself she was comfortable. Awwwww, Misty thought.
“Don’t try to fight it, Misty. Just grab it while it’s hot and then hold on for the ride,” Sierra advised.
Though Misty blushed, she looked across the room at Bryson, and when their eyes met, a spark shot through her. Maybe her newly found sister-in-law was right — maybe she should just hold on and see where this all led.
She sent Bryson a wink. Would this work as a sexy gesture? Yesss! She felt immediate warmth when she saw him stiffen. Mmm, flirting was becoming a new favorite pastime of hers.
“You go, girl,” Sierra said with a chuckle.
“I just might do that,” Misty replied, leaning back and enjoying herself.
By the end of her second night at the Anderson mansion, she’d been talked into meeting the rest of the family. The Anderson Foundation was throwing a fundraising party and it sounded like too much fun to miss. Her last night there promised to be an adventure unlike anything she’d experienced before.
Bring it on, she thought with a new optimism.
Chapter Twenty
“You look stunning,” Sierra gasped after circling around Misty slowly so she could take in the entire effect of the gauze dress.
Misty clutched at the top of her gown and tugged, and Sierra jumped over and grabbed her hand. “Don’t do that. You’ll rip it and then be showing far more of your goodies than you are now,” she said with a laugh.
“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.