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how
much everything cost, but I didn’t dare ask for fear of feeling guilty over
wearing such a lavish garment.
     
    Just like the other clothes Victor had given
me, the dress fit like a dream. As I looked in the mirror, I noticed the fabric
hugged in all the right places and showed my figure off perfectly. The white
pearls hung right above my neckline, which showed just a hint of my cleavage
underneath. The dark blue heels fit comfortably. I walked around my room in
them as though I were walking around barefoot.
     
    The fact that I used to stumble around in
such shoes seemed like a distant memory.
     
    ***
     
    Thirty minutes later we were driving over the
long bridge that led us into San Francisco. I hadn’t stepped foot in the city
since the night I arrived at Victor’s mansion. The city’s beauty and charm
shone through in a different way than I ever remembered. It had been an amazing
few months; I had changed so much. The hills and old Spanish buildings that had
previously been so oppressive now seemed beautiful. By the time Oscar parked in
front of a hotel illuminated in the night by bright, yellow lights, the nerves
I had been harboring regarding the evening had mostly disappeared.
     
    I stepped out of the car and smiled to
myself.The party was held towards the back of the building in a fancy banquet
room that extended with wide open French doors to the courtyard gardens. There
were already crowds of people socializing in small groups. The room hushed for
a moment as Victor made his appearance. Although I wasn’t looking at anyone
directly, I could tell that their eyes were on me, wondering who the new girl
was. I felt my upper back and neck begin to tense as they always did when I
started to feel nervous, and Victor gave my arm a reassuring squeeze. As people
began greeting Victor, the room turned back to the buzzing chatter of before. I
relaxed and took a deep breath; all I had to do was look pretty, smile, and
give short answers to questions when people decided to give me a moment of
attention.
     
    As soon as I saw a server, I grabbed a glass
of white wine just so I could have something to do with my hands while Victor
talked to an endless stream of people about topics that went way over my head.
As the wine hit my system, I felt myself relax a bit more, and I was actually
starting to enjoy my time mingling with these rich, successful people, even if
my job was to just smile and laugh with them every now and then. I lost count
of how many women stared longingly at Victor, even those who were obviously
with their husbands or boyfriends. They annoyed me, but I would still smile at
them pleasantly when they looked my way, which in turn would cause them to
blush or look away. I think I had too much fun with that.
     
    One couple came up to Victor with a more
familiar posture than the rest. The woman was older than Victor by at least ten
years, but she still held herself gracefully, her brown hair done up in a
tasteful chignon hanging over an expensive midnight blue dress and framing her
bright green eyes. She seemed to be the one who knew Victor. On her arm was a
boyish looking man no older than I was. He was several inches shorter than
Victor with unblemished olive skin and black hair combed to the side but
falling carelessly down toward his eyes.
     
    Sure enough, it was the woman who spoke first
as they approached. “Victor, how are you,” she said warmly. “It’s been
far too long.”
     
    “Catherine,” Victor said, matching her tone,
“I agree. You look wonderful.”
     
    She smiled. I liked her. She was warm but not
threatening.“Thank you, dear. And who is this you’ve brought with you?”
     
    Victor’s arm slid around my waist as he
squeezed me toward him. “This is Dove.”
     
    Her gaze directed towards me. “And what do
you do, Dove?”
     
    I looked toward Victor, but he was looking
back at me expectantly. “I’m a painter.”
     
    I saw the man at Catherine’s side shoot his
eyebrows