Page 18 of The Nanny and the Don

Twelve

D evlan

For the past two hours, I had been poked and prodded by the team of people that Mr. Gray sent to get me ready for the event.

It was a lot, but I had to admit that I kind of liked having my own glam squad to help me get dressed.

Not only did they come ready to do my hair and makeup, but there was a stylist with a selection of dresses for me to wear.

I didn’t want to be too flashy, so I decided to go with black.

Thankfully they had several black dresses to choose from.

My hair was pinned up in a faux hawk with a few tendrils dangling on each side to give it a little sass.

I loved everything about my look for the night even before they helped me get into the dress.

“Maybe I should try on some shapewear,” I said, looking at Ty, the stylist.

“Girl, stop. Your body is on point. Mr. Gray told us to keep you looking like yourself at the end of the day. I think he likes this body.”

“Did he really say that?” I asked, running my hand over the soft pudge at the bottom of my stomach.

“Yes, ma’am, and you know you look good as hell so stop fronting,” he confirmed.

“I’ve never been to a formal event. I guess I’m just kinda self-conscious.”

“It’s just like the prom, but for old folks,” he informed me.

I smiled softly before admitting, “I never went to the prom.”

“Well consider this your debut, baby girl,” Celeste, the makeup artist, chimed in.

“Let’s try something. Turn away from the mirror while we help you get into this dress,” Ty suggested.

“OK,” I agreed.

Once my back was to the mirror, both he and Celeste helped me put the dress on then turned me to face the mirror.

My lips slightly parted as I took in my reflection.

The off-the-shoulder mermaid-style dress was just simple enough to let my hair and makeup shine; at the same time, it was regal and glamorous.

That was the look we were going for. They nailed it.

“See, I told you,” Ty raved.

“You’re beautiful, baby girl,” Celeste added.

“Thank you. I owe it to the three of you,” I said, referring to them and the hair stylist who was already gone for the night.

“Baby, we only enhanced what was already there. You better act like you know,” Ty said, snapping in my face.

“He’s gonna love it,” Celeste added.

I didn’t have the heart to tell them that our relationship wasn’t like that.

I could tell that they were excited about my first formal event.

I don’t think excitement was what I felt.

There was a ball of nerves sitting at the bottom of my stomach and making itself known in the elegant black gown. Thank God I went with black.

Once the glam squad was gone, I paced the floor grateful that the heels we found didn’t hurt my feet. I thought about going downstairs to wait for Mr. Gray. There was about thirty minutes left before we were supposed to leave.

I didn’t want to sit around down there waiting on him.

My anxiety was bad enough. Still, it was silly to not want to go downstairs to wait.

I was almost afraid to sit down in my dress because I didn’t want to take the chance of something getting on it before he saw me.

I don’t even know why I cared, but I wanted to look good for him.

He’d gone through all the trouble of hiring a team of people to make sure I looked good on his arm.

The least I could do was make sure I didn’t mess anything up before we got there.

As much as I detested the idea of going to some boring formal event, I was eager to get out of the house.

It had been far too long since I had gone anywhere.

I mean, I had been kidnapped a few weeks ago.

At the same time, some part of me felt honored that Mr. Gray wanted me to accompany him to the event.

A man like him could have taken any woman in the world, but he wanted to take me.

He might have been trying to keep an eye on me, but I was sure his guards were on post outside as usual.

Sicily had the day off so she could come in and keep an eye on the kids while we were gone.

As silly as it was, I kind of felt like I was going on a date.

A date with my mean boss slash kidnapper, but a date either way.

Deciding to get out of my head, I grabbed the sequin clutch I’d selected to match my dress and went downstairs.

When I reached the living room, my steps halted.

Standing in the middle of the room like he was just waiting for me to show up, he looked like the first black James Bond in a simple black tux and bow tie.

He was too fucking sexy to be so damn mean.

I took a deep breath before proceeding toward him.

I didn’t have to go far because he met me halfway.

“God, you’re stunning, Devlan,” he murmured.

“Thank you,” I said, dropping my eyes to the floor.

Placing his hand under my chin, he lifted my eyes back to his fervent gaze. “Keep your head up, princess. Don’t lower your eyes from anyone .”

Forcing myself to keep my eyes connected to his, I nodded.

“Sicily is getting the kids ready for bed. King has already asked where you were, so I don’t suggest you go in and rile him up. You ready to go?” he quizzed.

It broke my heart to hear him say King was asking for me. At the same time, he was probably right. I didn’t want to stir him up by going in and telling him that I was leaving.

“Yeah, I’m ready.” I nodded.

Taking my hand, he led the way out of the house.

Our ride to the venue was uneventful. An instrumental hip hop mix played as we rode in the backseat of the car.

When we made it to the location, the driver stopped in front and climbed out.

Mr. Gray didn’t move until he opened the back door to let us out.

I didn’t realize that Mr. Gray was still holding my hand until he slid out of the backseat with me in tow.

He didn’t stop moving until we made it to the entrance.

“Good evening, Mr. Gray. Mr. Four Quinn is requesting a moment of your time at your convenience.”

“Thank you,” he said, nodding as we continued inside.

The event seemed to be pretty swanky. There was a live band playing classical music and servers walking around with champagne on trays.

As we moved through the room, several people tried to get Mr. Gray’s attention, but he never lost his stride until we were at a table all the way at the back of the room.

“I hate these things,” he complained as he pulled a chair out for me to sit in.

I sat down before asking, “Why did you come?”

“One of the first foundations I helped start is hosting. I have to show my face.”

“What’s it for?” I quizzed.

“The foundation provides clothing, shoes, and a piece of luggage to children in foster care. It also helps start the older kids with job training and transitioning into the real world.”

“Oh wow. That’s amazing, Mr. Gray.”

“Steel,” he corrected.

“Sorry,” I said, letting my eyes fall to my lap.

“Devlan, it doesn’t matter how intimidating or scary someone is. You are just as good and just as important as anyone in any room. You hear me?”

I nodded and gave him my eyes knowing why he said that.

Then again, why was he saying things like that to me?

Every day the lines of what was going on with us blurred.

Sometimes I forgot that I was a hostage.

Was I even a hostage anymore? I was out at a fancy upscale event as if there was nothing wrong.

“Champagne, sir?” one of the servers asked, standing next to our table.

“Sure, and make sure someone brings my lady both dinner options. I didn’t fill out a card for us.”

“Coming right up,” the server stated with a nod, placing two champagne flutes on the table before walking away.

As soon as he left, someone else came to the table and pulled Mr. Gray to the side. He excused himself before following them out of the room. As soon as he disappeared, the server came back to the table with a plate that contained a steak entrée and one with baked chicken.

The portions were on the small side, but everything looked so good.

I was afraid to mess up my dress, so I was hesitant to eat.

I looked around and noticed that no one else in the room was eating either.

Picking up one of the glasses of champagne, I sipped it and people watched.

Steel returned minutes later and occupied the seat next to me.

“How is the food?” he asked.

“I haven’t tried it,” I admitted.

“Why not?” he asked with a frown.

“I don’t want to get anything on my dress. Plus, I don’t see anyone else eating.”

“Don’t worry about these people. You’re the only one who matters,” he told me.

His words caused a flutter in my chest. Why was he saying things like that to me all of a sudden?

I wanted to ask him what was going on in his head, but I hadn’t forgotten how opposed he was to answering questions.

A couple more people came to the table to address him, but for a while it was just us drinking champagne and watching everyone else mingle.

“I’m obligated by the board to stay at these things for an hour. I’m watching the clock,” he disclosed.

I laughed under my breath before leaning closer to him. “How long have we been here?”

He sighed. “Only thirty minutes.”

We both laughed. In moments like this I actually liked him. Who was I kidding? If it weren’t for the fact that he made sure to remind me that I couldn’t leave his house, I would have forgotten that I was there against my will.

“Bro, let me holler at you for a minute,” a stocky guy said, leaning close to his ear.

“What’s up?” Mr. Gray asked as he stood.

“Who you got with you? When did you start bringing a date to these shits?” he asked as they walked away a few steps.