Perfected (Entangled Teen) by Kate Jarvik Birch Page B

a pet from Greenwich, and although I’m sure he’s planning on showing you off tonight, there are a number of women from the charity who aren’t crazy about the whole…arrangement.”
    She brushed at the front of her blouse even though there wasn’t a crease on it. “What I’m trying to say is, I’d rather not draw attention to you if I can help it. Not that I want to hide you during the party or anything, but I just thought if we can maybe have you keep to the perimeters of it, tone down your gown, so you don’t draw quite so much attention…you know.”
    Her forehead crinkled and I realized just how uncomfortable it made her to not be completely in control.
    “Of course,” I told her. “I’m happy to do whatever pleases you.”
    “Oh wonderful.” She sighed, obviously relieved. I wasn’t sure how she was imagining our conversation could have gone any differently. “Actually, I already picked you out a dress. It’s a black, tea-length Valentino. Really beautiful. You’ll look gorgeous in it, believe me, but it is a bit more subdued than your normal attire.”
    She motioned to the gown I was wearing now, a floor-length, rose-colored dress made out of crushed silk and organza, embellished with so many tiny crystals over the bodice that it shone in the sunlight. Certainly not the subdued look she was going for.
    “I’ll have Rosa bring it to your room before the party,” she said. “And if you could do me just one more little favor and not tell John about our arrangement, I’d really appreciate it.”
    I sighed with relief, knowing that I’d have an excuse to not be in the spotlight at the party. I gave her a nod and a conspiratorial smile.

    T he congressman’s wife was correct. I did look stunning in my gown. Standing in front of the full-length mirror mounted beside my closet, I admired the way it changed my appearance. Even though the other gowns I wore were beautiful, they made me feel like the pet I’d been raised to be. I was fair and innocent, one of the beautiful princesses in Ruby’s fairy tales.
    But the black Valentino dress made me look different. I turned in a slow circle, trying to figure out why I felt so strange.
    The dress was short, cut right below the knee where the silk chiffon fanned out ever so delicately. Around the waist, a broad black bow accentuated my figure. But my favorite part was the top. The silk was patterned in a soft, sweetheart neckline, and above that was a sheer voile top with long sleeves and a delicate collar that circled my collarbone, giving the dress a sophisticated air unlike anything I’d worn before. I stopped turning and let my hands fall to my sides. In this dress I hardly looked like a pet at all.
    The party had already begun by the time I slipped out my double doors and onto the patio. Rosa had brought my dinner to my room instead of feeding me in the dining room because the congressman’s wife had been worried it would seem peculiar to the guests if I were seen eating one of my meals. But even though I’d just eaten, the smells that drifted over from the long tables by the pool house made my mouth water. What would I give to be able to try just a nibble of all those fancy foods? I’d seen them all pass through the house on their way to the tables: dishes of dainty finger foods arranged like tiny pieces of art on the overflowing trays.
    The patio was sparkling with the white lights strung from the pool house and along the top of the new tent. In the pool, glowing orbs floated on top of the water. The night was warm, but not hot, and the music drifting out of the tent at the bottom of the hill floated over to me on a light breeze. I stopped to soak it all in. It was hard to imagine there had ever been a more beautiful evening in the history of the world, and here I was, able to enjoy it all.
    Across the patio I took in the groups of people buzzing around the tables and talking in clumps by the edge of the pool. They all seemed so grand, so