Page 85 of One Bossy Night

We focused all our attention on the stage, and the music started. One by one, the models came out, strutting their pieces, and I focused my attention on listening to Piper ooh and aahh by my side.

"God, they're gorgeous," she said. "I mean… I don't have the body for them, but damn, I want one just to look at it. Freaking gorgeous. Hunter, you have one-"

She turned to me, and she didn't stop because my face was overcome with shock.

"What happened there, are you okay?" she asked.

I nudged my head towards the stage, and there she was. Looking unbelievable.

I was shocked and awed all at once, but there she was in one of the pieces. I wanted to shield the eyes of the whole world from her body, but at the same time, I needed everyone to know that she was mine.

She looked so beautiful, so confident, even though I knew her well enough to know that she would have never wanted to do this. There was probably an emergency.

Shocked, I pulled out my phone, and there it was. Fifteen missed calls. Multiple text messages.

"Fuck," I swore.

"Fuck indeed. She's gorgeous. Jesus, how much luckier can you get?"

"Right," then I put the phone away and instead grabbed something else from my pocket. It was a black velvet box, and in it was a diamond ring that probably cost more than the building we were in.

"How much luckier do you think I can get?" I asked.

Piper turned to me, startled at my question.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"If I… if I ask her to marry me…, do you think she will say yes?"

Piper went completely silent, but it didn’t matter because my gaze was solely on the love of my life.

She stood with the other models, and then it was time to introduce the designers, and she came forward along with Emma. Someone seemed to be hurrying over from backstage then with a jacket of some sort, and I moved. I didn't second guess myself. I moved and got onto the stage, and to say it caused a ruckus was an understatement. Everyone was curious and excited, but she... only she was pissed off.

"You are so fired from being our adviser," she said. "So, so fired. I tried to reach you."

She said all this under her breath with gritted teeth too that the cameras wouldn't pick it up, but it was more endearing than frightening.

"I'm sorry," I asked. "I kind of had my mind completely occupied."

"By what?" she nearly yelled this one out.

"This is for publicity's sake," I said. "What I'm about to do now. I mean, it's not entirely so, but I want to support you all the time in whatever way I can. I'll probably do this again, but for now... I want to do it now where the whole world can see, hopefully, they will witness our engagement, and as a result, talk as well about all the happenings at your show where you just launched yours and Emma’s lingerie line."

She went into shock as she listened to me, and then I shrugged off my jacket. I wrapped it around her, and then I lowered onto one knee. Tears filled her eyes in disbelief, and then there's another commotion interruption.

“There are so many things I want to say," I began as I pulled out the ring. "And a lot of them I've already said throughout these past few months. Being with you makes me feel like I've known you forever, but now I truly want to ensure that this becomes a reality and that this will not change.”

"Madison Leslie Parish, I love you with all my heart, and so I am hoping that you will say yes as I ask you to spend the rest of your life with me."

I opened up the box then, and the room seemed to explode. Flashes went off from every angle. Of us... of the ring... of the lingerie that was being launched.

She stood, unable to speak. I slipped the ring onto her finger, and she pulled me up.

"Yes," she whispered into my mouth as she kissed me.

"With all of my heart... yes."

The End