Identity Risk (The Billionaire Experience #3)

Chapter Seventeen

Jessie exited the elevator, her heels clicking rapidly down the hallway as she rushed back to her office. The meeting with Mr. Ulrich and his son had been exhausting, but it wasn’t just that. The gala was only a few hours away, and she still hadn’t heard a peep from Lacie. She had gone radio silent, and that worried Jessie.

The anxiety gnawed at her. She wasn’t ready for this. She’d been thrown into the event at the last minute, and without a dress and a speech, she felt like she was heading toward a disaster.

As she neared her closed office door, she saw Lacie wasn’t sitting at her desk. Maybe she was still out working on the dress situation, though time was running out. She started to feel tears of frustration filling her eyes.

In a rush, she shoved open her office door, and instead of having a breakdown, her breath immediately caught in her throat. There, hanging on a rack in the middle of the room, was the most stunning emerald green gown she’d ever seen. The fabric shimmered under the soft lighting, flowing in a way that made it look both elegant and powerful—like it was made just for her. A pair of nude color strappy heels sat beneath the gown.

Jessie stood frozen for a moment, her mind spinning. A knock on the door jolted her back into the moment. When she turned, she found a short, petite woman standing in the doorway. Her white hair sported a hot pink streak down one side.

“Hello, Ms. Marchand. I’m Anita, your stylist for this evening. My assistant and I have everything set up in the conference room down the hall,” the woman said with a professional smile.

Jessie stood there with her mouth open. Before she could process what was happening, Lacie appeared, walking through the door and carrying a folder. “And voila,” she declared with a grin, waving the folder in the air. “Here is your speech, all typed out and ready to go.”

Jessie blinked in disbelief, her emotions catching up to her as she felt tears welling in her eyes. “Lacie…how did you pull this off?”

Lacie stepped forward and placed a hand on Jessie’s arm, shaking her head with a smile. “Jess, it wasn’t me. This was all Mac’s doing.”

“Mac?” Jessie’s voice was barely a whisper as she tried to grasp what her best friend was saying.

“Yeah,” Lacie nodded, her grin widening. “He called to check in earlier, and when I told him about the whole dress, speech, and stylist crisis, he calmly told me he’d take care of it. And, well—” she gestured to the dress and stylist with a wave of her hand, “he wasn’t kidding.”

Jessie felt her heart swell. Mac. Of course, it was him. He always had a way of handling everything, even when in crisis mode. His thoughtfulness blew her away, and her chest tightened with all the love she felt for him.

“Mac also arranged a car to pick you up at seven,” Lacie added, her voice filled with excitement. “So, we need to get you ready. Now.”

Jessie wiped the tears from her eyes, giving Lacie a grateful smile. “I…I don’t even know what to say. This is incredible.”

“Don’t say anything,” Lacie winked.

“Can I call Mac? I promise to make it quick.”

“Nope,” Lacie said, shaking her head and pushing Jessie toward the bathroom. “No time. You can thank him later tonight when you two are alone,” Lacie said, suggestively raising her eyebrows.

Jessie couldn’t help but laugh, though Lacie wasn’t wrong. Jessie planned to thank Mac in more ways than just words.

After a hot shower, Jessie let herself relax, allowing the stylist to start her transformation. As her hair was styled into an elegant updo, the kind that felt regal yet effortless, she glanced at the gown Lacie moved into the conference room. The dress perfectly matched her skin tone, and when she slipped into it, she marveled at how perfectly it fit. She smiled to herself, thinking about the bra and panties she was wearing under the dress. It was the green set that Mac had chosen for her at Cherise’s boutique. It made her wonder if Mac had planned for her to wear this dress at some point.

The dress hugged her curves in all the right places, with a long slit that added just the right amount of sexiness.

By the time the stylist finished her makeup, which was soft yet striking, Jessie felt like a completely different person.

She stood in front of the body-length mirror, her reflection staring back at her in disbelief. She looked like the woman she was meant to be—confident, powerful, and stunning.

She looked at Lacie standing off to the side. She had tears in her eyes.

“You look beautiful, Jess.”

“Lacie, stop. You are going to make me cry.”

“Lacie, if you make her mess up her make-up, I’m not going to take you out for Mexican food,” Anita, the stylist, playfully reprimanded Lacie.

“You wouldn’t?” Lacie choked out with a dramatic flair.

Jessie laughed, knowing that Mexican food was Lacie’s addiction.

“Oh yes, I would,” Anita retorted as she packed everything up.

Lacie looked at her watch and then turned her attention back to Jessie.

“Alright, Cinderella. Let’s get you downstairs, as your chariot will arrive soon.”

Jessie giggled. However, she did feel like a princess. And she couldn’t wait to see her Prince Charming at the ball.

As she gathered her clutch, which matched her nude shoes, Jessie headed to the elevator. As the elevator descended, the butterflies in her stomach began to stir again. She was still nervous about the speech, still anxious about the event and being in the spotlight, having just returned. But deep down, she knew she could handle it. She had to.

The elevator doors slid open to the lobby, and Jessie stepped out. She expected to meet the driver, but instead, she froze in her tracks as her eyes drank up the sexy man standing at the door.

Mac was dressed in a black tuxedo, looking more handsome than she could have imagined. His broad shoulders filled out the jacket perfectly, and his dark hair was tamed instead of its usual look of having Mac run his fingers through it. He looked like he walked straight out of a magazine.

For a moment, she forgot how to breathe.

Mac’s eyes met hers, and for a split second, they just stared at each other, the world around them fading away. Then, a slow smile spread across his face as he took her in, his gaze lingering on the gown before meeting her eyes again.

“You look incredible, Jess,” he said softly, his voice filled with admiration. “I knew that dress would suit you.”

Jessie’s heart raced. “Mac, I don’t even know how to thank you for all of this.

Mac stepped closer, his eyes never leaving hers. “You don’t have to thank me. I’ll always do what I can for you.”

She felt the warmth of his presence, the steady calm he always brought with him. “I’m still a bundle of nerves,” she admitted with a soft laugh, feeling a little more vulnerable than she intended.

Mac reached out and gently took her hand, reassuringly squeezing it. He then lightly kissed her cheek. “You’re going to do great tonight. And I’ll be right there with you every step of the way.”

She looked at him, thinking how lucky she was to have him in her life.

“I thought you had to work the event.”

He smirked. “That’s what my employees are for. Tonight is about you.”

Jessie looked into his eyes, feeling the nerves settle just a little. With Mac by her side, she knew she could face anything—even the chaos of what the gala would bring.

◆◆◆

Mac helped Jessie into the limo before sliding in behind her. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her. She looked absolutely stunning. The moment she stepped off the elevator, and he saw her, he almost said fuck the gala and took her back to her place to make love to her.

As he sat beside her, his eyes kept drifting to her. He could sense the tension in her while she looked every bit of the confident woman she was. The way she kept fidgeting with her hands, along with the slight edge in her voice whenever they spoke about the gala, it was clear she was nervous.

She tried to hide it, but he knew Jessie too well.

Seeing the gap in the slit of her dress, revealing her silky long leg, he placed his hand on her thigh, giving it a slight squeeze.

“Hey, don’t be nervous. You’re going to be amazing,” he said softly.

Jessie turned to him, offering a small smile. “I’m not so sure about that. I’ve given speeches before, but not in front of this many people. Plus, I don’t want them gossiping.”

Mac used his thumb to trace circles over her leg gently. “Hey, it’s just a few hundred people. No big deal.” His tone was light, teasing, as he tried to ease the tension within her.

She laughed softly. “You make it sound so easy.”

“It is easy,” Mac murmured, shifting closer to her. He leaned in, his voice dropping to a soothing, intimate one. “You’ve handled tougher situations than this.”

Mac knew exactly how to help her let go of the tension and fears that sat just below the surface. He knew how to shift her focus away from the speech and all the people she would encounter onto something else. Something only he could give her.

He slid his hand further up her thigh until his fingertips grazed her lace panties. His touch was deliberate and slow. Jessie’s breath hitched, her body responding even though she was caught up in her thoughts.

“Mac…” she whispered, a mix of hesitation and need in her voice. “What are you doing? We can’t. The gala,” she whispered. Her breathing started to become faster as he gently pressed against her covered pussy.

“Yes, the gala,” he agreed, his lips brushing lightly against the shell of her ear. “But right now, it’s just you and me.”

Jessie’s body tensed, then softened as his fingers lightly traced the edge of her panties.

He could feel the shift, the way her breathing changed as her focus moved from the evening’s activities to him and what he was doing to her.

Mac leaned in closer, his lips brushing against her neck, his voice barely above a whisper. “Forget about everything for now. Just focus on how you feel with me touching you.”

Jessie’s eyes fluttered closed, her chest rising and falling with shallow breaths as she let herself melt into his touch.

She tried to close her legs, but that only made Mac smile.

“Open your legs, sunshine. I want to feel how wet you are for me,” he whispered as he kissed her neck.

Her legs widened, and Mac slipped his fingers under her panties and pressed lightly against her clit, pulling her further into the moment. He could feel her pulse quicken beneath his fingertips, her body leaning into his in anticipation.

“You feel that?” Mac murmured. His voice thick with desire. “That’s how I want you to focus. On us. On what we have.”

Jessie nodded, her breath catching as his hand explored more, pushing her closer to the edge. He could feel her surrendering to him, the way her body relaxed into his touch, how her mind was no longer filled with worries about the speech or the gala.

But as she got closer to that edge, Mac slowed, pulling back just enough to leave her wanting more. He wasn’t going to let her fall into that bliss just yet. Not until she was completely lost in the moment with him.

Jessie’s eyes fluttered open, her lips parted in frustration. “Mac…” she breathed a hint of desperation in her voice.

He grinned, leaning in to kiss her softly, keeping her on the edge. “Not yet,” he whispered against her lips. “I want you to remember this feeling. Let it carry you through tonight. And after the gala, I promise we’ll finish what we started. However, since I can’t follow you around with my fingers buried in your pussy, I brought along something that I thought would help.”

Her brows furrowed, but as he removed the small, bright blue pocket vibrator from his suit jacket, her eyes widened in realization.

Jessie’s gaze locked with his, the nervousness from earlier now completely replaced by a new kind of anticipation. She was still on the brink, still teetering between release and restraint, and he loved seeing her like this—vulnerable but so incredibly strong.

He gently tapped her leg, and she adjusted her dress so she could widen her thighs.

Mac dropped to his knees in front of her.

“Move your panties, sunshine.”

Never breaking eye contact with him, she slowly moved her hand down to the lacey material and pulled it to one side. Mac’s mouth watered at the sight of her bare pussy. The urge to take her right there was tempting.

He could see how wet she was, and because of that, he was able to slide the toy inside her with ease. The ridged edges of the device sliding in her channel against her delicate tissue caused her to moan.

She hadn't felt anything yet, he thought to himself, knowing that the vibrator may be small, but it had five speeds on it.

“You’re not playing fair,” she pouted, her voice still breathless, knowing that at any time, he could bring her to the edge again.

Mac smiled, fixing her dress and lifting himself back in his seat. “You’re going to knock them dead tonight. And afterward, you’re mine,” he told her, kissing her lightly on the lips.

Jessie’s cheeks flushed, but she smiled back at him, and he could tell that everything she had been anticipating about tonight—the speech, the people- had been forgotten for now. And that was exactly what Mac wanted.

As the limo pulled up to the hotel, Mac leaned in and kissed her lightly, being sure not to mess up her lip gloss since she had just reapplied it. But the kiss was a promise to her that more was to come later.

As the driver opened the door, he could see the many photographers lined up along the blue carpet, their cameras already pointed to the open door and flashing as they tried to get a glimpse of the person inside.

He slid out first and then offered his hand to Jessie. She took it, and once she was out and standing beside him, she looked at him with a lust-filled smile, then winked.

He chuckled and kissed her temple. The camera flashes went wild, capturing a moment between them. He needed to find out which publications they were from because he wanted a copy of that shot.

“You ready?” he asked her, and she smiled and nodded.

He watched her as she held her head high, her confidence restored, and he couldn’t help but feel proud of her.

The night would be theirs in more ways than one.