A/N: As in the past, I have a Pinterest board for this story. On Pinterest, search AnnLiberty (all one word). There you will find links and images that inspired me as I wrote. For this story, that includes a lot of travel blogs and designer fashions, plus some very cool private jets and fancy estates. Obviously, the story stands alone, but if I describe an outfit or something and don't create a good mental picture, you can probably find an actual picture there!
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The next days took on a pattern. Tobias rose early and had meetings over the phone, managing his business back in Europe. Tris slept a little later, then had a quiet breakfast in her room or while soaking in the giant bathtub. She got ready and wandered on foot to nearby sights like Central Park and Rockefeller Center. She returned to the hotel by lunchtime, and Amar drove her and Tobias to lunch.

After lunch, Amar and Tris dropped Tobias off wherever his meetings were being held, then went to see the sights Tris couldn't reach on foot. When Tobias was done working, they looped back to pick him up.

Evenings were when Tris got to spend the most time with Tobias. On Tuesday night they had dinner in Chinatown, then went to the top of the Empire State Building. On Wednesday Tobias was done earlier, so they went for a carriage ride in Central Park before Amar drove them to Little Italy for dinner.

When they got back to the suite on Wednesday, Tris expected the usual goodnight, but Tobias hesitated and looked pensive as he took her hand. "Tris," he said, "I would like you to do something for me. I need to say this carefully, because I don't want to hurt you."

Tris' heart sank. He's sick of me, she thought. He's sending me back to Chicago.

"Tomorrow I have meetings all day, then a business dinner. I'm working really hard to impress these people so they'll agree to work with me on some things. I've told them that I'm bringing a date to dinner, but here's the thing: I love how you dress. You're practical, attractive, and always appropriate. I swear on my life that I have never been embarrassed by you, and could never be embarrassed by you. But this dinner is different. It's not black tie formal, but it's business formal, and these people are used to fancy designers. I've asked Amar to take you shopping in the morning. I... I want you to have fun shopping. Don't look at price tags. Amar knows what you need for tomorrow night, but get more, too. Anything you want.

"I'm rambling. I'm afraid I've hurt your feelings or messed this all up. To be brutally honest with you, I'm nervous about these meetings. What if they don't take me seriously? I wanted to leave you out of this boring dinner, but I… I need you with me. Please will you come to this dinner?"

"Of course, Tobias," Tris said earnestly. "Anything I can do to support you, I will. You know that."

"Thank you," Tobias said, drawing Tris into a relieved hug. "I've been working really hard to rebuild what Marcus damaged, and I just want these people to see how sincere I am. I don't want to be seen as a rich party boy playing businessman. I want to be authentic."

"You are authentic," Tris said, her head resting against Tobias' chest and her arms around his waist. "You are a hard worker and you have a big heart. I'll do everything I can to support your ventures and show people the wonderful man you truly are. I'll even let you buy me overpriced clothes if I have to."

Tobias smiled and kissed Tris on the forehead. "You're too good for me," he said.

.

The next morning Amar tapped on Tris' door earlier than usual. "Miss Tris?" he called.

Tris threw the hotel bathrobe over her pajamas and opened the door. "Good morning Amar," she said around a yawn.

"I'm sorry to disturb you earlier than usual, but we have a big day ahead of us. The woman from the lingerie shop will be here soon. I need you to shower and pull your hair back."

"I'm sorry, what?" Tris asked.

"Go take a shower, please," Amar repeated. "When you're done, put your hair back in a braid or something so it's out of the way. Then just wear that robe. The lingerie woman is coming to fit you for proper undergarments."

"Um, okay," Tris said.

Amar left to take Tobias to his meetings, and Tris obeyed his instructions. When he returned, Amar was accompanied by a tall, imposing, older woman and her young assistant. They had a large covered cart with them, which they opened to reveal an assortment of bras, panties, body shapers, pajamas, stockings, and undergarments Tris didn't even recognize.

The older woman snatched the robe right off Tris' body, making her scramble to cover herself in front of the strangers and Amar.

"I cannot measure you with your arms up," the woman snapped in a French accent. She then began to measure Tris all over, relaying the results to her young assistant, who wrote everything down.

"Wear this today," the woman ordered, handing Tris a nude-colored strapless bra and matching thong. "Now go get dressed."

Tris hurried to do as she was ordered. The new undergarments were of the best quality, and fit perfectly. Tris took a minute to admire them pulling on her leggings and top.

When she came out of her room, the two women were packing up their cart. "Now you have your foundation," the French woman said to Tris. "Everything looks better on a good foundation. You are a very pretty girl. Have fun shopping."

As suddenly as they had arrived, they were gone.

"That was… uh, kind of overwhelming," Tris said to Amar. "I'm not usually asked to strip in front of people."

"I'm sure George won't be upset," Amar said, trying to lighten the mood. It worked, and they shared a laugh. "I am sorry," Amar said. "When I told them it needed to be quick I had no idea just how brusque she would be. But you have your basics for now, and everything else will be delivered by the time we get back."

"Everything else?" Tris asked.

"Undergarments, hosiery, basics," Amar said dismissively.

"I thought I was just getting an outfit for tonight," Tris objected.

"Yes, yes," Amar said, literally waving off Tris' concerns. "But there's no use in trying things on without the right underthings, so that came first. Are you ready to go?"

Amar took Tris to the hotel restaurant, where he had apparently pre-ordered a light breakfast for her. As she ate, Tris scrolled through Christina's many texts about her upcoming "shopping spree." Though Tris was not nearly as eager as Christina to spend Tobias' money, she did appreciate her friend's advice. Christina sent pictures of the English royals. Kate and Meghan were young and fashionable, but always put together and modest. Their clothes didn't have big flashy logos on them, and their hair and makeup were usually natural looking. Tris relaxed for the first time since Amar woke her.

The first designer boutique they went to was a shock. The clothes, if one could call them that, looked like they belonged in the modern art museum. Tris didn't see a single thing she would even consider wearing, and she started to panic.

Amar, on the other hand, found it hilarious. "Look at this!" he chortled. "It looks like a space suit!"

Tris giggled shakily. "This one looks like they skinned a Muppet," she said.

Amar laughed even harder. Soon he had tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Amar," Tris whined in distress. "What am I supposed to do? This isn't funny."

"I have an idea," he said, guiding Tris out of the shop.

He drove Tris to Brooks Brothers. "This is a good place for men's suits," he said, "but they have women's clothing too. Very good business clothes. Still a good brand, but more realistic."

The minute Tris walked in she fell in love with a deep purple sheath dress. "Do you think this will work?" she asked eagerly.

Amar agreed, saying that with the right shoes, bag, and accessories it would do very nicely. While they were there, he also convinced Tris to get a pair of slim black pants, and a black printed blazer with three-quarter-length sleeves.

On the recommendation of the sales person, they visited several other designer shops. Tris found a sleeveless ivory silk top and a black dress with long sleeves and a geometric cutout at Armani. At Chanel she selected a black turtleneck sweater. At Burberry Amar talked her into a black trench coat with the famous Burberry plaid print lining, and a pair of black booties.

Still in need of dress shoes and a handbag, they visited Louis Vuitton. Amar tried to talk Tris into getting a new purse for everyday use, but she flatly refused. He did get her to accept a black clutch bag for the evening's event, and when she wasn't looking he added a grey silk blanket scarf that he'd seen her admiring.

Tris finally found a pair of black pumps at Louboutin that she could wear with either the purple or black dress. Satisfied that she had what she needed and feeling guilty about the money she spent, Tris insisted that she was done shopping. Amar tried to get her to go to a few more places, but she refused, and insisted that they get coffee together instead.

Amar held his tongue and gave in. Over coffee, he got Tris to talk about their outing. They laughed about some of the more artistic, impractical things they'd seen. Tris marveled at how high some of the heels had been, and openly wondered how women could walk in them. Amar even got her talking about colors and styles that appealed to her.

Tris expressed concern over how much money she'd spent on her little spree, but Amar assured her that Tobias wanted her to spend his money. "I think Mr. Eaton's goal in sending you shopping was about more than tonight's dinner," he said. "He wants you to feel comfortable in his world. You are just as good, just as valuable, as anyone else, Miss Tris. In fact, I like you better, and I know Mr. Tobias does, too. He just wants to make sure you are confident that you belong."

Tris smiled across the table at Amar. "Thank you," she said. "I just feel like things are uneven between Tobias and I. He spends so much money on me. I don't need fancy designers and things. I'd be happy sitting on my parents' couch in our pajamas watching a movie."

"Mr. Tobias feels uneven with you, too," the driver confided. "But he feels like you are above him. You are sweet and kind, and you have a wonderful family and real friends. He has a lot of baggage from Mr. Marcus. Mr. Tobias told me - his own words - that he is 'too damaged' for someone as good as you."

"No!" Tris exclaimed as tears sprang to her eyes. "You know that isn't true! He's… He…"

"I know," Amar said, holding up his hands. "I know. I've been with him since he was a baby. George and I talk about him like he's our own son, and we're nothing but proud of him. But he has deep wounds. Your friendship is healing for him, but it also brings those insecurities to the surface."

Tris thought about Amar's words. "You know, you're awfully open about your boss's private life," she said half-teasingly.

"Only with you, I swear," Amar said, placing a hand over his heart. Tris raised an eyebrow and waited. "Okay," Amar conceeded, "you and George. Mr. Tobias doesn't get close to people. But you broke through his defenses so easily. I think of you as a co-conspirator, because I know we want the same things for him."

"We want him to be happy," Tris said, "confident and whole. We want him to see the value in himself that we see in him."

"Exactly," Amar said with a relieved sigh.

.

After a manicure, pedicure, professional makeup application, and hair styling at the hotel's spa, Tris returned to the suite to find her new things hung up and put away. The purple dress and black shoes were laid out, ready to wear to dinner.

Tris opened the drawer where her underthings were kept and gasped audibly. The few things she had brought in her suitcase were still there, but the drawer was filled to capacity with a whole new wardrobe of bras, panties, stockings, garters, socks, shapewear, and sleepwear.

"Amar!" she called, tightening the hotel robe around her as she opened the door to the hallway. "Amar!"

Pounding feet rushed from the direction of the living room, and Tris turned to see not just Amar, but Tobias also. Both men had panicked expressions as they rushed toward her.

"What's wrong?" Tobias asked anxiously.

Tris blushed furiously. "A, uh, a shopping problem," she hedged, pulling the robe even tighter. "Amar, can I speak to you privately?"

Tobias looked concerned, and said something to Amar in Albanian.

Before Amar could reply, Tris interrupted. "Nope," she said. "No secret conversations."

"So only you can have private conversations with my assistant?" Tobias pouted.

"Exactly," Tris said as she dragged Amar into the bedroom and shut the door.

Tris walked to the dressing area and opened the drawer of new lingerie. "What is all this?" she asked Amar.

"Um, I don't, uh… Are there things that are unfamiliar, Miss Tris?" Amar stammered awkwardly.

Tris laughed dryly. "I know what they are," she said. "What I don't understand is why there are so many new things here. I don't need silk pajamas, new socks, and an entire wardrobe of new underwear to go to dinner tonight. This is a very expensive mistake!"

"No," Amar said. "No mistake. They are new things for you. All perfectly fitted, and everything you need to go with any outfit you wear."

"Amar," Tris said in exasperation, "you don't understand. This is thousands of dollars worth of underwear!"

"I know," Amar said flippantly. "And it's all yours. You're welcome."

Tris stared at him, mouth agape.

"Do you know what to wear with the purple dress, or do I need to call the French underwear lady?" Amar asked.

Tris shook her head. "No," she said. "I, uh, I'm good. Thanks."

.

Tris emerged from her room twenty minutes later wearing the purple dress and black Loubatin heels, and carrying the Louis Vuitton clutch. She wore the same silver necklace and earrings that she had worn on her first dinner date with Tobias in Chicago.

Amar and Tobias were waiting in the living room. Tobias wore a black suit, white shirt, and a purple and grey patterned tie that coordinated perfectly with Tris' dress. Both men stood when Tris entered the room.

"You look beautiful," Tobias said, stooping to kiss her on the cheek.

"You look quite handsome yourself," Tris said. She had seen Tobias in sport coats when he had business meetings to attend, but the solid black suit and tie was more formal than his usual style, and she had to admit that he looked very good all dressed up.

"I have a little something for you," Tobias said.

Tris shot him a dirty look. "You're spoiling me," she said, "and I think you're going to regret it."

"Spoiling you is the whole idea," Tobias said as Amar handed him two small teal boxes. "And I promise I could never regret it."

He popped open the first box, revealing a white gold and diamond tennis bracelet. "May I?" he asked Tris as he removed the jewelry from its box.

Tris held up her left arm, speechless. Tobias clasped the bracelet around her wrist and kissed her hand before putting it down. He opened the smaller box to reveal a pair of diamond stud earrings, also set in white gold.

"Amar spoke to the people at Tiffany's about your dress," Tobias explained. "They suggested that a tennis bracelet and earrings would be the perfect accents for the outfit. As a bonus, they are both very versatile pieces that you can wear with different outfits, both dressy and casual. At least that's what Amar told me."

"Wait," Tris said, still staring at the earrings. "Are you telling me that you bought these for me to keep?"

"That's how a gift works," Tobias teased.

"Tobias," Tris argued, "these earrings are at least a carat each. Are they real?"

"Of course they're real," Tobias replied, trying not to be offended by the question.

"Do you know how much these cost?" Tris asked, still in shock. "You could feed a small country with that kind of money."

"Miss Tris," Amar interrupted as he gave her a firm 'we talked about this' look. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but we need to get going."

"Right, sorry," Tris said. She hurried to change from her own silver earrings to the diamond studs, and removed her necklace.

In the elevator on the way to the lobby, Tris spoke again. "I'm sorry if I seemed ungrateful," she said. "No one has ever given me such beautiful and expensive gifts. I don't want to take advantage of you, and to be completely honest I don't feel like I deserve it."

"Did I deserve my inheritance?" Tobias asked rhetorically. "Did you deserve to be born in America instead of somewhere plagued by war and famine? I didn't earn my status in life; all I can do is be responsible with it and help as many people as I can along the way. Right now that means spoiling you as I'm dragging you into the crazy life I lead."

They exited the elevator and got into the waiting car before Tobias spoke again. "Tonight's dinner is about making friends with people my father offended. We're all in shipping, and Marcus refused to cut his profit margins to meet environmental standards that these men wanted. They wanted to lead the way in environmental responsibility, and Marcus told them, quite rudely, that they were going soft and that he would never cut his profits 'for the sake of some fish.'

"Obviously I want to fix that. I want to partner with these people again, for our mutual benefit, and I want to meet the environmental standards that Marcus was unwilling to. In fact, I want to take things further. But I need to rebuild these bridges first. You are warm and kind, Tris. I need that tonight. I need to win them over as a living apology for my father.

"Please, no more talk about my money and buying you things. You deserve the best of everything, and I solemnly promise not to be reckless with my money. Can you trust me in that?"

"Yes," Tris agreed. "But for the record, I would rather help you use your money to help others than shop for myself."

"I would love to do that with you," Tobias said. "But I would also like to mobilize the business community and other people of means so we can all move in the right direction. And to do that, we need to live in their world. Do you understand?"

Tris nodded. "No more money talk," she said. "Tell me about the people who are going to be at dinner."

.

The 'shipping tycoons' as the group of businessmen jokingly called themselves, met on a quarterly basis, and the December meeting in New York was their biggest event of each year. The group started meeting during the second world war, when they faced common challenges in supplies and security. The original group became close friends, and the second and third generations continued to meet.

New members had been added over time, which was how Marcus had gotten involved. He attended only two gatherings before they mutually decided that Eaton Holdings and the shipping tycoons weren't a match. The fact that Tobias was given this second chance was the direct result of his philanthropic work and the responsible business practices he'd put into place since Marcus' death.

The dinner was held in a private dining room at one of New York's prestigious clubs. Tobias gave his name to the host, and they were led through to the private room. A portly gentleman older than Tris' father greeted them at the door.

"Eaton!" he said boisterously. "Good to see you. Who is this?"

"Mr. Weston," Tobias said, shaking the man's hand. "This is my date, Beatrice Prior, from Chicago. Tris, this is John Weston of Westbound Cargo."

"It's nice to meet you," Tris said, offering her hand.

Mr. Weston shook her hand cordially. "It's nice to meet you, Miss Prior," he said. "Did you come all the way to New York just to have dinner with Eaton here?"

"The halfway point between Chicago and Albania is in the middle of the ocean," Tris said. "So New York will have to do."

Weston laughed heartily. "Just how did the two of you meet?" he asked.

"Tris was interning for a foundation in Chicago, and I contacted them rather randomly," Tobias explained. "She was very helpful to me, so when I had business in Chicago, I looked her up."

"You developed a little crush on your penpal, eh boy?" Weston teased.

It was Tris' turn to laugh. "He thought I was a little old lady," she said. "He was just being kind when he contacted me."

Weston laughed again and thumped Tobias on the back. "Usually when people meet strangers on the internet, they think they're getting a pretty young lady and end up with an old creep. You had the opposite experience!"

With the ice broken, John Weston went around introducing Tobias and Tris to everyone. Tobias watched the way people were drawn to Tris as she charmed them with her genuine, friendly nature. Most of the people they met were their parents' age or older. One of the ladies asked about Tris' family, and Tobias held his breath. Though she didn't come from their old money circles, he was pleasantly surprised that they gave her a kind of respectful pass because her father was a minister.

The only people their age at the dinner were Eric Coulter, son of Scottish businessman Sean Coulter, and Eric's fiancee, Lauren. The pair were planning a March wedding, and the elder Coulter brought them along because he was bringing his son more actively into the family business.

Lauren and Tris hit it off instantly. Lauren was English, and her father was a titled English landowner, but more "upper-middle-class" than the wealthy Coulters and their social circle. It was obvious that she and her fiance were head-over-heels in love with one another, but that Lauren was nervous in Eric's world.

Tobias and Eric had known one another in college, but did not get along when they were younger. Eric was known for being a partier and a playboy. He liked fast cars, fast women, hard liquor, and lifting weights. When he met Lauren, everything changed. He'd given up parties and other women, though he continued bodybuilding. He began taking an interest in his family's business. His mother, who had petted and spoiled her only son all his life, discouraged him. She wanted her boy to marry someone of higher social and financial standing. But Eric's father encouraged him to settle down, learn the business, and follow his heart.

The four young people ended up sitting together at dinner. The girls talked about what they'd seen in New York. The men talked about people they both knew, and their shared hobbies. By the time dessert was served, the four of them had arranged to go out to dinner and see a Broadway show together while they were in the city.

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When Amar picked them up at the end of the evening, Tobias was exhausted. The day's business meetings, the pressure to make amends for his father, and the incessant smalltalk was a lot for his introverted nature. He was silent on the way back to the hotel.

With every block Tris got more and more worried. She scrambled to think of what she might have done wrong. Was it my lack of family connections? she wondered. Did I spend too much time with Lauren and not enough time with the older people? All the way to the hotel and up to the suite, Tris fretted.

As soon as they arrived in the suite, Tris slipped off her shoes. Tobias stayed in the living room and stared out the window at the lights of the city while Tris walked down the hall toward her bedroom. She stopped in the doorway and fought the tears that threatened as she looked at Tobias' back.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly.

Tobias' head snapped up, and he looked at Tris in alarmed confusion.

"I'm sorry I wasn't enough," she said, and tried to slip into her room.

"Stop," Tobias ordered. Tris halted in the doorway but didn't look up.

"Beatrice Prior," he said, his voice deadly serious, "you are enough - you're more than enough. You were amazing tonight and everyone loved you. Frankly I don't know how I'll survive another function without you. I actually had fun, and we made friends we plan to see again. I'm, well, I'm exhausted, honestly. It was a long day."

"I didn't… I didn't mess up?" Tris asked timidly.

No sooner were the words out of Tris' mouth than Tobias had her in his arms. The expensive new shoes and clutch bag clattered to the floor as she was swept into his embrace.

"You didn't mess up, Tris," Tobias said. "You were amazing."

"Are you sure?" Tris asked against his chest. "You're not just saying that?"

"Amazing," Tobias repeated.

.

In the darkest part of the night, Tris woke suddenly. She heard a voice calling out in fear, alternately speaking English and Albanian. The only words Tris understood were "no," and "Marcus."

Hopping out of bed, Tris threw her new pink floral bathrobe over her new pink silk nightgown. She hurried across the hall and opened Tobias' bedroom door. Just as she expected, he was in bed thrashing in an obvious nightmare.

"Tobias!" Tris called gently as she crawled up onto the bed. "Tobias, wake up. You're having a nightmare." Tris put her hands on Tobias' shoulders and shook him gently. "Please wake up!"

Tobias jolted awake suddenly. His eyes darted around the room as he gasped for breath.

"It's okay," Tris said. "It's just a dream."

"Just a dream," Tobias repeated in a daze.

Tris brushed her fingers through Tobias' hair, and he pulled her into his arms. He was shaking violently from the nightmare, so she wrapped her arms around him and rubbed his back.

"I'm sorry," Tobias said. "It's just a nightmare."

"I know," Tris replied. "You were dreaming about Marcus."

Tobias sighed and sank into Tris' arms. "Stay with me?" he asked.

"Of course," Tris agreed. She removed her robe, settled in beside Tobias, and reached out to stroke his arm.

"Come here," Tobias said, opening his arms.

Tris smiled and snuggled closer.

"Thank you," Tobias said quietly.

Tris looked up and smiled at him. He smiled back and leaned closer. She looked from Tobias' deep blue eyes to his full lips. He looked into Tris' stormy grey-blue eyes and drew even closer.

Their lips met in a brief, tender kiss, then again more firmly. Tobias pulled Tris to his chest and kissed her again. They kissed until the need for air became too much.

"I've wanted to do that for a while," Tobias admitted, tucking Tris' hair behind her ear.

"Me too," she agreed.