Thank you so much for reading and reviewing - I really appreciate it! :) Here's the next installment . . .
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As Daniel watched Betty put the two dozen red roses he had brought her in the vase, he tried to contain his urge to pull her into him with a fervent kiss and make her forget anything she ever knew about launch parties.
Clad in the new curve-accentuating Valentino one strap black cocktail dress he knew his mother had gotten her as a parting gift, along with black Ferragamo stilettos and a red Dior clutch she'd probably snagged from The Closet on Swag Day, she was simply the most intoxicating woman he'd ever laid his eyes on. But he had to control himself if wanted her to even consider taking the next step with him.
In some ways, he found it strange to think about Betty in that way. She had been his best friend for four years, never wavering in her devotion. He had always admired and adored her and knew all along that she was beautiful, but didn't think much about any of it until Hilda's wedding. When she had stepped out of that limo it was like he was eyeing a brilliant actress on the red carpet. He felt the same right then. From the clumsy mismatched girl he had first met, she had grown into this confident, stylish, incredible woman.
Betty waved her hand in front of his face.
"Daniel? If you don't get that goofy grin off of your face and grab your jacket, we're going to be late," she teasingly shook her head and pushed him gently toward the door.
"Sorry, I was just thinking how amazing you look," he shyly admitted.
"Thank you. You look great, too," she smiled humbly as they left.
And she meant it. Daniel really cleaned up nicely - not that he didn't always look great. But that night he looked even sexier, somehow . . . Medium purple Marc Jacobs shirt with the first few buttons undone revealing just enough of his chest to leave her wanting more, black Gucci pants and suit jacket . . . And the way he kept looking at her . . . like he wanted to devour her . . . She needed to stop – it wasn't a good idea to forget her inhibitions a second time without making a solid decision about their future together. It wasn't right and she had to restrain herself – no matter what. It wasn't fair to Daniel or to herself not to . . .
She could hear Daniel's voice calling her back to reality.
"Betty – look out!" he exclaimed as he pulled her back to the sidewalk, out of danger from the car whizzing past them.
"Where were you? You scared the shit out of me!" Daniel freaked out, his heart practically beating out of his chest at the thought of what could have happened to her.
"I-I'm sorry. I was just lost in thought," Betty said, a little shaken.
"Come here," he pulled her soothingly against him. "Do me a favor – if you can't think and pay attention to where you're going at the same time - don't think," he half-joked, affectionately kissing the top of her head.
"Promise," she meekly answered.
God! She was so obsessed with finding the right solution to their situation that she almost killed herself and Daniel in the process. She had to step back from it a little.
"Are you gonna be okay?" he asked, worried.
He'd never known her to be so spaced out.
"I'm fine. Let's go," she assured him.
"Okay . . ." he said, unsure, taking her hand for her own protection.
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"Betty, so pleased you could join us. I believe it will be a wonderful opportunity for you to get acquainted with more of our staff," Lindsay Dunne greeted her as they entered the party's venue.
"Thank you, Lindsay. You remember Daniel Meade?" Betty said.
"Yes. Daniel, good to see you again. My humblest apologies for stealing away one of your best employees," Lindsay good-naturedly replied.
"Betty is incredible and I know she's missed at MODE. But I respect and support her decision. I have faith she'll do amazing things wherever she goes. I only wish her the best," Daniel responded, putting his hand on the small of Betty's back.
"I couldn't agree with you more. Betty is a true gem," Lindsay said.
"Thank you. I promise I won't let either of you down," Betty shyly smiled, embarrassed at all the compliments.
"I presume you're in town on some business with the London branch of MODE?" Lindsay guessed, addressing Daniel's presence in the city.
"Actually, I've stepped down as editor. I'm pursuing different options at the moment," Daniel carefully answered.
Betty felt herself blush and hoped neither man noticed.
"Well, the best of luck. I hope you find what it is you're looking for. If you'll excuse me, I believe Isaac is in need of my assistance," Lindsay said, gesturing to the young man subtly motioning for his help.
Betty and Daniel smiled politely and nodded.
"Thank you . . . for not saying anything about our situation. I think he honestly bought that you came to support me moving here while you're looking for new business prospects," Betty quietly said as she turned to Daniel.
"Why wouldn't he – it's the truth?" he feigned innocence.
Betty judgingly raised an eyebrow.
"Okay . . . maybe not completely. My prospect search isn't entirely business-based," he admitted with a sheepish grin. "Any predictions on the outcome?" he hopefully asked.
"Daniel, please. I'm not trying to lead you on – I swear - but I need more time to think things over. Take this as an opportunity to mingle a little and maybe discover what you'd like to do next in your work life - if you're really serious about quitting MODE," Betty honestly requested, discreetly squeezing his hand.
Daniel couldn't help but resent her skepticism, but found comfort in the fact that she still hadn't flat-out turned him down. He reluctantly nodded.
"I'm going to see if I can talk with Grace Eagan from Escape - she did the most touching and informative piece on orphans in Bosnia," she told him, her eyes lighting up with admiration as she bounded off.
Daniel decided to take Betty's advice; only before he had a chance, someone approached him.
"Aren't you Daniel Meade?" the tall, slender, brunette woman in her mid-twenties inquired.
"Yes," Daniel smiled.
"I'm Anastasia Ashford. It's a pleasure to finally meet you! I've read all about you and am a tremendous fan!" she gushed.
"Thank you," Daniel modestly replied.
He used to love the girls flaunting all over him. But not after he started to care about more than just a good time that never lasted more than a night.
"I probably shouldn't be saying this since I work for a business magazine at Dunne, but I've always wanted to work in a fashion one in New York. MODE has been such an inspiration to me – especially since you became editor – there's something a little more meaningful and less shallow about it, compared to the other fashion magazines. And that bit you wrote about love being 'the one attitude that never goes out of fashion' – it was so touching and true that it made me cry a smidge," Anastasia went on.
"I'm glad you liked it. And I'm sure if you work hard enough, one day, you'll achieve your goal," Daniel said.
"Thank you. That means a lot, coming from you. It's such a shame you stepped down . . . I don't mean to pry, but is the part about your friend true?" she wondered.
Daniel hesitated, not wanting to reveal too much when Betty wasn't near the point of going public. He knew if he admitted to it that Anastasia would be able to figure out who his friend was. Fortunately, Betty came up to him before he could speak.
"Hey, having fun?" she asked, eyeing the perfectly put together woman. "Hi, I'm Betty Suarez – editor of Dunne's new society magazine," she introduced herself.
"Anastasia Ashford – I'm a Features editor for Corporate Chaos. I take it you and Daniel know each other?" she assumed, noticing the casualness with which Betty greeted him.
"Daniel was my boss when I worked for MODE," Betty explained.
"Really? Isn't that a coincidence?" Anastasia smiled.
Betty and Daniel could see the wheels spinning in her head.
"Well, I'd best be going. I promised some friends I'd share a drink with them. It was lovely meeting the both of you," Anastasia hurriedly spoke before taking off.
"Great. So much for keeping this between us," she sighed, noticing Anastasia immediately gossiping with some of the other women, glancing back over at her and Daniel while giggling like a school girl.
"Betty, I promise I didn't say anything to her," Daniel said, rubbing her arm.
"I know. I just don't get how she could jump to that conclusion just because I said I used to work for you," she shook her head in disbelief.
"I don't know," Daniel shrugged, hoping he wouldn't have to bring up the infamous 'letter'. "Come on. Let's give them something else to talk about," he suggested, leading her to the dance floor as the DJ played Human League's 'Don't You Want Me?'.
As Daniel spun her around, Betty soon forgot her reservations about inviting him to a public event. It wasn't like it was New York. London had its own celebrities to gossip about – and she wasn't even close to being one of them.
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"I think you were jealous," Daniel flirted as they walked back to her apartment.
"Jealous? Of what?" Betty questioned, oblivious.
"Of Anastasia," he smiled, gently bumping into her from the side.
"What? I don't think so," she denied it; all the while knowing there was some truth to it.
"Then why did you immediately come back over after talking to Grace Eagan? You told me I needed to mingle," he pointed out.
"Because I-I wanted to see how you were doing. Explaining why you chose to leave a successful magazine isn't easy – believe me – I just went through the same thing," she covered.
"You thought Anastasia was eyeing more than just my business assets and turned fifty shades of green," he grinned.
"Don't flatter yourself, Meade," she rolled her eyes, nervously laughing as she opened her door.
"Can I come in?" he playfully pushed.
"I think you're a little too cocky right now to behave," she flirted.
"And how is that a bad thing?" he teased.
"Daniel . . ." she protested.
"Do I at least get a kiss goodnight?" he pouted.
She reluctantly pecked him on the lips.
"Is that all a guy gets for saving your life?" he asked, incorrigibly.
Betty sighed, but couldn't help but smile at his persistence. She coyly bit her bottom lip in contemplation before slowly leaning in, closing the space between them. She gently latched onto his upper lip, then deepened the kiss, allowing her tongue to battle with his, all the while fighting herself on whether she should really be ignoring her resolve.
"Thank you," she told him, resting her forehead against his as they parted.
"Y-You're welcome," Daniel stuttered.
Damn! She had no idea of the effect she had over him - or maybe she did . . .
"Lunch – tomorrow? Meet me at my hotel suite?" he suggested, brushing his fingers along her cheek.
"Okay," she smiled.
"Great," he smiled back, trying to hide the boyish skip in his step as he left.
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The next morning, Betty stormed down the hall to Daniel's suite and pounded on the door.
"Hey, you're early! Couldn't get enough of me?" he teased, pulling a t-shirt over his head, oblivious to her less-than-pleasant mood.
She stayed silent and flung a tabloid in his face that read: 'MODE Mogul Trashes Career for Affair with Former Assistant', a picture of them dancing at the launch party below it.
"I uh, I might've left a big hint for Anastasia . . ." he nervously began.
Betty gave him an enraged look, demanding him to explain.
Daniel led her to the couch.
"Before I came here, I turned in my last letter as editor . . . I indicated that I had a friend who I wanted to be more. She probably put two and two together, since I was all the way in London and you used to work for me," he revealed.
"You what?" Betty angrily exclaimed. "Daniel, how could you? Now the entire world knows – or at least two countries! Do you have any idea how bad this is?" she berated him.
"I-I'm sorry! I was just saying how I felt. It's not like I mentioned your name," he defended himself.
"You didn't have to, Daniel. Do you have any other female friends who are strictly friends? I can't believe this! Now, I'm trapped – screwed! Jesus, Daniel! If I don't decide I want a relationship with you I'll be labeled a heartless, selfish bitch. And if I do, all I'll be known as is Daniel Meade's girlfriend – not Betty Suarez, competent magazine editor. What the hell were you thinking?" Betty shouted, unable to control her anger.
"You're right. I wasn't thinking. I mean, obviously me being in love with you is a shitty, inconceivable idea. And right now, it's the last thing I wish I was!" he cynically retorted, slinging the latest issue of MODE in her face, before going to the bedroom and slamming the door, leaving her to let herself out.
Betty stood there for a moment, completely flummoxed. Did he just say he was in love with her? She opened the magazine to the editor's page, slumping down on the floor as she read his heartfelt words.
He really was serious about this. All along she had believed he was only missing the relationship they once had and lusting after their one night of passion, carelessly throwing away his career on a whim. But this was real. She hadn't wanted to see it – didn't want to take the risk and be responsible – but she couldn't deny it any longer.
She stood up and brought her hand to the door knob yet hesitated to turn it. Maybe she should let him cool off. It wasn't as if she knew exactly what to say. If she told him she wanted to be with him, he'd accuse her of pitying him. And she wasn't. Now, more than ever, it was clear to her that this was where she belonged – no matter what the outcome.
Afraid Daniel would do something drastic, like go back to New York without saying 'Goodbye', she grabbed a piece of paper and wrote him a note, sliding it under the door before she left. She just hoped he'd read it and listen to her.