Disclaimer: All characters belong to Cassandra Clare

Clary POV:

Jace: I'll pick you up at 8, beautiful. Don't miss me too much xo

Clary's lip involuntarily curved up into a smile as she read the text Jace had sent her before catching herself. She shouldn't be grinning like a lovestruck fool over a message that Jace, of all people, had sent her. For the past few weeks, Clary and Jace had been going on dates in order to make their engagement look real. Even though their engagement was just a sham, Clary's feelings towards Jace had started to shift. What was once dread at being seen in public with him had turned into a genuine desire to spend time with him. The Jace that Clary had known back in high school was no longer the Jace she was with now. Instead of the cocky womanizer he once was, he proudly took her into his arms, kissed her in front of the cameras, and told anyone who would listen that Clary was his. The way he looked at her with adoration made her heart skip a beat.

The tabloids had already started publishing stories about their relationship. Pictures of them leaving restaurants, movie theaters, vineyards, art exhibitions, and whatnot were circulating the internet and they had been labeled as the hottest new couple. Where many adored and accepted their relationship with open arms, some were spewing hateful stories about them. Not that Clary read any of the stories the media wrote about her because she knew it was all a lie. What the media didn't know was the private conversations, touches, and moments they had on their dates together. They had no idea about the gentle, sweet goodnight kisses they exchanged every night.

Tonight they were attending a charity gala organized by their parents' mutual friend, the Lightwoods'. Most of the employees from their companies were invited as well as other important society members. This would be their first event that they would attend with their families and Clary was both excited and nervous. She had been visiting her father and though he was getting better, he was still very weak and apologized to Clary everyday. Clary sighed remembering their latest conversation.

"You have nothing to apologize for dad," Clary told him. "I am honored to take care of your company for you." She squeezed his hand, reassuringly. "Plus, Jace is not that bad. He is actually very smart and annoyingly too good at his job. I am learning a lot from him, dad. You have nothing to worry about."

"I just want you to be happy, Clary. I do not want you to do anything you do not want to do." her father muses.

"I already signed the contract, dad." Clary says. "I am not backing out." She took this upon herself and she was not going to back down for anything.

Sighing Clary got up to get ready for the event when Isabelle Lightwood stormed into her room holding two gown bags.

"I am so ready to get drunk at this gala!" she says as she drops the bags on the bed along with herself.

"I don't think that's a very good idea." Clary replies and picks up one of the gown bags. "Is this the dress from the boutique we went to last week?" Clary gasps as she opens the bag and sees the black fitted cowl neck satin corset gown. When Clary first saw this dress, she instantly fell in love with it but refrained herself from buying it. This dress was meant for someone who was confident and with the years of bullying, it had taken a long time for Clary to feel comfortable in her own skin. But she was still hesitant.

"Yep. I saw the way you looked at it and I knew you wanted it. So I got it for you," Isabelle beams.

"But this dress is so expensive, Izzy! I thought you were saving your money" Clary looks over at her best friend. Izzy just rolled her eyes at her and said, "Oh please!". Money was never an issue with Clary. She grew up with everything she wanted, thanks to her father, but that didn't stop her from respecting money. Clary hated to spend her money on expensive things that didn't matter and even though this dress was absolutely gorgeous, it was too expensive.

"Don't look at me like that," Izzy rolls her eyes and gives me a devilish smirk. "I didn't buy it," she shrugs and winks at me, "Jace did."

"Jace…? Why would he buy it?" Clary asks. "And how does he know about this?"

"Relax. Remember how I was on FaceTime with Alec when we were shopping? Well Jace was with him and may or may not have turned the camera around so he could look at you. I guess he saw the expression on your face when you looked at the dress and he bought it for you." Izzy explains. "That man is whipped," she laughs.

Dazed, Clary ran her hand through the soft fabric and couldn't ignore the flutter in her heart. Butterflies danced in her stomach at the thought of Jace buying her this dress. A small note peeked out from the hanger of the dress and Clary reached for it.

A beautiful dress for an even beautiful girl

-J

"You are cheesing way too hard right now girl," Izzy laughed as she threw a pillow at Clary.

"Shut up," Clary blushes and throws the pillow back at her.

"Oh. My. God. You like him." Izzy declares. "No…I don't know," Clary whispers.

Izzy's eyes soften and she holds Clary's hand and says, "It's okay to like him, Clary. I know Jace wasn't the best to you in high school, but he has changed a lot. And I can tell you make him happy," she smiles at Clary and continues, "I can see it in his eyes when he looks at you. The way they always light up when you walk into the room, the way they follow your every move, and the way he glares at anyone who touches you," she smiles sadly, "you deserve to be happy too Clary. Let Jace make you happy."

At 8 pm sharp, Jace pulls up at her place to pick her up. Izzy had left an hour ago to help her parents with the gala. Her words about Jace however had struck a nerve. She didn't know what she wanted. But she did know she didn't want to get hurt by Jace anymore. Clary shook her head and locked her door, just as Jace stepped out of his car.

"Fuck. Me." Jace pinned Clary with such intensity that she was rooted to her spot. He ogled her and Clary could see his adam's apple wobble as he swallowed her in. Clary blushed furiously as she saw the slight bulge in his pants. Taking a deep breath she walks over to him until she is standing right in front of him.

"Hi," she whispers.

"You are stunning, baby," Jace places his hands on her hips and pulls her closer until they are breathing each other in. "Fuck baby. You are killing me," Jace goes in to kiss Clary but she covers his lips with her hand.

"Lipstick," she scolds and tries to step back but Jace lets out a growl and yanks her back to him. The moment Clary let out a surprised gasp, Jace lost all control and devoured her mouth. His hand tightened around her hips, while his other hand slid into her silky hair. Clary let out a soft moan as he kneaded her scalp. Satisfied with his kiss, they pulled apart panting.

"You ruined my lipstick," Clary grumbles.

"And I'll do it again," Jace smirks and pecks her lips once more.

Jace opens the passenger door and Clary slides into the seat. Yelping when Jace smacks her ass as she bends to get in. "I don't think I'll be able to keep my hands off of you tonight," Jace ponders for a moment. "Actually, I know I'm not going to keep my hands off of you tonight."

As excitement rushes through Clary, she feels scared. The thought of Jace touching her shouldn't excite her, she tells herself. After all, their relationship isn't real, and Jace is a womanizer who's just trying to get into her pants. But deep down, Clary knows she's wrong. She's scared of getting her hopes crushed, but she also can't deny the feelings that she has for Jace anymore.

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