There, seated elegantly at their table and engaged in quiet conversation with an elderly woman he didn't recognize, was Victoria.
She wore a black gown that seemed to have been designed specifically to command attention, the fabric hugging her curves before flowing into a dramatic silhouette, with an off-shoulder neckline that was elegant without being overtly seductive. But it was the thigh-high slit that transformed the dress from merely beautiful to absolutely stunning, offering tantalizing glimpses of her long legs with each subtle movement.
When she looked up at their approach, her blue eyes held that same mysterious depth that had captivated him from their first meeting, but tonight there seemed to be something else there…a sharpness, perhaps, or a tension he couldn't quite identify.
James's heart didn't just skip, it seemed to launch into a rhythm so intense he was certain everyone at the table must be able to hear it thundering in his chest. All his careful preparation, all his hopes for the evening, suddenly crystallized into this single moment of seeing her reaction to his transformation.
"James," Katherine's voice seemed to come from very far away, though she was standing right beside him. "James, are you quite alright?"
He forced himself to focus on Katherine's concerned expression, realizing he'd been staring across the table for several long moments without speaking. "Yes, of course," he said, his voice sounding strange to his own ears. "I just noticed my boss."
Katherine followed his gaze to Victoria with mild interest. "Ah, yes. Victoria Sharp. She certainly has a commanding presence, doesn't she?"
They took their seats, Katherine claiming the chair beside James's while he found himself positioned diagonally across from Victoria, close enough to catch the subtle scent of her perfume when the air conditioning stirred the air, far enough away that any conversation would require raising his voice above the general dinner chatter.
As servers began bringing out the first course, James struggled to maintain his composure under Victoria's occasional glances. Every time he looked up from his plate, he seemed to catch her eyes on him, her expression unreadable but intense. Had she noticed his transformation? Did she approve of the changes he'd made specifically with her in mind?
Katherine, meanwhile, seemed determined to monopolize his attention. She leaned close when she spoke, her fingers finding excuses to brush against his arm during conversation, her smile bright and frequent for the relatively mild humor of his responses.
"Your transformation really is remarkable," she murmured during a lull in the general table conversation, her voice pitched low enough that only he could hear. "There's something almost dangerous about you tonight, in the most attractive way possible."
James felt heat flood his face at the intimate tone of her comment, his ears burning with embarrassment that seemed to make his discomfort at the sudden change somehow more appealing rather than less. He glanced quickly around the table, hoping no one else had overheard Katherine's observation.
His eyes met Victoria's across the table, and something in her dark gaze made his stomach clench with unexpected anxiety. Had she heard Katherine's comment? Had she witnessed his obvious discomfort with the attention?
"You're very kind," he said quietly to Katherine, reaching for his water glass to cover his continued embarrassment.
But Katherine wasn't deterred by his obvious discomfort, if anything, it seemed to encourage her. During the salad course, she reached over and placed her hand over his where it rested beside his wine glass.
"You have such beautiful hands," she said, her voice carrying that same intimate undertone that made his entire body tense. "So elegant and strong. I've always noticed hands on a man, they tell you so much about character."
James felt every muscle in his body go rigid with discomfort. The compliment was delivered with such obvious sensual appreciation that he found himself desperately wishing he could disappear entirely. He gently but firmly withdrew his hand, reaching for his water glass to cover the movement.
"Thank you," he managed his voice barely above a whisper as heat spread from his ears down his neck beneath his collar.
Katherine leaned even closer, apparently interpreting his withdrawal as shyness rather than discomfort. Her breath was warm against his ear as she whispered, "I find everything about you absolutely fascinating tonight, James. That little mole especially. It's like discovering a hidden treasure."
The intimacy of her whisper, the way her lips nearly brushed his ear, made James's entire body tense with overwhelming discomfort. His ears turned an even deeper shade of red, and he could feel the heat spreading down his neck, probably visible above his collar despite his best efforts at composure.
It was at that precise moment as Katherine's whispered words hung in the air between them, as his face burned with embarrassment, as he sat frozen with discomfort, that he looked up and saw Victoria watching him from across the table.
Her expression was carefully neutral, professionally composed, but something in her dark eyes made his stomach drop with a sensation that felt disturbingly like shame. Had she witnessed Katherine's intimate whisper? Had she seen his obvious physical reaction to the unwanted attention?
Worse, still, what conclusions was she drawing from the scene she was observing?
"You seem uncomfortable. I will stop for now," Katherine withdraws with a slight smile, noting his dislike towards forward flirtations.
"So tell me what you think about the details put into…"
Katherine maintained engaging conversation throughout the meal, her intelligence and business acumen making for genuinely interesting discussion. James found himself appreciating her insights while remaining acutely aware of her continued visual appreciation of his appearance, the way her eyes would linger on his hands when he gestured, the small smile that appeared when she caught sight of his revealed mole, the obvious interest in her gaze when she thought he wasn't paying attention.
However, despite Katherine's obvious attractions and engaging personality, James found himself wishing desperately that it were Victoria showing such interest, Victoria's eyes lingering on his carefully chosen appearance, Victoria leaning closer to continue their conversation in more intimate tones.
As dessert was served and the evening began building toward the Petrov's anniversary toasts, James realized with growing clarity that his transformation had succeeded exactly as planned, he was commanding attention, drawing interest, presenting himself as someone worthy of notice.
The problem was that the attention he had crafted so carefully to attract remained frustratingly elusive, watching him from across the table with an expression that revealed nothing of what she might be thinking about the man he'd worked so hard to become for her.
In trying to make Victoria see him differently, James feared he might have succeeded only in making himself visible to everyone except the one person whose opinion truly mattered.