In His Eyes, I Was Not Her

Synopsis

I sat alone at a corner table in Lumière, one of Manhattan's most exclusive restaurants, where the lighting was deliberately dim to flatter the wealthy patrons who frequented it. My fingers nervously smoothed down the silk of Charlotte's favorite red dress – a Valentino that cost more than three months of my salary. Not that I had much of a salary to speak of. Working as an assistant makeup artist hardly paid the bills, but then again, that wasn't really the point of my employment. Nothing in my life was truly about me. My phone buzzed against the white tablecloth. Charlotte, of course. *Remember, be cold but not rude. Offer the check immediately. Don't engage in conversation. You're there to get rid of him, not make friends.* I slipped the phone back into the designer clutch she'd lent me – another item I'd have to return in pristine condition. Everything in my life was borrowed, even my identity for the evening. The maître d'