Chapter Text
Sloane’s POV
“M-Me?” my voice comes out in a high-pitched squeak.
My boss, Veronica, rolls her eyes and sighs. “Yes, you. You’re the only one left.”
“B-But—” I stammer, my stomach churning with nerves.
Me work on the infamous actress Lia Zhang’s premiere dress?
“Sloane.” Veronica’s voice is full of exasperation. “She’s rejected all the other tailors I’ve brought. The movie premiere is tomorrow, and she needs her dress done tonight.”
I chew on my lower lip and fiddle with the measuring tape dangling around my neck. “I…”
Lia Zhang is a beautiful, rich, and well-known actress. She does quite well on camera.
Off camera though…
“Sloane, please. You’re my last hope.”
She’s rumored to have a nasty temper.
I take a shaky breath before whispering, “Okay. I’ll do it.”
There’s a 93.5% chance this is going to end horribly.
— 🎬💕🎬💕🎬💕🎬💕 —
I approach Ms. Zhang’s room, my heart pounding painfully fast in my chest. I swallow hard and raise my trembling hand to the wooden door.
Knock. Knock. Knock. Kn—
The door suddenly swings open, and I come face to face with none other than the infamous Lia Zhang herself.
It takes me precisely 2.5 seconds to realize she’s wearing nothing but her white dressing robe, and another 1.2 seconds to realize she’s speaking.
“P-Pardon?” I whisper, trying my best to look anywhere but at the robe she’s wearing.
“Who are you?” she asks, watching me carefully with her sharp, cutting eyes.
“I…”
She looks at me up and down, seemingly forming a decision in her mind. “You’re the tailor. The eighth one Veronica’s sent today, I presume?”
“Ninth actually.” I swallow hard, trying so, so hard to keep my mind focused on the task at hand as a slow grin spreads across her face.
“Well, well,” she purrs. “Let’s see if you’re any better than the other eight idiots who came by here today.”
She swiftly turns, tossing her silky black hair with red streaks over her right shoulder, and saunters into her dressing room. The smell of sweet roses wafts through the room as I hurry after her and gently shut the door behind me. My brain automatically starts cataloguing everything out of habit.
One red and gold velvet couch. One gold mirror hanging from the wall along with one cherry red dressing table covered in makeup supplies. One vase of red and white roses sitting on top of the dressing table along with—
“Ahem!”
I nearly jump as Ms. Zhang clears her throat. “If you’re done examining my room, I’d really like to move to the dress fitting section of the evening.”
“Oh, right! Of course, Ms. Zhang! I’m sorry, I just—”
She lets out a dramatic sigh and waves her hand dismissively. “First of all, it’s Lia. Second, I’d prefer less apologizing and more measuring.”
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
“O-Of course, Ms…Lia.” The name feels foreign on my tongue. “I’ll take a look at the dress.”
“It’s over there.” She gestures to a mannequin wearing a shimmery red shoulderless, floor-length dress with a very high slit. “The last tailor made it far too long and too loose. I want it to be exactly my height and tighter according to my precise measurements.”
I place my tailoring kit on the floor and slip the tape measure off my neck, before realizing…
Crap. I don’t know her exact measurements.
Which meant I would have to…
Take them myself.
I mentally shake my head, internally scolding myself to remain professional.
I’m here as a tailor. Just because she’s pretty doesn’t mean…
“Ms. Lia, could you please stand here in the center of the room?” I force the tremble out of my voice as much as possible. “I’ll…I’ll take your measurements and then alter the dress to your exact specifications.”
Ms. Lia glides down to where I’m standing as I retrieve a notebook and a pencil from my tailoring kit, mentally preparing myself for what I needed to do.
Stay professional. Professional. Professional. Professional.
I measure her height, taking into account the height of her heels, and mentally calculate the length of the dress. I take a few more measurements around her arms and legs to ensure everything fits properly.
Before long, it’s time for the measurement I’m dreading most: her waist and hips.
“Arms up,” I instruct her, my professional mask firmly in place.
She does as told, and I carefully wrap my measuring tape around her body.
“Twenty-six inches,” I mutter under my breath, scribbling the number down in my notes.
Professional.
I shift the measuring tape lower to her hips.
Professional.
Ms. Lia’s gaze meets mine in the mirror as a slow smirk spreads across her face. “You’re quite quiet all of a sudden.”
Professionalprofessionalprofessionalprofessional—
“I don’t like to talk while I’m working,” I reply. “It’s distracting and messes up my precision.”
Ms. Lia hums quietly. “Mm, Veronica praises your work. Says you’re the best out of all her tailors.”
I stop adjusting the tape measure for a moment.
Veronica’s never said anything like that to me before.
“Really?” I whisper, watching her smirk spread into a sharp smile.
“But of course,” she purrs as she meets my eyes in the mirror once more. “Your level of precision is immaculate, darling.”
Darling.
My heart starts pounding in my chest so hard, I’m surprised Ms. Lia can’t hear it.
“I’m not distracting you from your work now, am I?” she replies sweetly with a small tilt of her head.
“N-No!” I blurt out, accidentally releasing the tape measure in the process. I snatch it up before it falls to the floor and quickly scribble down the number before I completely lose my composure.
Ms. Lia raises an eyebrow. “Are you feeling alright, darling? You look a little flushed.”
To my utter horror, I realize my cheeks have become warm at the thought of her being a distraction.
“I…I’m fine. I’ll have your dress ready for you in two-point-three hours, Ms. Lia,” I answer rapidly while shoving things into my kit. I’m in the process of taking the dress off the mannequin when I see her approach.
I can maintain a professional relationship with an actress.
“Tell Veronica that it’s a pleasure doing business with her,” Ms. Lia says sweetly, twirling a strand of red-streaked hair. “And it’s a pleasure doing business with you, Ms. Sloane.”
A completely 100% professional relationship with a pretty actress.
Her dark red lips curl up into a smile. “If I have any other tailoring jobs, I’ll be sure to let you know.”
Because there’s no way I’m attracted to the infamous actress Lia Zhang.