She Needs To Play Her Part

By the time Melody finished getting dressed, her hands were shaking. Not because she didn’t look good, but because she looked too good.

The dress Logan had sent fit her like it had been stitched directly onto her body. Soft, flowing fabric that hugged her waist and skimmed her hips without clinging too tightly. Elegant but not loud. Expensive without screaming for attention. The kind of dress that didn’t beg to be noticed yet somehow demanded it anyway.

She stared at herself in the mirror for a long moment, barely recognizing the woman looking back at her.

Was this really her?

Melody Hart, former pastry shop owner who recently got cheated on by the man she was supposed to be walking down the aisle with. Temporarily homeless. And now… a billionaire’s contracted girlfriend, about to attend an art exhibition filled with people who probably had more money in their watches than she had earned in her entire life.

“This is insane,” she whispered to her reflection.

Her phone buzzed on the dresser, Logan was outside her house. She took one last look in the mirror, grabbed her clutch, and slipped the contract folder inside.

“Okay,” she muttered. “You can do this.”

She stepped out of the apartment building into the crisp New York evening. The car was impossible to miss. Logan was already out of it, leaning casually against the driver’s door like he’d stepped straight out of a luxury magazine.

And when he saw her, his smile changed. He straightened immediately and opened the door for her.

“Well, hello, girlfriend,” he said smoothly. “You look beautiful tonight.”

Heat rushed to her cheeks.

“Wow,” she laughed nervously. “Thank you so much for the dress?”

He chuckled. “Thank you for agreeing to come out with me.”

She slid into the car, still smiling.

As he closed the door and walked around to the driver’s side, she caught her reflection in the tinted window and shook her head slightly.

This was happening too fast.

Logan got in and glanced at her again, eyes lingering for just a second longer than necessary.

“You okay?” he asked.

“I think so,” she replied. “I just feel like I’m about to walk into a movie scene I didn’t audition for.”

He smiled. “Relax. It’s just art. Rich people pretending to understand these things.”

She laughed.

Then she remembered.

“Oh wait,” she said quickly, opening her clutch. “The contract.”

Logan raised a brow as she handed it to him. “You signed?”

“Yes,” she said simply. “And I’m waiting for my money.”

He laughed, deep and amused, as he flipped through the pages.

“I admire your honesty.” He reached into the compartment beside him and pulled out an envelope.

Her breath caught when he handed it to her. Inside was a check. A very real one with her name on it. And an amount she’d never seen written next to her name in her entire life.

Her mouth parted slightly.

“Oh my God,” she breathed.

Logan watched her reaction with a faint smile. “Happy?”

She nodded quickly, eyes glossy not from tears, but from sheer disbelief.

“I’ve never held something like this before,” she admitted, carefully sliding it back into her clutch like it might disappear if she blinked too hard.

“Well,” he said as he pulled into traffic, “get used to it. At least for the next six months.”

………..

The gallery was breathtaking.

Tall glass walls. Warm lighting. Elegant music humming softly in the background. People dressed in black, beige, gold, and confidence.

Melody felt small, until Logan reached for her hand. It wasn’t dramatic. Just a simple, grounding gesture. His fingers laced loosely with hers, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

“You okay?” he murmured.

She nodded. “Yeah. I just… this place feels like it costs money to breathe.”

He laughed. “Stick with me.”

As they moved through the gallery, she found herself genuinely fascinated. Some paintings made sense. Others… absolutely did not. She tilted her head at one abstract piece filled with jagged red lines and random splashes of black.

“What do you think the artist was feeling when they painted this?” she asked.

Logan glanced at it thoughtfully. “Probably the earth?”

She snorted before she could stop herself. “You're not serious are you?”

“No I'm not.”

They walked deeper into the gallery and Logan met some old friends. He introduced her to those people, business associates, collectors, investors.

“This is my girlfriend, Melody.”

Each time, her stomach flipped. Right now she wasn't very comfortable with being called a Girlfriend. The word felt strange. And yet exciting because she was Logan Russo’s girlfriend.

When Logan stepped away to greet the artist after saying hello, Melody wandered toward the drink station.

There was so much to drink and she asked for a refill. These wines tasted so good, she bet it would cost so much money. She didn't want to drink so much, she needed to be sober for her sake.

“Hey,” she heard a voice behind her. “You look beautiful.”

She smiled politely. “Thank you.”

“I’m Blake,” he added. “I saw you from across the room and thought… I should say hello.” Blake looked very charming, he looked a decade older than Logan, but he still had that boyish smile, the smile of someone who knows he's a catch.

She opened her mouth to respond, when she felt Logan's arms wrapped around her waist from behind.

“Blake,” Logan said calmly. “Didn’t realize you were coming.”

Blake stiffened instantly, he didn't look too happy to see Logan. “Oh. Logan. I didn’t know she was… with you.”

Logan kissed Melody’s temple casually. Possessively. “This is my girlfriend,” he said. “Melody.”

Blake cleared his throat. “Nice meeting you.”

“You too,” Melody replied kindly.

Blake excused himself quickly. When he was gone, Melody turned to Logan with an annoyed look on her face.

“What was that?”

Logan smirked. “What was what?.”

“You know Blake?”

“I know him, and believe me I just saved you from one of the worst men on earth.”

“What has he done,” she asked, now worried.

“It's better we don't talk about him.” He held her hands and walked her to the human sized painting, some people were gathered around it, they all looked fascinated.

When Melody got closer, she immediately fell in love with the painting. A young nude woman, wearing her hair in a messy bun. She was surrounded by flowers. “This is actually beautiful.”

“You like it?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“It’s expensive.”

“How expensive?”

“About twice what I’m paying you.”

She burst out laughing. “There’s no way any sane person buys that.”

Logan smiled. “They do.”

She shook her head. “Good for them.”

He looked at her thoughtfully. “You want to go somewhere else? Maybe to celebrate with me on my new contract?”

“Hell yeah. I'm down.”

By the time they left the gallery, Melody’s head was spinning. From drinking too much wine. She didn't know if it was a good idea not to go straight home, but she had to be with Logan, to celebrate with him especially after all the money he's paying her.

She needs to play her part.