CHAPTER 11

A/N: You have to go to the link, then select the red color in the middle to see Betty's dress here

products/pearl-dress?color=Aurora&gclid=Cj0KCQjww47nBRDlARIsAEJ34blChGumgs1wiUAUhe5vdficdLeQYVvOkiiCIvjjuZg6eT9JY_2EFREaAjLJEALw_wcB

Even though Claire's confession did in fact, clear Bradford's good name, at first, she was arrested and faced jail time herself. Thankfully, because of Betty and Daniel's testimony of the poison perfume's effects, along with Fey's diary, which was essentially the late fashion icon's confession from the grave that she had tried to murder Claire, only things went horribly wrong and the fashion icon ended up dead herself.

Daniel spotted her across the room and smiled. Her testimony had helped convince the jurors that his mother had been out of her right mind at the time when she watched Faye's car run off the road. They believed Betty's crazy, convoluted tale about being out of her mind on the perfume and they agreed with her conviction that Claire Meade was a kind, decent person who fiercely loved her family and wanted to protect them and was only here, because she wanted to face the consequences of her actions, regardless of the outcome and she cared about her husband's reputation even more than her own freedom.

After a champagne brunch in the conference room at Mode, Alexis walked over to Betty and smiled, then hugged her, "Thank you, Betty Suarez! You saved my mom from having to stay in jail just so she didn't feel guilty about letting her dead husband take the blame for her mistake! I know you've obviously been a very good influence on my goofy kid brother there, too! He was never this nice before! Or I wouldn't have been so pissed at him in the first place that I actually considered teaming up with that bitch to kick him out!"

"Try to, you mean! Like you would have been able to even if you wanted to!"

Alexis rolled her eyes, shaking her head as she walked away, "Don't push it, Danny! Just because I agreed for Mom and Betty's sake to play nice with you doesn't mean I think you know how to run all of Meade Publications! Let's be real, here! We both know I still have bigger balls than you!" she held up her hand to cut her brother off, "METAPHORICALLY, you dumbass! Really, Betty, how the hell do you deal with this idiot and manage to make him actually look almost smart? We all know you're the brains behind dumb dumb!"

Betty chuckled, and bit her lower lip, trying hard not to laugh at Daniel's expense, then shrugged, walking closer to her boss and friend and grabbing his hand, and managing a heartfelt look into his beautiful blue eyes, "Daniel's not dumb! And...he's gotten very good at his job, Alexis! You should give him a break! He's been trying very hard and has…"

Daniel smiled but shook his head, and leaned down, whispering as he squeezed her hand, "Thank you. But, it's okay, Betty! You don't have to defend me. Believe me, I'm used to it. She is my brother, after all! I grew up taking shit from him...her, whatever! It's like you and Hilda. Only imagine she was now a guy!"

Betty laughed at the thought, "I'd like to see my sister withOUT being able to show off her boobs!"

Daniel grinned, shrugging, "Actually, maybe you should borrow a few of your sister's outfits once in a while. I wouldn't mind seeing you in...some of them. They'd look better on you, of course. By the way, I really, really, really LOVE the dress you're wearing right now!"

She rolled her eyes, elbowing him as they left the room discreetly while everyone was still celebrating Claire's exoneration, "Hey!"

"What?" he asked innocently, then laughed, "Sorry. I couldn't help myself. You look...great, Betty!"

She blushed, "Thank you. I...do you really like it?" She twirled a bit, enjoying the feel of the flared skirt of the dress, "Christina made it for me. She's a really great designer."

He nodded thoughtfully, "Yeah, she is. But...you make a very cute model, you know. We should feature you in a show sometime."

Betty snorted at that, "Yeah, right! I can just see Wilhelmina's face now when you tell her you want ME to be a model! She'd burst into flames! And Marc and Amanda would die laughing at me!"

He stopped the elevator the moment the doors swished shut on them, and grabbed her by her arms, then lifted up her chin to face him, "Stop it! Right now, Betty! I don't want to hear that crap, okay? You're beautiful! Believe me when I tell you that! You're twenty-two and you're allowed to make a few mistakes."

"Like my poncho on my first day?"

He smiled fondly, "Okay, maybe. Yeah. So what? You've learned since then. That WAS your first day, after all. This was your first job. You're young. It's okay for you to...mess up sometimes. Hey, you're the one who literally hauled my butt out of bars and picked me up and made me care about my job, too, Betty. Don't forget that! There's more to working at Mode than just...wearing the right clothes!"

She laughed, and he chuckled, too, realizing what he had just said, "Okay, fine. Maybe it IS a fashion magazine. But...I'm just saying, give yourself a break. You look fantastic right now! Hell, just wearing contacts makes a world of difference and wearing clothes that are more flattering and uh...okay, I just lost my train of thought…"

Betty raised an eyebrow, "You did? Because of me?"

He gave her a sideways glance and nodded, "Hey, what can I say? You...distracted me with your...intellect!"

"My...intellect? Really?"

"NO! Not really. I can't lie to you, Betty! Honestly you distracted the hell out of me with your boobs in that dress. But it helps!" he stammered, "I mean...it helps that you're so smart! Sorry! I know, I'm a pig!"

She smiled, moving in closer to him, and placing her hands on his chest, making him visibly affected by her touch, "Yes. You are. But...you're a cute pig!"

"Thanks? I think! I am sorry. I know I shouldn't say stuff like that. It's unprofessional. I did agree with Sofia about one thing. She always told me I was wasting your talents as my assistant."

"Thanks. But now that I think about it, she was probably just saying that stuff to make you mad as one of her backwards tactics for trying to…"

"Get into my pants? Yeah, no shit! Well, more accurately, I guess to get me to buy into her whole white picket fence scenario bullshit, but...whatever! It did stick in my gut a little, the stuff she said about me not appreciating what I had in you. She was right about that much, Betty. I HAVE been wasting your talent."

"Daniel, you already gave me a raise and a promotion!"

He winced, "Okay, listen, I have to tell you, being an 'associate editor' is not really…"

"Much of a promotion? Yes, I realize that, Daniel. It doesn't matter. It's still something."

"Now you're making me feel even worse!"

"Don't! But the raise is real, right?"

"Yes, Betty. I'm definitely giving you a raise. And NOT because of...well, anything personal. Just because you deserve it!"

"Okay. Good. Because, actually, I have a GREAT idea! Something that's going to use Christina's talents for design and your talent for...convincing advertisers to back us and...you know, how you charm people with your … um...charms!"

He grinned, thoroughly enjoying her babbling on his account, "My...charms, huh? You really think I'm that charming?"

She turned bright red, obviously getting flustered by him, "Whatever! Cut it out, Daniel. You KNOW you are!" She looked up at him, finding his presence completely and utterly taking her breath away as she stared into the abyss of those damn blue eyes again! What the hell was she going to do about this? The man had made her into an insufferable mess lately!

She literally couldn't think straight anymore around him! All she seemed to want to do lately was kiss the man! And what was worse was...he knew it! It wasn't like she could lie about how she felt. He always seemed to be able to read her mind. She was never any good at hiding her feelings from anybody, especially someone who knew her as well as her own best friend!

He laughed softly, "So?"

"So?" she looked at him, puzzled.

He gave her one of his 'I know I'm so hot looks, "Your...great idea? What is it?"

"OH! Right!" Okay, now who was getting distracted? It seemed she was objectifying her hot boss just as much as he was her. "I was thinking we should...have a fashion show for regular people. You know, normal-sized women. Instead of stick insects."

He thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement, "Yeah. Sure. I get it. You mean like they did in Paris for the fall ready-to-wear line? I liked it! That's actually not a bad idea. We could have people from different jobs come and model for us. Get nurses, maids, teachers…"

Betty raised her eyebrows, "Don't tell me you have a thing for nurses, maids and teachers? Are these going to be 'sexy nurses' playing 'doctor' and maids in one of those stupid French outfits...and teachers who get up on the desk and do a strip tease or something?"

He made a face, "NO! Don't be silly! I didn't even think of that! I...well, okay, NOW I'm thinking of it. But..no! I swear, I just meant ordinary women, alright? Although...don't knock the French thing until you've tried it!"

She hit him, "DANIEL! I'm serious!"

"Sorry! You started it, though, kissy girl!"

"You…ohmygod! Sometimes...you really drive me...crazy, Daniel! You're so…so..."

He grinned his sideways grin that she loved and hated and she shook her head, "FINE! Is this...your way of asking me to...model in the show? I think you know what my answer is if you ask me to wear a biker outfit!"

He looked down shamefully, "I deserve that! You know what, though? I never told you this, but...that day, when you yelled at me? I actually thought...look, don't get mad, but...I really thought you looked kind of hot in that outfit! I mean...your boobs were...okay, sorry! I know! I know. I'm not supposed to talk about…but...your makeup looked really pretty, too.

You were so cute, getting all mad at me like that and basically telling me to shove it in the middle of the street! I swear, part of me wanted to grab you and kiss you right there! But...I know you had every right to be totally pissed at me and you probably would have just slapped me!"

She gave him a look, "Probably?"

He put up both hands, laughing, "Okay, definitely! I know I was a jerk. I should never have treated you like that or put you in that position, feeling bad about yourself next to those stupid glamazons! But you should know...just because you didn't 'fit in' next to them doesn't diminish your beauty, Betty. They're skinny and tall. You're short and curvy. So what? That definitely doesn't make you ugly!

You had glasses before. You still have braces. Who cares? You won't have them forever. Besides, none of that...makes you ugly. Because you aren't. You never were."

She tried her best not to cry as they stepped off the elevator, "You mean

...not to you? Thanks, Daniel. That's sweet, but..." it reminded her of all the times her father had called her "intelligent or sweet" or...something that she understood translated to, "a work in progress". She was tired of always being told she was "pretty on the inside"!

"Not to anyone who isn't stupid or blind! You're unconventional. You don't always make the 'safe' fashion choices. But you're learning. Like I said, you're young. You're allowed to experiment with your style. But I'd say...speaking as a fashion editor, you are...beautiful. You have a great body, when you wear something that doesn't hide that fact, like an ugly poncho!

You have silky, gorgeous hair, as long as you...maintain it and don't stick pencils in it!" he teased.

"HEY! You did that, too!"

He laughed, then touched her cheek softly, "I know. Sorry! I couldn't resist. You have soft, beautiful skin, and...your eyes are so bright and intense, your smile is...well...infectious, even with your braces. Your smile is like 'sunshine on a cloudy day', Betty. And your lips...are...are…" he ran his finger over her bottom lip then leaned down to kiss her soundly, sliding his hands around her waist as she ran hers through his hair, totally caught up in the moment. The man could definitely kiss!