Something tells me that it’s going to be perfect.
I step into it, shimmying the dress up over my hips and slipping my arms through the holes. A quick glance in the mirror confirms my suspicions. Oh yeah, this is going to be flawless.
I reach around and bend my arm so I can zip up the dress. I get halfway before it snags. I pinch my shoulders together and manage to get the zipper up another inch...but it halts again. I look over my shoulder to stare at my back in the mirror. I’m close. There’s barely two inches of zipper left. I try shifting the angle of my shoulders, contorting my arms to get the zipper the rest of the way, but it’s just not budging.
Huffing, I stick my head out the door, searching for Luisa, but the hallway is empty.
“Luisa.” I call her name in a loud whisper and wait.
I bite my bottom lip after a few moments of silence have passed. The woman is nowhere in sight, and I’m not about to start shouting for her. That’s just embarrassing. But is it more embarrassing than what I am about to do? Debatable.
“Aleks?”
There’s no response.
“Aleks.” I whisper his name louder.
“Yeah?” His tall frame pokes around the corner.
“I can’t get the zipper up.”
His eyes crinkle, and it makes his dimple even more pronounced.
“I’ve got you.” Those three words release a handful of butterflies from my stomach.
I open the door wide and spin around so my back faces him.
“Thank you,” I mutter.
I watch him in the reflection of the mirror as he walks up behind me. I feel his hands grasp the top of my dress, the tips of his fingers brushing against my skin, and I have to stop my body from shivering at his touch. I should not be having such a visceral reaction to a guy I barely know.
He zips those last two inches with ease.
“All done.” His hands come up to rest on my shoulders, and they give me a light squeeze. I watch as he tips his head and lowers his jaw to my left ear. His light stubble grazes the base of my neck, and this time I can’t help the shiver that comes over my body. The corner of his lip tweaks up in response to my reaction.
“You look devastating.” His voice comes out low and deep. “Like a goddess dripping in gold, and I’m just an unworthy mortal blinded by your beauty.”
My throat goes dry, and I fight the smile threatening to spill out. I’ve never been complimented in such a poetic way before. It feels like a flower is blossoming in my chest, drinking in his words to feed itself.
I do look hot. Maybe even goddess level.
The dress fits me like a glove, the fishtail shape giving me the illusion of full hips. The gold tones of the dress compliment my olive skin and dark hair. The same hair Aleks is now sweeping off my shoulder.
“You look like sin,” his lips brush against my ear, sending a bolt straight to my core. “I have no doubt in my mind that you are going to tempt every person at that event of yours.”
“Aleks.” His name comes out as a whisper, almost reverent.
He squeezes my shoulders once more, lingering this time, before turning to stand in front of me. He sandwiches himself between me and the mirror before dropping to his knees.
I suck in a deep breath at the sight. This devious man on his knees before me.
“Enjoying the view?” He smirks.
He lifts the hem of my dress, and my heart stops. I swallow deeply, not letting my eyes leave his field of green for a second. Anticipation threads its way through my skin.
“Let me help you put these on.” He reaches for the heels Luisa brought and brings them to my feet.
My heart jolts before setting back on course, and an inferno blazes its way across my cheeks. For the love of all that is sane in this world. My imagination is having a field day today. Horny Stevie needs to go into time out. Did I really think that he was about to get down and dirty in the middle of a luxury department store’s dressing room?
Okay, yes. That is exactly what I thought.
It’s not like I wasn’t fingered in a closet a week ago with another virtual stranger.
Shit. Am I starting a pattern? I can’t even tell if it’s a good or bad one. Whatever pattern it is, it isn’t stopping my pussy from pulsing slightly. I can’t even clutch my thighs to stop the ache without him noticing.
“What are you thinking about up there?” I blink back down at Aleks as he slips my feet into the heels. “Something dirty I hope.”
I’m absolutely boiling, a mixture of lust, confusion, and embarrassment simmering beneath my skin. His fingertips are burning into my ankle, branding me with want. Everything feels too damn close, too sensitive. I need space. I can’t breathe. I take a sudden step back, shoulders crashing into someone. The thin heels do nothing to support me. I feel my balance slip backward, but Aleks shoots up and grabs my wrist, pulling me into his body.
“I’m sensing a pattern here with how clumsy you are. You need someone watching out for you.”
I look up into his eyes, my free hand flattening against his warm chest. His eyes flicker to my mouth, and my eyes flash down as he bites his bottom lip. My own tongue darts out to swipe along my lips, want hot on my breath. His bright eyes darken to a jungle green, and I’m hypnotized by their depth.
“So sorry about that! How’s the dress?”
THIRTEEN
* * *
ALEKS
This woman cannot read a room.
I curb a groan as Stevie pushes off me, the haze clearing from her eyes, as she spins to face the sales associate with a bright smile.
“It’s perfect, thank you.”
The woman hums in delight, fluttering around Stevie for a few seconds, assessing her from various angles.
“I couldn’t agree more. It’s like it was made for you. I can get a garment bag ready and ring you up out front when you’re done.”
“That would be perfect, thank you. I’ll be out shortly.”
The woman lingers for a moment, and I’m three seconds away from barking at her to take the hint and leave.
“Alright. I’ll get it all started.” She nods, eyes slipping to me briefly before leaving us.
Finally.
I rake my gaze over Stevie again. She is beautiful. I was more than ready to kneel at her feet and worship her. A mortal before a goddess. Stevie has an undeniable beauty, the kind that lures you in like a siren call and doesn’t let go. When her tongue flicked out, I had to restrain myself from tangling it with my own. I was seconds away from pushing her against the wall and attacking those plush lips. Honestly, it’s a crime that I have yet to kiss her. The temptation is killing me, making my dick throb.
“Do you mind helping me out of my dress?”
“Not at all.”
I unzip the dress more slowly than necessary, all the way to the base of her back, and allow my thumb to slip and brush a sliver of exposed flesh. She sucks in a small breath at the contact, shoulders tensing. I can smell her arousal building from here, the memory of her release on my tongue rushing through my mind. I swallow deeply.