Simply Complicated, page 9
“Here’s to hoping you get off twice today.”
“That is the plan, right?” To have this kind of conversation with the guy I used to obsess about years ago was a little surreal. “But I think we should go back to a hotel.”
“I disagree. Hotels are impersonal and this has to be as personal as possible. It’s sex. You and me. Fucking. With the goal of trying to make you come before or while I’m deep inside you.” The way his voice dipped toward the end made me swallow my breath. “We’re doing this at your place or mine. I vote for your house because you should be comfortable.”
I took everything he said into consideration, and in the end, I agreed with his point. I would feel more comfortable in my space, not that I would be opposed to his house at some point either.
“Okay. Come by my house at six to have sex.”
“Did you just make a joke?”
“I’m in a good mood.”
“Is it because of me?” His question was filled with hope.
“Not particularly.” I only half lied. “I get to work on a 1962 Jaguar XKE Roadster. The customer doesn’t know I’ll be handling the repairs, but Mark and I will keep that little secret.”
“Why?”
“Because he’s one of those guys who doesn’t trust me because I’m a woman.”
“Did he say that to you?” There was an edge to his voice I wasn’t used to hearing. It was something akin to anger.
“That was the gist of it. I had Mark deal with him. No use in losing business because the guy is a prick. Besides, I really wanted to work on his car.”
“I still can’t believe you’re a mechanic. That’s wild. And sexy as hell.”
“If you saw my overalls, you wouldn’t think so.”
“But I know what’s underneath them.”
When I didn’t respond to his comment, he cleared his throat. Not long after, we both spoke at the same time.
“You go,” I urged.
“I was only going to say that I have to get back to practice. I’ll see you at six.”
After we hung up, I focused all my attention on the red Jaguar, hoping it was the distraction I needed to calm the swirl of nerves in my belly.
14
Luke
“I thought you stood me up.” I walked toward Olivia’s Jeep, standing next to her door before she even shut the engine off.
“How would I manage to do that?” she asked, flinging open her door and almost knocking into me. “It’s not like I wouldn’t come home.” She hopped out before turning to reach back in, leaning over and grabbing something off the passenger seat. “A part I was waiting on didn’t come until four. Sorry.”
The dark gray overalls she wore didn’t detract from her scrumptious backside. My hand was already midway through the air before I could stop myself, connecting with her ass cheek seconds later.
“Ow!” she yelled, backing up, and right into my crotch. “What the hell, Luke?”
“It’s those overalls. They got me all hot and bothered.” She glanced down at herself.
“Stop playing.”
“I’ve only just begun.” I followed her to her porch, tapping my foot when she dropped her keys. “I’m horny, woman.”
“It’s not about you, man.”
“Touché.”
Upon entering her house, I noticed a few things were different from the last time I’d been in here. Granted, ten years had passed, and it had been her family home. But now it was all hers, and she’d put her stamp on it. The wall color had gone from a medium-grade taupe to a soft blue, the light hardwood floors and cream-colored couch brightening up the space. As I followed her into her kitchen, noticing the same flooring flowing throughout the downstairs, I stopped to look at the pictures she had hung on the wall. They were all scenic shots, and I had a feeling she was the photographer. She liked to mess around with the camera back in the day, often snapping unflattering pictures of me, mostly when I was goofing off with her, Mark, or Brooke.
“Do you want something to drink?”
“Some water would be great. Hey, did you take these?” Olivia glanced to where I pointed.
“A few years ago. Brooke and I went camping, and I couldn’t pass up the view, or the sunset.”
“They’re really good. But you always had an eye for this.”
“Thanks.”
She released her hair from its messy bun and time slowed as her strands fell around her. Only seconds passed, but it felt like I was staring at her for hours. This woman was stunning, and I held the suspicion she didn’t know how much, if at all. Even in her dirty overalls, she was sexy.
She handed me a glass of water before unzipping the front of her coveralls. I took my cue from her, figuring we were getting right down to it. I managed to unhook my belt with my free hand, but that was as far as I got when she scrunched her face.
“What are you doing?”
My hand stilled on my brown leather belt. “I thought we were getting undressed.”
“I have to throw these in the washer. I have clothes on underneath.”
“Oh.” I failed at hiding the disappointment in my voice.
“You do know I wear something under these, right?”
“I do now.” A guy can fantasize. I moved past her to check out the kitchen, and to get away from the awkwardness of me being a dumbass. “This looks amazing.” The old cabinets had been a cherry color with dark countertops, and there had been a tiny island in the center which barely accommodated two people. She’d switched to white cabinets with a white-and-gray marble countertop, complete with a white subway tile arranged horizontally. The new island fit at least six chairs comfortably.
“My dad and Mark helped with the renovations. Saved me some coin, which I appreciated since I drained a decent amount of my savings on the down payment.” Her eyes roved over the space, the pride on her face evident. “But it’s mine.”
“It’s really nice. I’m assuming the main bedroom is now yours. I bet it’s weird sleeping in a room where your parents probably did all sorts of dirty things.”
“Oh my God. Stop it.” She stepped out of her overalls and tossed them over the back of a chair, leaving her to stand in jeans and a plain pink T-shirt. “I painted the room, changed the carpet, and installed a new vanity and shower in the en suite bathroom. Any evidence of my parents has long since left.”
Wanting to get down to it, I abruptly walked out of the kitchen, down the hall, and headed toward the stairwell, taking them two at a time. I remembered which room was her parents’, now hers. She was hot on my heels, calling my name but I didn’t stop until I entered her room. She was right. The room looked nothing like I remembered, which was good because being reminded of Mr. and Mrs. B wouldn’t be such a good thing, especially not for what I had planned for their daughter.
“Which one of these has your underwear?” I pointed toward the large chest of drawers against the far wall.
“Why?”
“Because I want you to put on something sexy. It’ll help. Trust me.”
“First off, how do you know that?” I parted my lips to answer but she held up her finger. “Never mind. And secondly, I don’t have anything sexy.”
“That can’t be true. Every woman has a few items.” I looked back to the drawers. “Which one?”
On a sigh, she said, “Second one from the top.”
Rooting through the drawer she indicated, there were piles of random pieces strewn about with no organization, which was odd because Olivia was a tidy person. Or at least she had been. One pair after another had either random sayings, such as Love or Superstar, were plain, or had polka dots on them like the ones she wore the other night. She’d told the truth. Not a single sexy item in the entire drawer.
“This is sad.” A pair of her underwear hung from the tip of my finger, but she snatched them from me before I could toss them back inside the dresser.
“They’re comfortable. And besides, who cares what kind of underwear I have? It’s not like I keep them on when I have sex.”
“They do make lingerie for women that’s both comfortable and sexy.”
“And you know this because you wear it a lot?”
“Very funny.” I turned my wrist until my palm was face up. “Come on.”
“Where are we going?”
“Take my hand and I’ll tell you.” I needed to touch her, even in the most innocent of ways. Thankfully, she didn’t make me wait long before she accepted my offer. Tightening my grip, I pulled her from her bedroom, down the hall and descended the stairs.
“You still haven’t told me where you’re dragging me off to. I thought we were going to have sex. Isn’t that the whole point of why you came over?”
“We will. But first, I have to rectify the sad situation that is your panty drawer.”
She tried to dislodge her hand, but I held firm throughout the entire downstairs, and surprisingly she was quiet. But when we neared the front door, she finally opened her mouth.
“I need my purse.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t know where we’re going.”
“Yes, you do.”
Only a moment passed before she caught on. “I’m not going to Victoria’s Secret with you.”
“That’s not where we’re going.”
“Where are you taking me?”
“Ollie.” Her nickname flew from my mouth on a warning. “Grab your keys. You won’t need anything else.” When I opened the front door, she managed to yank her hand from mine, taking several steps to the side. She didn’t utter another word, and even though I had an idea what ran through her mind, I didn’t care. I wanted to run the errand and get back so I could spend hours trying to please her.
“It’s getting late.” Still, she didn’t move. “I’ll toss you over my shoulder if you don’t move that sexy ass of yours.” When Olivia remained frozen in place, I advanced a step and held my arms out, as if I were going to make good on my threat. She finally brushed past me and out the door, being sure to lock up before she descended the steps and headed toward my truck.
“I’m surprised you didn’t insist on driving,” I said, opening the passenger door for her.
“I don’t know where we’re going.”
“You’ll see.”
“I’m not going in there, Luke. No way.”
“You don’t like their stuff?”
“I do. But I’ve browsed their website before, and they are way too expensive. Like a-hundred-and-forty-dollars-for-a-pair-of-underwear expensive.
“If it’s on sale.” The pinch of her brows amused me. “And so what?”
“I’m not spending that kind of money on something I can buy for like ten bucks.”
“You’re not spending anything. I’m buying.”
“No, you’re not.”
“I am.” I seized her wrist and gently hauled her toward the entrance to La Perla. After she glanced around at the other people walking by, she dipped her head, tugged her arm away from me, and stepped over the threshold to the expensive boutique.
A tall, blonde saleswoman dressed in a knee-length black dress approached us right away. Her smile was friendly. Perhaps a bit too friendly toward me, but thankfully she switched her attention to the irritated woman next to me.
“Can I help you find something?”
“No” was all Olivia said, turning back around to leave. Luckily, I snatched her hand before she disappeared on me. The last thing I wanted to do was expend unnecessary energy chasing her down, only to drag her back in here.
“Yes. We’d like to see what you have in….” My voice trailed off as I looked over at Olivia.
“What?”
“You have to give her your sizes.”
With her lips clamped shut, I realized she was going to resist at every turn. I wasn’t an expert on lingerie sizes, but I took a stab at it anyway.
“She’s a 32 B and a large for the bottom.” Olivia sucked in a quick breath, narrowing her eyes at me in either offense or annoyance. I couldn’t readily say.
“A small B,” she mumbled to the saleswoman.
“Okay. Let me gather a few things for you. In the meantime, if you see anything else you like, we can add it to the tray.”
“The tray?” Olivia looked at me as the woman walked around the store, selecting various items.
“She’ll put everything she chooses for you in a tray so you can pick what you want to try on.”
“You’ve done this before I see.”
“Only with one person. And it was years ago. She used to drag me to the store in New York whenever we visited.” She didn’t say as much, but the downturn of her mouth told me she didn’t appreciate hearing about me buying lingerie for another woman. Or maybe I misread her. Either way, it would probably be smart not to reference the experience again.
She walked toward the back wall, trailing her fingers down a white silk robe before flipping the tag over. Her gasp was loud enough for me to hear twenty feet away. I’d been so busy enjoying the sway of her hips as she traveled the space, that her reaction startled me away from the image of bending her over the nearest chair.
With wide eyes and a slightly parted mouth, she shook her head with such vigor, I thought she was going to give herself a headache. I couldn’t help it. I laughed, which only served to irritate her.
She glanced toward the exit, and I was on her before she fled, blocking her from leaving. Gripping her shoulders, I turned her around and ushered her toward the back of the store, where the dressing rooms were located. At least this way, I’d have more time to catch her if she tried to escape again.
“You can go into room two.” The saleswoman had walked up behind us. “There’s a few more items I think would be stunning, but you can start with these.” She walked past us and placed the large tray on a table inside the dressing room she’d instructed us to enter. “You can go in there with her if you want.” A smile tipped her lips but disappeared upon hearing Olivia’s objection.
“Why would he go in with me?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. You’re not together?”
I answered, “Yes,” at the same time Olivia answered, “No.”
The poor woman looked confused and slightly uncomfortable. “She’s playing hard to get,” I corrected.
The saleswoman left without another word, and when I turned my sights to my left, Olivia glared at me.
“You’re not coming in here with me.”
“I am.”
“You’re not,” she argued.
“I am because you’re going to need help, and my feedback. You can get whatever you feel good in, no questions asked, but if you’re on the fence, there’s no need to come out here each time. Besides, I figured you’d feel more comfortable not having perfect strangers see you in your underwear.”
She appeared to give my points some consideration before she stepped aside, giving me adequate space to enter the dressing room.
15
Olivia
How had we gone from Luke rooting through my underwear drawer like he was searching for lost treasure, to standing in the dressing room of one of the most expensive lingerie shops?
Speaking of dressing rooms, this one was larger than my childhood bedroom, complete with flattering lighting, two chairs with a table in between, and mirrors lining each wall. There was even a pair of open-toed heels in my size.
“What do you want to try on first?” He picked up a sheer, red lacy thong, turning it for inspection. Not that there was much to examine. The scrap of expensive material wouldn’t cover much at all. But I supposed that was the point.
I snatched it out of his hand. “If you’re making me do this, I’ll choose what I want to try on.” To drive home my point, I tossed the underwear back onto the pile of items, picking one similar to the red one, only these were black. And the lace detailing was more intricate, although it exposed as much as the one he’d chosen. Placing the item to the side, I kicked off my shoes and socks. Next it was my jeans, but when I’d unzipped them and started to shimmy them down, I asked, “Can you turn around?”
“Why?”
“Because I need some privacy.”
Luke barely gave my request a thought before he said, “No.” He leaned back in his seat, spread his legs, as guys did, and rested his hands on the arms of the seat. “Get on with it, Ollie. We don’t have all night. Remember what we have to get to once we’re done here.”
“Are you ever going to stop calling me that?” I hated to admit it, but the more he used my nickname, the less it aggravated me. But I’d never divulge that information.
“I’m not planning on it.”
After a full ten seconds of an intense stare down, I huffed out my frustration and peeled my jeans off. Afterward, I stalled as to what to take off next.
His expression deadpanned, and I hated that I couldn’t read him. Was he bored already? He was the one who dragged me here, and I hadn’t even tried anything on yet.
“Shirt.”
“Excuse me?”
“Take off your shirt. And lose the bra as well.” I hesitated, but I wasn’t sure why. The man had seen me naked, had fucked me two ways to Sunday, and had his mouth on almost every part of me. Why a bout of shyness crept in now was beyond me. “Now.” The gruffness of his tone sent a shiver through me, and mixed with the serious look on his face, I almost threw myself into his lap.
Giving him my back, a pointless act because there were mirrors everywhere I turned, I gripped the hem of my T-shirt and raised it up my body until the material cleared my head, tossing it to the floor to join my discarded jeans. Next came my bra.
“It certainly is,” he said, and I had no idea what he referred to until it dawned on me that I wore the underwear with Juicy printed across the ass.
I ignored his comment, spun back around, and picked up the black pair I’d initially selected. “Do I leave mine on while I try them?” I’d never tried on underwear before, so this was all new to me.
“You either leave yours on or they have disposable ones you can put on under the black ones.” He pointed toward the corner at the blue packages of panties shelved together. There were all different styles, depending on what someone needed. Thongs, hipsters, bikinis, etc. As I tore into the package, he stopped me. “Better yet, take yours off and put the black ones on. You’re getting them regardless. I just want to see what they look like.”
“That is the plan, right?” To have this kind of conversation with the guy I used to obsess about years ago was a little surreal. “But I think we should go back to a hotel.”
“I disagree. Hotels are impersonal and this has to be as personal as possible. It’s sex. You and me. Fucking. With the goal of trying to make you come before or while I’m deep inside you.” The way his voice dipped toward the end made me swallow my breath. “We’re doing this at your place or mine. I vote for your house because you should be comfortable.”
I took everything he said into consideration, and in the end, I agreed with his point. I would feel more comfortable in my space, not that I would be opposed to his house at some point either.
“Okay. Come by my house at six to have sex.”
“Did you just make a joke?”
“I’m in a good mood.”
“Is it because of me?” His question was filled with hope.
“Not particularly.” I only half lied. “I get to work on a 1962 Jaguar XKE Roadster. The customer doesn’t know I’ll be handling the repairs, but Mark and I will keep that little secret.”
“Why?”
“Because he’s one of those guys who doesn’t trust me because I’m a woman.”
“Did he say that to you?” There was an edge to his voice I wasn’t used to hearing. It was something akin to anger.
“That was the gist of it. I had Mark deal with him. No use in losing business because the guy is a prick. Besides, I really wanted to work on his car.”
“I still can’t believe you’re a mechanic. That’s wild. And sexy as hell.”
“If you saw my overalls, you wouldn’t think so.”
“But I know what’s underneath them.”
When I didn’t respond to his comment, he cleared his throat. Not long after, we both spoke at the same time.
“You go,” I urged.
“I was only going to say that I have to get back to practice. I’ll see you at six.”
After we hung up, I focused all my attention on the red Jaguar, hoping it was the distraction I needed to calm the swirl of nerves in my belly.
14
Luke
“I thought you stood me up.” I walked toward Olivia’s Jeep, standing next to her door before she even shut the engine off.
“How would I manage to do that?” she asked, flinging open her door and almost knocking into me. “It’s not like I wouldn’t come home.” She hopped out before turning to reach back in, leaning over and grabbing something off the passenger seat. “A part I was waiting on didn’t come until four. Sorry.”
The dark gray overalls she wore didn’t detract from her scrumptious backside. My hand was already midway through the air before I could stop myself, connecting with her ass cheek seconds later.
“Ow!” she yelled, backing up, and right into my crotch. “What the hell, Luke?”
“It’s those overalls. They got me all hot and bothered.” She glanced down at herself.
“Stop playing.”
“I’ve only just begun.” I followed her to her porch, tapping my foot when she dropped her keys. “I’m horny, woman.”
“It’s not about you, man.”
“Touché.”
Upon entering her house, I noticed a few things were different from the last time I’d been in here. Granted, ten years had passed, and it had been her family home. But now it was all hers, and she’d put her stamp on it. The wall color had gone from a medium-grade taupe to a soft blue, the light hardwood floors and cream-colored couch brightening up the space. As I followed her into her kitchen, noticing the same flooring flowing throughout the downstairs, I stopped to look at the pictures she had hung on the wall. They were all scenic shots, and I had a feeling she was the photographer. She liked to mess around with the camera back in the day, often snapping unflattering pictures of me, mostly when I was goofing off with her, Mark, or Brooke.
“Do you want something to drink?”
“Some water would be great. Hey, did you take these?” Olivia glanced to where I pointed.
“A few years ago. Brooke and I went camping, and I couldn’t pass up the view, or the sunset.”
“They’re really good. But you always had an eye for this.”
“Thanks.”
She released her hair from its messy bun and time slowed as her strands fell around her. Only seconds passed, but it felt like I was staring at her for hours. This woman was stunning, and I held the suspicion she didn’t know how much, if at all. Even in her dirty overalls, she was sexy.
She handed me a glass of water before unzipping the front of her coveralls. I took my cue from her, figuring we were getting right down to it. I managed to unhook my belt with my free hand, but that was as far as I got when she scrunched her face.
“What are you doing?”
My hand stilled on my brown leather belt. “I thought we were getting undressed.”
“I have to throw these in the washer. I have clothes on underneath.”
“Oh.” I failed at hiding the disappointment in my voice.
“You do know I wear something under these, right?”
“I do now.” A guy can fantasize. I moved past her to check out the kitchen, and to get away from the awkwardness of me being a dumbass. “This looks amazing.” The old cabinets had been a cherry color with dark countertops, and there had been a tiny island in the center which barely accommodated two people. She’d switched to white cabinets with a white-and-gray marble countertop, complete with a white subway tile arranged horizontally. The new island fit at least six chairs comfortably.
“My dad and Mark helped with the renovations. Saved me some coin, which I appreciated since I drained a decent amount of my savings on the down payment.” Her eyes roved over the space, the pride on her face evident. “But it’s mine.”
“It’s really nice. I’m assuming the main bedroom is now yours. I bet it’s weird sleeping in a room where your parents probably did all sorts of dirty things.”
“Oh my God. Stop it.” She stepped out of her overalls and tossed them over the back of a chair, leaving her to stand in jeans and a plain pink T-shirt. “I painted the room, changed the carpet, and installed a new vanity and shower in the en suite bathroom. Any evidence of my parents has long since left.”
Wanting to get down to it, I abruptly walked out of the kitchen, down the hall, and headed toward the stairwell, taking them two at a time. I remembered which room was her parents’, now hers. She was hot on my heels, calling my name but I didn’t stop until I entered her room. She was right. The room looked nothing like I remembered, which was good because being reminded of Mr. and Mrs. B wouldn’t be such a good thing, especially not for what I had planned for their daughter.
“Which one of these has your underwear?” I pointed toward the large chest of drawers against the far wall.
“Why?”
“Because I want you to put on something sexy. It’ll help. Trust me.”
“First off, how do you know that?” I parted my lips to answer but she held up her finger. “Never mind. And secondly, I don’t have anything sexy.”
“That can’t be true. Every woman has a few items.” I looked back to the drawers. “Which one?”
On a sigh, she said, “Second one from the top.”
Rooting through the drawer she indicated, there were piles of random pieces strewn about with no organization, which was odd because Olivia was a tidy person. Or at least she had been. One pair after another had either random sayings, such as Love or Superstar, were plain, or had polka dots on them like the ones she wore the other night. She’d told the truth. Not a single sexy item in the entire drawer.
“This is sad.” A pair of her underwear hung from the tip of my finger, but she snatched them from me before I could toss them back inside the dresser.
“They’re comfortable. And besides, who cares what kind of underwear I have? It’s not like I keep them on when I have sex.”
“They do make lingerie for women that’s both comfortable and sexy.”
“And you know this because you wear it a lot?”
“Very funny.” I turned my wrist until my palm was face up. “Come on.”
“Where are we going?”
“Take my hand and I’ll tell you.” I needed to touch her, even in the most innocent of ways. Thankfully, she didn’t make me wait long before she accepted my offer. Tightening my grip, I pulled her from her bedroom, down the hall and descended the stairs.
“You still haven’t told me where you’re dragging me off to. I thought we were going to have sex. Isn’t that the whole point of why you came over?”
“We will. But first, I have to rectify the sad situation that is your panty drawer.”
She tried to dislodge her hand, but I held firm throughout the entire downstairs, and surprisingly she was quiet. But when we neared the front door, she finally opened her mouth.
“I need my purse.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t know where we’re going.”
“Yes, you do.”
Only a moment passed before she caught on. “I’m not going to Victoria’s Secret with you.”
“That’s not where we’re going.”
“Where are you taking me?”
“Ollie.” Her nickname flew from my mouth on a warning. “Grab your keys. You won’t need anything else.” When I opened the front door, she managed to yank her hand from mine, taking several steps to the side. She didn’t utter another word, and even though I had an idea what ran through her mind, I didn’t care. I wanted to run the errand and get back so I could spend hours trying to please her.
“It’s getting late.” Still, she didn’t move. “I’ll toss you over my shoulder if you don’t move that sexy ass of yours.” When Olivia remained frozen in place, I advanced a step and held my arms out, as if I were going to make good on my threat. She finally brushed past me and out the door, being sure to lock up before she descended the steps and headed toward my truck.
“I’m surprised you didn’t insist on driving,” I said, opening the passenger door for her.
“I don’t know where we’re going.”
“You’ll see.”
“I’m not going in there, Luke. No way.”
“You don’t like their stuff?”
“I do. But I’ve browsed their website before, and they are way too expensive. Like a-hundred-and-forty-dollars-for-a-pair-of-underwear expensive.
“If it’s on sale.” The pinch of her brows amused me. “And so what?”
“I’m not spending that kind of money on something I can buy for like ten bucks.”
“You’re not spending anything. I’m buying.”
“No, you’re not.”
“I am.” I seized her wrist and gently hauled her toward the entrance to La Perla. After she glanced around at the other people walking by, she dipped her head, tugged her arm away from me, and stepped over the threshold to the expensive boutique.
A tall, blonde saleswoman dressed in a knee-length black dress approached us right away. Her smile was friendly. Perhaps a bit too friendly toward me, but thankfully she switched her attention to the irritated woman next to me.
“Can I help you find something?”
“No” was all Olivia said, turning back around to leave. Luckily, I snatched her hand before she disappeared on me. The last thing I wanted to do was expend unnecessary energy chasing her down, only to drag her back in here.
“Yes. We’d like to see what you have in….” My voice trailed off as I looked over at Olivia.
“What?”
“You have to give her your sizes.”
With her lips clamped shut, I realized she was going to resist at every turn. I wasn’t an expert on lingerie sizes, but I took a stab at it anyway.
“She’s a 32 B and a large for the bottom.” Olivia sucked in a quick breath, narrowing her eyes at me in either offense or annoyance. I couldn’t readily say.
“A small B,” she mumbled to the saleswoman.
“Okay. Let me gather a few things for you. In the meantime, if you see anything else you like, we can add it to the tray.”
“The tray?” Olivia looked at me as the woman walked around the store, selecting various items.
“She’ll put everything she chooses for you in a tray so you can pick what you want to try on.”
“You’ve done this before I see.”
“Only with one person. And it was years ago. She used to drag me to the store in New York whenever we visited.” She didn’t say as much, but the downturn of her mouth told me she didn’t appreciate hearing about me buying lingerie for another woman. Or maybe I misread her. Either way, it would probably be smart not to reference the experience again.
She walked toward the back wall, trailing her fingers down a white silk robe before flipping the tag over. Her gasp was loud enough for me to hear twenty feet away. I’d been so busy enjoying the sway of her hips as she traveled the space, that her reaction startled me away from the image of bending her over the nearest chair.
With wide eyes and a slightly parted mouth, she shook her head with such vigor, I thought she was going to give herself a headache. I couldn’t help it. I laughed, which only served to irritate her.
She glanced toward the exit, and I was on her before she fled, blocking her from leaving. Gripping her shoulders, I turned her around and ushered her toward the back of the store, where the dressing rooms were located. At least this way, I’d have more time to catch her if she tried to escape again.
“You can go into room two.” The saleswoman had walked up behind us. “There’s a few more items I think would be stunning, but you can start with these.” She walked past us and placed the large tray on a table inside the dressing room she’d instructed us to enter. “You can go in there with her if you want.” A smile tipped her lips but disappeared upon hearing Olivia’s objection.
“Why would he go in with me?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. You’re not together?”
I answered, “Yes,” at the same time Olivia answered, “No.”
The poor woman looked confused and slightly uncomfortable. “She’s playing hard to get,” I corrected.
The saleswoman left without another word, and when I turned my sights to my left, Olivia glared at me.
“You’re not coming in here with me.”
“I am.”
“You’re not,” she argued.
“I am because you’re going to need help, and my feedback. You can get whatever you feel good in, no questions asked, but if you’re on the fence, there’s no need to come out here each time. Besides, I figured you’d feel more comfortable not having perfect strangers see you in your underwear.”
She appeared to give my points some consideration before she stepped aside, giving me adequate space to enter the dressing room.
15
Olivia
How had we gone from Luke rooting through my underwear drawer like he was searching for lost treasure, to standing in the dressing room of one of the most expensive lingerie shops?
Speaking of dressing rooms, this one was larger than my childhood bedroom, complete with flattering lighting, two chairs with a table in between, and mirrors lining each wall. There was even a pair of open-toed heels in my size.
“What do you want to try on first?” He picked up a sheer, red lacy thong, turning it for inspection. Not that there was much to examine. The scrap of expensive material wouldn’t cover much at all. But I supposed that was the point.
I snatched it out of his hand. “If you’re making me do this, I’ll choose what I want to try on.” To drive home my point, I tossed the underwear back onto the pile of items, picking one similar to the red one, only these were black. And the lace detailing was more intricate, although it exposed as much as the one he’d chosen. Placing the item to the side, I kicked off my shoes and socks. Next it was my jeans, but when I’d unzipped them and started to shimmy them down, I asked, “Can you turn around?”
“Why?”
“Because I need some privacy.”
Luke barely gave my request a thought before he said, “No.” He leaned back in his seat, spread his legs, as guys did, and rested his hands on the arms of the seat. “Get on with it, Ollie. We don’t have all night. Remember what we have to get to once we’re done here.”
“Are you ever going to stop calling me that?” I hated to admit it, but the more he used my nickname, the less it aggravated me. But I’d never divulge that information.
“I’m not planning on it.”
After a full ten seconds of an intense stare down, I huffed out my frustration and peeled my jeans off. Afterward, I stalled as to what to take off next.
His expression deadpanned, and I hated that I couldn’t read him. Was he bored already? He was the one who dragged me here, and I hadn’t even tried anything on yet.
“Shirt.”
“Excuse me?”
“Take off your shirt. And lose the bra as well.” I hesitated, but I wasn’t sure why. The man had seen me naked, had fucked me two ways to Sunday, and had his mouth on almost every part of me. Why a bout of shyness crept in now was beyond me. “Now.” The gruffness of his tone sent a shiver through me, and mixed with the serious look on his face, I almost threw myself into his lap.
Giving him my back, a pointless act because there were mirrors everywhere I turned, I gripped the hem of my T-shirt and raised it up my body until the material cleared my head, tossing it to the floor to join my discarded jeans. Next came my bra.
“It certainly is,” he said, and I had no idea what he referred to until it dawned on me that I wore the underwear with Juicy printed across the ass.
I ignored his comment, spun back around, and picked up the black pair I’d initially selected. “Do I leave mine on while I try them?” I’d never tried on underwear before, so this was all new to me.
“You either leave yours on or they have disposable ones you can put on under the black ones.” He pointed toward the corner at the blue packages of panties shelved together. There were all different styles, depending on what someone needed. Thongs, hipsters, bikinis, etc. As I tore into the package, he stopped me. “Better yet, take yours off and put the black ones on. You’re getting them regardless. I just want to see what they look like.”
