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"First world billionaire problems," I teased.
He gave me a flat stare.
I threw my hand up and turned off the engine. "Fine, sorry. I could use a new outfit. And some matching shoes. And a matching bag." I stopped for a moment and grimaced as I shoved the door open. "Is this where you tell me you'll book me into a salon to have my hair and make-up done?"
"You don't need—" He sighed out his nose. "Yes, that's a good idea. The more you look the part, the more convinced my mother will be."
I locked the limo and followed him into the exclusive boutique. "She saw me. What makes you think she'll buy that we're together?"
"Knowing my mother," Gabriel started searching through the racks of dresses, "she didn't really look at you. And if she did, we'll say we met while you were driving me. I kept hiring you as an excuse to see you."
I grinned. "Sounds legit to me." It sounded like something out of a romantic comedy movie. Maybe Margot Robbie could play me. Ryan Reynolds would make a good Gabriel Ellison.
The real Gabriel Ellison smirked over the top of the rack and pulled out a couple of black dresses. He handed them to me, then dove back in to look for more.
"So, you're not a romantic," I said. I pulled out the swing tag of one of the dresses and glanced at it. My eyes almost popped out of my face. That was more than I made in six months. "Maybe we should work on that. You should send me some flowers."
He stopped and glanced up at me. "Flowers? What for?"
"If I'm going to be your fake girlfriend, then you should send flowers," I said. "Or chocolate. Hell, no reason you can't send both. Just to convince your mother, of course."
"Of course." He went back to looking and handed me two more dresses. Both black. "Try those on. I have no idea about women's sizes, but I remember something about the head of the fashion department for Heart of Fashion saying something about this place catering to a variety of women."
"Yeah, I read that article too." I was surprised he had. Heart of Fashion was a magazine owned by the media arm of Ellison Enterprises. One of the first to move to digital. They'd always been good at embracing change, which was why they were so successful.
"Before you ask, I don't usually read articles on women's fashion," he said. "I like to keep updated with the magazine, and my mother was considering moving into boutiques such as this one. It was just business."
"I'm sure it was," I teased gently. I flashed him a grin before disappearing into the changing rooms.
I half expected the staff to stop me and tell me I wasn't rich enough to even be in the boutique, much less trying on dresses, but they must have recognised Gabriel. Shame he hadn't sent me in by myself, I would have loved to recreate that scene from Pretty Woman.
I quickly stripped and tried on the first dress. It was cute, but slightly too small for my breasts. I placed it back on its hanger and hung it on its hook. The tag swung back and forth a couple of times, reminding me how expensive a small piece of fabric from here was.
What would it be like to be able to afford to shop here? Even if I was rich, I couldn't imagine dropping that much money on anything on a regular basis. That amount of money could feed a lot of hungry people.
I reminded myself that me and my staff would be hungry people without the Ellison account and tried on the second dress. I couldn't reach the zipper, so I held it closed at the back and looked at my reflection.
This one fitted better. It hung to just below my knees. A long slit down one side revealed a lot of my leg. The bodice was decorated with dozens of tiny, glass beads. Although, given the price, they might have been small diamonds.
The dress hugged me in all the right places, showing off my curves and offering just enough cleavage to be enticing without being over the top.
I looked cute, if slightly less comfortable than regular track pants and T-shirt wearing Lexie. I could be this Lexie, just for one night. In spite of being a grump, Gabriel seemed nice enough. Maybe he'd let me show him how to have some fun and loosen up a bit. It wouldn't hurt to try.
I held onto the back of the dress and stepped out of the change room. "Can you zip me up?" I turned around to put my back to him, but not before I saw his eyes widen and darken.
Apparently, he liked what he saw.
He gripped the zipper with one hand and slowly slid it closed. His knuckles grazed the bare skin of my back, all the way to the top, making me shiver slightly. If he kept doing that, I was going to ruin my panties. Maybe he did know how to make a woman scream.
What would he do if I grabbed him by the front of his jacket and pulled him into the change room?
I swallowed and turned around slowly. My gaze dipped to the bulge at the front of his pants. I was right, he felt the same vibe too.
"Thank you," I said.
He looked me up and down. "You look stunning. That dress might have been made for you." His eyes said 'made for me to take it off you,' but he didn't say the words. "You've grown up since we last met."
I was surprised he brought that up. I was starting to think he didn't remember.
