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The door creaked open, and from the corner of my eye I watched as Hunter’s booted feet came closer and closer. “Hey,” he said, his voice low, that little drop of something more within it. I sidestepped him before he could get his hands on me.
His eyes met mine, a swirling mixture of confusion and curiosity.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I lied. “I just, I need to unpack. And I’m desperate for a shower.”
His lips pursed together, his fingers flexing and fisting. “Okay,” he nodded. “I’ve got some work to do anyway.”
“Okay.”
“But we’re going out to dinner tonight,” he said before turning on his heel and heading back toward the door. “Be ready by seven. That work for you?”
Godammit. I was hoping to just relax and unwind for the evening, maybe leave that reading shit for the next couple of days, but that wasn’t going to happen. We needed to show that we were traveling together and that we liked each other. That we were serious.
“I guess.”
He gave me the most awkward thumbs-up I’d ever seen and closed the door behind him, his footsteps fading quickly. In the peace and quiet of privacy, I unzipped the top of my suitcase and flopped it open to find out exactly how fucked I was.
I lost my goddamn mind. Dana was trying to kill me.
I pulled out item after item, hoping to God that this was a joke and she had put the useful things at the bottom. But all I found at the bottom was hard plastic, confirming it was no joke. In place of the loungewear I’d asked her to pack were different sets of lingerie. Instead of casual clothes, such as comfy shirts and jeans, she’d packed every single tight dress I owned. Only uncomfortable, lacy bras meant for sexy, not support, filled the zipper space along with panties that were practically connected by straps.
It was like she’d spotted every single sexy piece of clothing I owned and packed it. Clearly, she approved of the relationship. I shot her a text message, typing faster than I thought possible.
Very funny.
I scrambled across the bed and grabbed the fluffiest pillow I could find, shoved my face into it, and screamed until my throat ached. Maybe telling him about Jared was a good idea. At least then he probably wouldn’t be overcome with ideas about fucking me into the mattress.
But goddamnit, why did I want him to?
————
After taking a long shower, I took my time applying my makeup and styling my hair. I did everything I could possibly think of before forcing myself to truly evaluate what the fuck I was going to wear to dinner. Staring down at the pile of clothes on the bed, haphazardly strewn in anger, only made my stomach churn.
Food sounded horrible. But what sounded worse was having to walk out into the living space in whatever I could scrounge together, hoping to look somewhat presentable and not like a streetwalker.
I grabbed the least frilly set of lingerie. It was black and strappy with thin bits of fabric that crossed my stomach and chest, but at least it didn’t have any loose bits or extra padding that would stick out under a dress. It was also one of the only complete sets she had packed, and I was going for coverage, not perfection. I slipped a pair of stockings on, clipping them to the garter belt before glancing at the clock by the bed. I needed to hurry up.
The easiest and best choice in terms of dresses was a long-sleeved, black skintight dress. It would give me the most amount of coverage up top, but the bottom hem was super short, barely covering the tops of my stockings. Unless I wanted to be bare from the crest of my breasts upward, it was going to have to do.
I stretched the fabric down as much as possible to try to give it a little more length. I could tell it was going to be a task I would need to repeat over and over throughout the evening.
Thankfully, Dana had done me the decency of packing a collection of somewhat comfortable heels. I settled for a pair of black, strappy ones avoiding the mirror at all costs before stepping out into the living space.
Hunter stood at the window, his back to me, still clad in his suit from earlier that somehow didn’t have a single wrinkle in it. “I know, I know, but honestly, you don’t need to worry about it,” he said into the phone. “The changeover will likely be seamless.”
I cleared my throat to grab his attention.
“Well, no, I don’t exactly know who will be taking over the company yet.” He turned on his heel, holding up a single finger, a silent request for just one second, but the moment his eyes landed on me, everything stopped.
His phone fell to the floor, shattering the screen.
I tightened my grip on my clutch. The way he looked at me made me feel like a deer registering a sound it didn’t quite trust, like prey standing right in front of its predator. His chest didn’t appear to be moving, and I wasn’t entirely sure if he was still breathing.
Every part of my body felt like it was on fire, from my head, to in between my thighs, and down to my fucking toes. There was an invisible pull to him in that moment, one that I couldn’t quite shake. The flame within was attacking me from every angle, and I knew better than to try and fight it.
It wasn’t until I spoke that he finally regained some kind of control.
