Page 73 of Wrecked By a Devil

“Probably, I believe it’s safe to assume so.”

“Do you know where we’re going?” I take a quick look outside and realize we’ve entered the fancy part of town.

“I do.”

“And you’re not going to tell me?”

“Sorry.”

I sigh, giving up on trying to get him to speak.

I return my attention to the box. As I take the lid off, I see a gorgeous designer dress inside. The red fabric is so soft under my fingers, it makes me wonder if I should wash my hands before touching it.

“It’s beautiful…”

Elliott suddenly pulls over at a gas station, taking me by surprise.

“Mr. Zeke was clear about wanting you to wear that dress tonight,” he says, opening the driver’s door. “I’ll be waiting outside until you tell me that you’re done. You can change comfortably inside the car, no one will see you.”

I am just looking at my at my platform sandals, when he says “Look under the seat.” With that, Elliott shuts the door behind him, leaving me alone in the car.

I do as he said and pull out another box from under the car seat. This one is a lot smaller.

“A pair of stilettoes.”

With no excuses left not to, I quickly take my dress off and change into the one Zeke gifted me. The shoes are more comfortable than I expected them to be when I put them one, and they match perfectly with the red dress. I make a mental note to thank Elena for insisting I wear red lipstick tonight instead of the pink I almost chose.

“All done!”

We arrive at the destination in less than ten minutes, my heart dropping when I see Zeke leaning on his car with his hands in the pocket, waiting. He’s wearing an expensive suit, his hair combed back, revealing every sharp line of his hypnotizing features. Eliott opens the door for me and I mumble a quick “thank you” before walking out, unable to take my eyes off Zeke.

His face softens into a smile when he sees me. He walks up to me and wraps one arm firmly around my waist, as he whispers into my ear. “You look stunning, Riley.”

“Does that mean I’m usually ugly?” I joke, unable to hold back the laughter the moment he opens his mouth to respond. “I’m just kidding. Thank you, you’re quite handsome yourself.”

“Shall we?” He moves to the side to allow me to step inside.

The restaurant is even more luxurious than it looked from the outside in. I have to remind myself to play it cool and ignore how sweaty my palms have suddenly gotten. As if he can sense my nervousness, Zeke takes my hand and squeezes it.

I can barely pay any attention to the hostess taking us to our table. It’s only once Zeke orders for us and we’re left alone, that I feel like I can breathe again. “I’ve never been to a place like this.”

He studies me for a moment before the corners of his lips soften into a smile. “You should be celebrating tonight, not worrying.”

“Easy for you to say,” I look around, noticing how elegant everyone is and doing my best not think how much I would standing out if Zeke hadn’t bought this dress for me.

“No,” he shakes his head. “Tonight is about you, Riley. You passed every exam and that deserves more than takeout and a bottle of cheap wine.”

“It was box wine,” I remember his reaction earlier when I suggested we celebrate me passing my exams by ordering takeout and wine. He looked mortified by the idea but I didn’t realize that his idea of a celebration was going to be this… upscale.

“Even worse.”

“A part of me thought you’d get distracted by work and not have time for celebrating.” Heat creeps into my cheeks.

“You really thought I would leave you hanging?” One of his eyebrows lifts and the knot in my stomach loosens just enough for me to smile.

“I guess not.”

His gaze lingers on me for another second before slowly drifting over my dress. “I knew I made the right choice when I bought this dress for you. But there’s one problem with it.”