Page 16 of Do It With Me

7

ELLORA

The boutique smelled like roses and expensive perfume. Soft classical music floated through the private fitting room that was larger than at least half of my apartment. This store was ridiculous.

When Holden had said that he’d made an appointment for me here, I’d never even heard of the place. I understood now why that was.

This was not the sort of shop a girl wandered into from the street to check out some dresses for her cousin’s wedding. It was the kind of exclusive boutique frequented by the wives and girlfriends of upper crust to wear to the glittering events hosted by the rich and famous. I absolutely did not belong here.

My best friend, however, fit right in. Mercedes was engaged to a billionaire of her very own these days, and she pressed a fancy champagne flute into my hands before she started rifling through the options the store assistant had pulled for us before we’d even arrived.

“Holden booked this?” she asked, raising an eyebrow at me as she held up a sparkling silver gown. “A private fitting at Ma Cherie. He doesn’t do subtle, does he? It’s literally called My Darling.”

“Apparently not.” I shrugged, trying to appear unfazed and worldly. Sophisticated. Like I wasn’t having heart palpitations after catching just a glimpse of some of these prices on my way in. “I kind of thought he might come, but he isn’t. He said something about a meeting. I feel like it’s probably safer for me this way.”

Mercedes grinned. “Yeah, I don’t think he would’ve appreciated a chaperone.”

I frowned. “What are you talking about?”

She stopped rifling for a moment and turned to face me, both of her eyebrows raising as she held my gaze. “You really don’t know? Oh, my God, Ella. How do you not know? Have you not, like, Googled him? It’s called the Internet and I know that you know how it works. Why haven’t you used it?”

“He’s my professor, Mercedes. I didn’t want to invade his privacy by looking him up. Besides, I don’t really want to know anything other than the fact that he’s paying me to be his date to a wedding. But, uh, what exactly do I need to know?”

She picked up her champagne from an intricately carved wooden stand beside her that I would have loved to have in my shop. After taking a long swig, she ran a hand through her hair, her eyes taking on a faraway glaze for beat. “To be fair, I haven’t looked him up either, but I’ve heard about him. Kody has mentioned him on occasion.”

Butterflies erupted in my stomach. “And?”

“And he’s been playing the field big time since his divorce. Rumor has it that he’s a total sex machine. Plus, he’s rich, gorgeous, and infuriatingly confident. Believe me, I know the type, since I married one. Just be careful with him, okay?”

Nervous laughter bubbled out of me. “Duly noted, but I’m not falling in love with him. I’m just going to a wedding. One night. That’s it.”

“Uh-huh,” she said, giving me a skeptical look. “That’s exactly what they all say, but billionaires are a different breed. Some are super easy to fall in love with, even if you don’t mean for it to happen. Look at Kody and me, for example. Being engaged has been awesome and I love that man more than anything, but at least I knew what I was getting into with him.”

I rolled my eyes. “This is nothing like you and Kody, but fine. If it makes you happy, I’ll promise to be careful. My date is a rich, dangerously charming sex machine, and if I don’t get away from him before the clock strikes precisely twelve, I won’t be able to stop myself from falling in love with him while he rails me from behind. Like only a real charming sex machine would.”

“I absolutely did not phrase it that way, but yes, you got the general spirit.” She sighed, her head shaking before she held a navy blue number out to me. “Make fun of me for it if you want, but try this on while you’re doing it. It’s classic but still sexy. You’ll look amazing.”

I took it from her and headed into the fitting room. As soon as I stepped into the dress and did up the zipper at my side, the soft fabric hugged my curves like nothing else ever had. Once I’d adjusted my boobs in the sweetheart neckline and smoothed out the skirt, even I could admit that it looked damn good.

The contrast between the navy blue and my hair was striking, the combination somehow making the green of my eyes pop. I bit my lip as I tried to hold back an excited squeal. I might not be getting dressed up to fall in love, but getting dressed up in something like this was a pretty invigorating experience all of its own. I took a selfie, feeling myself.

“Damn, girl,” Mercedes said as I stepped out the fitting room, her gaze sweeping over me from head to toe and back again. “You look unreal. Kody and I started at a wedding, you know. If you wear that dress, Holden won’t stand a chance.”

“I’m telling you, this is nothing like you and Kody,” I said, turning side to side in front of the mirror, watching as the silk caught the light. “You two are adorable. You’re soulmates. You finish each other’s sentences.”

“You keep saying that it’s not like me and Kody, but Holden could be your soulmate. It’s not like some kind of magic neon sign flashes above his head as soon as you meet, saying this is the one. It’s a process.”

“Sure, I get that, but you and Kody are perfect together. Holden and I would be like fire and ice. He’s paying me fifty grand to pretend to be his date, specifically not to fall in love with him. The arrogance!”

“Fifty grand? For one night? You didn’t tell me it was that much.” She whistled. “Girl, that’s not a date. That’s a miracle.”

I laughed and stepped back into the fitting room. For the next thirty minutes, I tried on every dress Mercedes stuck through the crack in the curtain. I snapped selfies of each. How many times would I actually get an opportunity like this? I needed to commemorate the occasion.

By the last one, I honestly couldn’t decide which one to go with. They were all gorgeous.

I groaned. “I can’t pick. These are all amazing.”

Mercedes popped her head around the curtain and grinned. “Ask the billionaire. I’m sure he has opinions. They always do.”