Page 26
She looked at it longingly but the façade of the trendy little shop reeked of money and she knew she’d never be able to afford the price tag. She sighed. ‘No.’
‘But you want it.’
It wasn’t a question. ‘Yes.’
‘You need a dress for tonight, right?’
Callie nodded. ‘I’ve packed one, though.’
‘Well sure… But you want this one.’
Callie’s teeth sank into her bottom lip as she stared at the dress. There were a lot of things she couldn’t have in life including the man standing right next to her…
‘Come on.’ He grabbed her elbow and tugged her towards the door. ‘You should at least try it on.’
She almost said no as she resisted his tug but then… what the hell, right? What harm could it do, she reasoned, as she let Sebastian drag her into the shop.
The elegant shop assistant, who could have been Marion’s twin sister, gave Callie a polite, perfunctory smile and then leapt to attention as Sebastian swept in behind her, telling the woman Callie wanted to try on the dress in the window.
Callie watched bemused as the boutique owner fell over herself to help. Sebastian was ushered to a plush leather lounge situated in a large sitting area outside the fitting rooms as the owner found the dress in Callie’s size and hung it in a cubicle. She even made him a coffee.
Ensconced in a cubicle she could have thrown a party in, it all felt very surreal. Like a scene from Pretty Woman.
Staring at the dream of a dress, Callie touched it reverently, wanting it but afraid to ruin its crisp perfection by putting her body inside it. Still, it called to her and she couldn’t resist.
The second it floated down over her head, Callie knew she was in serious trouble. She had to have it. The deep purple fabric was satiny cool against her skin, close fitting but moving and stretching with every flex and twist of her body. The strapless bodice was smooth over her breasts and emphasised the thrust of her chest.
She felt like one of those old fashioned screen sirens from the 1940s, the fabric clinging to her hips and her long legs and the contours of her butt. And it draped effortlessly to the floor, the ruffled hem flaring a touch and pooling in a slight train behind her.
It was simply the most stunning thing she’d ever worn.
‘You’re not going to make me come in there, are you?’
Sebastian’s voice brought her out of her daze as Callie stared at herself in the mirror. Her belly heated at the thought of him seeing her in it. It was a dress a woman wore for a man.
Sexy. Slinky. Suggestive. One shimmy of her hips and it’d pool at her feet in a tempting puddle of purple.
She looked at the tag and sighed. ‘It’s too expensive.’
‘Some things are worth it.’
Callie rubbed her hands along the silky fabric knowing he was right but… it was just a dress. She didn’t need it.
It’s just a dress. Maybe if she recited it enough she’d actually start to believe it?
‘It’s just a dress,’ she said, out loud this time.
‘Why don’t you let me be the judge of that?’
Callie was tempted. Very tempted. After all, she was never going to buy it, but admiring herself in the mirror there was a tiny female part of her that yearned for someone else to see her in it too.
Yearned to see a man’s reaction. Even the man outside the curtain who she should definitely not be indulging.
But… screw it. It was too appealing. Taking a breath she reefed the curtain aside and stepped out.
Callie flushed as his thorough gaze travelled all over her, lingering in all the places he already well and truly knew. Her nipples hardened at his frank assessment and, predictably, in a dress that clung like a satin glove, their arousal didn’t go unnoticed.
His gaze zeroed in on her breasts and her breath stuttered to a halt. Standing, he shoved his hands on his hips. ‘Wow.’
