“Are you sure you’re okay? You sound—”
“I’m fine, really. Thank you for the money, Hudson.”
“You’re welcome, darlin’.”
Christ.
I press my lips together to make sure I’m not drooling.
“Send me pictures of what you buy. I need something to get me through these bloody skill sheets, they’re driving me round the bend.”
I can’t stop a smile from curling at the edges of my lips at Hudson’s choice of words. If only he knew those exact same words had spilled from Rosie’s mouth earlier when she shoved the red lingerie set at me.
The same set which stares back at me; reflected in the shiny full-length mirror hidden away in the changing room.
I can’t suppose it would hurt to at least try it on.
Trying to hide my smirk in my tone, so Hudson won’t suspect a thing, I agree to sending him a few snaps of whatever I pick up with the generous amount of money he deposited into my account.
Fair is fair, after all.
If he wants to treat me, then it only feels right that I treat him too.
Wishing Hudson good luck with the rest of his skill sheets, I press a kiss to the speaker of my mobile phone before I end the call, throwing my phone back into the depths of my handbag.
Peeling my clothes from my body – first my coat, followed by my cream jumper, my long-sleeved white t-shirt, my leggings, thermal socks and my underwear – I yank the red lingerie set from it’s hanger. I shimmy the mesh knickers up my thighs and loop the bra around my body, clasping it just beneath my chest so I can easily see the hook and eye latch, before spinning it around to sit correctly.
Skimming my hands past my hips, I glance at myself in the full-length mirror, quickly plucking at one of the twisted bra straps to righten it.
Sinking my upper teeth into my bottom lip, I can’t stop but grin to myself.
I look fucking hot.
There’s a rapt three second knock on my changing room door – not really enough time for me to either accept or decline the person on the other side – and then Aurelia is walking in, her hands full of slippery silk, delicate lace and fluffy tulle.
She hardly looks my way as she lines the sets up on the rail, unbothered by my potential nakedness and instead focuses her attention on smoothing out a crease embedded into a rose gold coloured silk nightdress.
“Something like this does crease easily”— she runs her hands over the silk, allowing it to fall through her fingers like water flowing through a stream —“so, it might need steaming or ironing before you wear it. A bit of a pain, I know, but the results are worth it. I remember when I was younger, I used to just steal my older sister’s straightener and—Holy shit.”
I watch Aurelia’s mouth drop as she finally glances over at me.
“You look amazing!” she gushes. “How do you feel?”
I smile at her question; something so simple yet so important.
Dusting my fingertips across the goosebumps rippling across my chest, I peer past Aurelia’s shoulder to look at myself. “I feel really fucking good.”
“That’s what I like to hear! The red looks gorgeous on you against your hair.” She twirls a strand of my pin straight, dark hair around her finger like we’ve known each other for years. “Is it natural?”
“Uh… yeah.”
“God, I would kill for mine to look like this when I wake up, instead, it resembles a bloody bird’s nest! I tried one of thosepopular heatless curler sets the other night, have you seen them? The ones you wrap sections of your hair around?”
“Oh, yeah.” I wrinkle my nose. “Those never work for me.”
“Me neither! I ended up ripping the thing out halfway through the night because there was no way in hell, I was going to be able to get my beauty sleep with the damned thing in my way.”
I huff out a laugh. Aurelia is funny and warm and somebody I could totally see myself becoming friends with.
