We went back to the men’s store, and Lorenzo grabbed a pair of black high-end shoes that complemented the high price tag of the suit. “Are we really going to let Kozlov pay for this? It’s quite expensive,” I asked as the clerk was ringing it up.
“He can pay for the suit, but I’ll be buying the dress and the rings.” Lorenzo gave me a crooked smile. “I provide for my wife.” He shot me a wink that I felt right down to my core.
“Maybe I should get another mimosa...or two,” I muttered under my breath, needing something that would calm my nerve endings that were going haywire and short-circuiting my system because of him.
“What was that?” Lorenzo asked, pulling me up short from walking away.
“Nothing.” I smiled innocently. “Time to look for a dress.”
Lorenzo followed me toward the variety of high-end cocktail dresses and took his jeans and black shirt from me so I could look through the display. I pulled out a few in my size, wanting to see how they would fit. I had six dresses pulled before heading to the ladies’ dressing room. Like the men’s, there was a small waiting area outside the dressing room with a comfortable couch.
“Hey,” I gasped when Lorenzo didn’t stop by the couch, but followed me to the inside the smaller room.
“Relax, Princess.” He winked at me. “I’m just checking it out before you start changing.” Once he was assured the room was empty, he went to the couch and sat down. As I was closing the door, a stunningly beautiful woman with long, lush blonde hair and curves in all the right places approached him with a seductive smile.
I could stand and watch what happened, but my gut twisted, not wanting to see her hit on him and his response to it. Where she was curvy with a bounty of breasts, hips, thighs, and ass, I was thin and willowy with barely a C cup and a small speed bump for an ass. She screamed sensuality and sex, whereas my body was barely different from what it had been before I hit puberty–perfect for a dancer.
My heart raced as I started trying on the dresses. The gold, silver, white, and black dresses were all too big in the chest. I loved them, and if I had time, I would have taken any of them and gotten the tops altered to fit me. The blue dress fit okay, but I didn’t feel knockout gorgeous in it. I loved dark green, so I tried that dress on next. The top was a halter and silky with a low V in the front. It was pretty plain up top, but that was because the bottom was perfection. It had different layers of green tulle with a gold lining that barely showed through. The slit went almost up to my hip, giving the dress movement and flow when I walked. When I looked in the mirror, the green made my eyes pop and look even more amber in color.
I squealed when I heard a sudden knock on the door, “I don’t get to see?” Lorenzo’s voice came through the door.
“No. It will be a surprise when we go down to dinner.”
“That’s not fair. You got to choose and see my suit.” His voice gave away his amusement.
“I’ve got the one,” I called out, taking the dress off. “I’ll be out in a minute.” I changed quickly and slid back into my clothes before heading back out to the seating area. Lorenzo was still on the couch, hunched over with his arms resting on his knees as he stared vacantly at the floor. I couldn’t imagine what was going through his head and what he was feeling with the information that Kozlov dropped on him.
“I saw a pair of shoes that will go with the dress perfectly, but if you’d rather, I have some that will work well enough,” I volunteered. I shouldn’t be spending his money, but the truth was, I was afraid to go back to the room and just sit there with him. The longer we stayed out of the room, the less danger my heart was in and the easier it was to resist him.
“Money isn’t an issue, Bianca,” Lorenzo scoffed as he rose. “I’ll buy you the shoes you want. Is there anything else you need besides shoes before we go to the jewelry store?”
I bit my lip and looked away from him. “Yes, but why don’t you go to the jewelry store without me and get a head start. I swear. I will finish up here and go right there. It’s just across the hall.”
Lorenzo’s eyes pierced me as he considered my request. I could feel my cheeks heat with embarrassment, wondering if he knew why I wanted to get rid of him even for a few minutes. Would it even get to the point with him where he would see my underwear? Maybe? He did say “later” when he almost kissed me outside the salon. If we did end up getting to that point, I wanted something sexy to drive him a little crazy. Okay, more than a little crazy. I wanted him to lust after me the way I lusted after him. Anytime he was near, I had to force myself not to look at him.
“Alright,” he finally said after a few minutes studying me. “I’ll give you a few minutes alone, but you come straight to thejewelry store. I’ll be watching for you.” He took his wallet from his pocket, pulled out his black credit card, and handed it to me.
“I thought you didn’t want to be tracked here,” I whispered as I accepted the card.
“I don’t. It’s a card for Lorenzo Reed.” He shrugged. The alias matched the name we had checked in under. Mr. and Mrs. Reed. Tomorrow, I would no longer be Bianca Morelli, but Bianca Vitale.
“Lorenzo?” I asked, taking the card from him. The enormity of what we would be doing tonight hit me like a semi. I was marrying Lorenzo for all the wrong reasons. There were two halves of me, one was excited to marry the man, and the other was terrified that I was going to end up with a broken heart. I would have to remind myself that it was all fake. He was marrying me to protect me, not because he wanted a wife or wanted me to be that wife.
“Yes?” He responded just as softly.
“Am I changing my last name or am I staying Morelli?” It was a ridiculous question, and I don’t know why I thought of it, why I asked it, or even why his answer mattered so much, but it did. I needed to know if I would be legally changing my name or if it would stay the same.
Lorenzo moved toward me, his long legs bringing him right in front of me quickly. I felt his fingers as he cupped the side of my neck and pulled me forward. I could feel his body heat against my body. My nipples hardened in response, and my heart started thundering in my chest louder than a locomotive in my ears. “I would prefer my wife to carry my last name, Bianca. That way, everyone knows who she belongs to and not to touch what’s mine.”
Chapter Ten
Lorenzo
It didn’t take long to find rings for us, and thankfully, they had some in our sizes. If I had more time to plan this, I would have done it right. I would have given her the proposal she deserved, with a ring that she loved, and a wedding she would remember for the rest of her life.
Instead, our proposal was overshadowed by the need to keep her safe from being married off to someone who wouldn’t care for her, wouldn’t love her like she needed and deserved to be loved. If it were anyone else, I would have... Would have done what?
I took a deep breath and stood up from the couch in our suite. I was still in the suit pants, shirt, and vest, but the jacket was hung over the chair, and the tie along with it. When we got back, I’d removed the tie and unbuttoned the collar to keep it from choking me while I waited for Bianca to get ready for dinner.
