“I don’t want to go back in there, Lori.” I stop, shaking my head vehemently.
“Oh, I do!” Lori’s eyebrows dance conspiratorially. “I’vealways wanted my very ownPretty Womanmoment. Come on, baby.”
Huffing a resigned sigh, I follow as she walks through the door to the tune of a much nicer greeting than I received when I walked in here earlier today.
“Hi, there.” The same woman who was horrible to me this morning smiles, but then her gaze lands on me and immediately, her smile falls.
“Can I help you?” she practically grits.
Lori spins around from where she’s studying a display of silk scarves, her stare hard as she looks the woman up and down. “Oh, no thanks, honey,” she says with a saccharinely sweet smile, pulling a Chanel lipstick out of her Birkin. “I just wanted to come in here and wish you luck.”
The woman arches one of her perfect eyebrows. “Wish me…luck?”
Lori nods, and then, gliding the lipstick over her plumped-up lips she says, “On whatever you decide to do next.”
The woman shakes her head, a confused smile pulling at her lips. “I’m sorry, I don’t… understand what you’re?—”
“My husband is a dear, personal friend of Jenson Bellamy,” Lori interjects, before rolling her lips together, making a few smacking sounds as she places the lid onto the lipstick and drops it back into her purse. “And when I tell him about the way you treated…Brookes Devereaux’sgirlfriend this morning”—Lori indicates me, wrapping her arm around my shoulder—“well, I imagine Jenson will be none too happy losing out on all the business that comes through here from the Vista Palms member.”
The sales associate’s jaw falls open as she looks from Lori to me, her gaze dipping down to the plethora of shopping bags I’m struggling to hold.
“Come along, baby girl,” Lori says, tugging me with her back toward the door. Pausing, she throws a smile over her shoulder as she says, “Oh, and I heard through the grapevine that Macy’sover at Gardens Mall is hiring. Good luck.” And, with a wink, Lori walks out of the store with her chin held high, and I can’t help but bite back my smirk, hurrying quickly after her.
CHAPTER 15
BROOKES
Standing by the front door, I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve checked my watch.
“Fuck’s sake.” I drag a hand down over my face with a frustrated sigh. When I knocked on Poppy’s door to tell her to be ready in twenty minutes, I didn’t actually expect her to be ready to go in twenty minutes. And I’m not an asshole. Us men have it easy; we throw on a suit, run some product through our hair, and we’re ready. Women have to deal with lipstick and bras, and, fuck, I don’t know, eyelash curlers. I knew Poppy would take longer than twenty minutes. But now we’re edging closer to forty minutes, and I can’t help but wonder if she’s taking her sweet ass time on purpose.
As if on cue, I hear the telltale click-clack of heels against tile, and I spin around ready to give her a piece of my mind because we are so late and it’s all her fault. But then I catch sight of her, and I snap my mouth shut, forced to grab hold of the wall to steady myself before I fall flat on my dumbstruck face.
Dressed in a long, white, floor-skimming gown with bright watercolors splashed all over it, the silky material gently traces the hourglass outline of her waist and hips without being tight, the strapless top subtly hinting at the generous curve of herbreasts, pretty shoulders, and gentle slope of her neck. What the fuck? This wasn’t part of the deal. She’s not supposed to look like…that. Goddammit.
“Sorry I’m late. I had a whole underwear situation I had to deal with!” Poppy says with a heavy exhale.
I clear my throat, rubbing at the sudden knot pinching painfully in the back of my neck. “Uh… it’s… fine. Let’s… um… get out of here.” I stumble over my own words like a jackass, averting my eyes and reaching for the door.
“You look nice.”
I glance sideways at Poppy. She’s smiling at me, looking me up and down.
“Uh, thanks,” I mutter, clicking the fob for my car.
“Oh, wow. This is yours?”
I turn to see her eyes wide as they take in my Ferrari parked in front of the house.
“Yeah…” I snap my head back when I realize I’m, yet again, checking her out.Dammit, Brookes, eyes forward.
As we approach the car, I hesitate, momentarily deliberating whether or not I should open the door for her. But then, when I’m buried so deep in my own head, I miss the last step and almost go head first into the goddamn hedge, catching myself at the last second.
“Oh my God, are you okay?” Poppy gasps, her hand wrapping around my forearm.
It takes me a moment to collect my wits. More than a moment. An embarrassingly long moment. When I finally snap back to reality, I move so fast I almost trip over my own feet. Again. Thankfully, Poppy lets herself in the car, and I make my way to the driver’s side with gritted teeth.Get your shit together, man.
Sliding into the driver’s seat, I don’t chance even a sideways glance across the car. I can’t risk it. Not now. Not when she looks likethat. Fuck, her scent is bad enough. Has she always smelledlike this, or is it new? Whatever it is, it’s fucking unfortunate, that’s for sure.
