Everyone agreed to Lukas’s suggestion and quickly began rummaging through the racks, selecting a dress they each liked. Once all the dresses had been gathered, I found my way to the dressing room.
From the storefront, I heard someone call out, “You’ll have to model them for us!” which made me laugh. Isaac, clearly.
A brief hesitation floated through my mind. Was I really going to model these dresses in front of four guys? They weren't just any guys at this point—they were mine.
Mine…that possessiveness startled me a bit as a hungry thought emerged in my mind. Of course, I wanted to model these dresses for them.I wanted to see that hunger in their eyes for me…and only me.
I pushed that thought down as I looked at the first hanging up. The dress was full of sequins and glitter, very short, and very playful. This must have been Lukas’s choice. I slipped it on—it barely covered my cheeks—and stepped out of the dressing room, embarrassed as hell. I slowly walked down the hallway as my face turned red.
As if reading my mind, Isaac shouted again, “Stop being embarrassed and come out here!”
I chuckled, peeking around the corner in Lukas’s dress. Demetrius and Preston were sitting in chairs in front of the viewing area while Isaac leaned against a counter, and Lukas paced along the floor. As soon as they saw me, they whistledand cheered, making me blush even harder. Lukas walked over and took my hand, leading me to the center.
“Perfect!” he said, showing me off. I did a little twirl for him as the fringes at the bottom fanned out. It was a fun dress, almost perfect for a club night out, and suddenly I could see Lukas and me dancing together in a club somewhere.
Demetrius chuckled softly. “Although I agree it looks great on her, it’s not quite appropriate for Thursday’s event.”
I agreed and made my way back to the dressing room. Isaac’s dress was hanging next. It was a dramatic blush red color with a plunging backline and steep V-cut down the front, revealing a lot of side boob. It reminded me of the kind of dresses worn to high fashion art shows—all the glamour with zero practicality. I would definitely need to be taped into this.
I slowly walked out, wearing Isaac’s dress. His eyes lit up upon seeing me. “Absolutely gorgeous,” he said, walking over to me. “This is clearly the dress.”
“I’d have to be taped into this and not move very much,” I chuckled at Isaac over the slight inconvenience of the dress. I did love the way his eyes took me in, though.
“Very sexy, not quite practical.” Demetrius shook his head. “She’d be stuck with very limited movement.”
Back in the dressing room, I looked at the third dress. It was a solid black, skin-tight dress with crystals dazzling thesurface. It whispered a quiet sensuality, so very Preston. I slipped it on and walked out in front of them.
Preston’s eyes smoldered over me as a hungry smile spread across his face. He leaned forward, looking ready to lunge out of his chair. The others agreed as well. It was hard not to like a little black dress.
“That could work,” Demetrius nodded as I turned around for them. My hands raced down the skin-tight sides of the dress before pausing. Maybe I shouldn’t be touching myself in this dress right now. Four hungry eyes were watching my every move.
“There’s one more,” I gestured to the back before slipping away.
Last was the dress Demetrius picked out. It was a classic, elegant, dark maroon gown. The material was soft and felt wonderful against my skin. I pulled on the small straps and gently glided the zipper up along my spine. This dress felt timeless, understated, yet powerful, much like Demetrius. It gave me a burst of confidence.
The boutique fell quiet as I stepped out from the hallway and stood in front of them. I gave a spin before facing Demetrius, who slowly stood as my spinning came to a pause.
He didn’t say anything at first—he just looked at me. His gaze swept from the hem to the hollow of my collarbone, then up to meet my eyes, steady yet full of heat just underthe surface. He slowly walked over, letting his fingers gently graze the curve of my shoulder, then trail down the fabric to my waist.
“I knew it would suit you,” he said just softly enough for only me to hear.
My breath caught as I felt a raw hunger from him.
“I think this one will work best for Thursday,” I responded quietly, looking for approval in his eyes. He slowly gestured in agreement before removing his hands from my waist.
“We’ll take all four. Can you have this one tailored to fit her by Thursday?” Demetrius asked, turning to Lily.
“Shouldn’t be a problem…no charge on the dresses,” Lily said, her excitement barely contained. “I’m just honored to be one of the first…”
I quickly moved back to the dressing room, changed out of my dress, and handed all four to Lily, thanking her again for her time and assistance.
After a brief chat and a wave goodbye, we were back in the car, driving towards my apartment. The jokes resumed from everybody as the SUV was full of laughter about the fitting. Lukas apparently took pictures on his phone of me in each dress and refused to share them with the others before finally giving in. I rolled my eyes with a smile; being near them gave me a sense of calm and completeness I’d never known before.
As soon as we arrived at my building, Demetrius escorted me back to my apartment, as was our routine. He kissed my forehead before leaving me for the evening.
I turned back around once inside and frowned. The loneliness in my apartment was quickly becoming routine as well.
Chapter thirteen
