“I appreciate that,” he told whoever was on the phone. “But ours isn’t exactly the type of conversation to be had in the presence of others.”
She started to ask who he was speaking to, but Colt brought an index finger to his lips and shook his head. With a slight huff, Alex turned and started walking back toward the dressing room as Margo reappeared at her side.
“You really want to get his attention?” The pretty redhead’s green eyes sparkled with her confidence as she held out a sparkly red dress for her to try. “Go with this one.” She shot Alex a knowing smirk. “If he doesn’t fall at your feet the second he sees you in this, then trust me, honey. He’s not the man for you.”
Alex looked Colt’s way, but he was too enthralled in his phone conversation to pay either of them any attention.Pretending as if this didn’t bother her in the least, she gave Margo a friendly smile and took garment from her hands before disappearing behind the curtain once more.
The smile vanished the instant she was alone.
“This is ridiculous,” she muttered beneath her breath as she hung the dress onto the nearest hook.
With no right to be as frustrated as she felt, Alex removed the belted dress from her body. She haphazardly returned it to its hanger before reaching for the one Margo had suggested.
This was stupid. It didn’t matter what Colt thought, and at this point, she honestly didn’t care what Gordan thought, either. It was one dinner, and after that, she had zero desire to ever see the disgusting man again. As for Colt, Alex wasn’t sure what it would be like between them once she went back home.
Just pick one already so you can be done with this madness.
She shimmied her way into the dress with a sigh. No longer caring what she looked like for Gordan—or anyone else—she fully expected to consider the dress “nice enough” and be on her merry way.
But the second she caught her reflection in the mirror, Alex’s breath caught and her body froze.
Wow.
The dress was short, tight, and fit her curves like a dream. It was haltered, held in place by a red tie at the nape of her neck as the material draped low in the front. The shallow valley of her cleavage was right there, on full display, but the shimmering material gathered in such a way her breasts were fully covered.
Alex turned in a slow circle, glancing in the mirrorfrom over her shoulder. She smiled when she noticed the way her entire back was left exposed.
Okay, Margo. Points for you.
She ran her palms down over her hips, fully facing her image once more. Unlike the other dresses she’d tried on, this one stopped just shy of passing the old-school fingertips test. But her backside was fully protected—as long as she didn’t bend over.
If he doesn’t fall to his knees when he sees you in this . . .
Alex started to reach for the curtain. She stopped just shy of pulling the thick material back, reconsidering her original thought of checking for Colt’s approval.
She didn’t need it, nor did she need the man’s permission. It wasn’t even his personal money picking up the tab, it was Cole Morris’ via the United States government.
A few short minutes later, the dress was returned to the hanger with care and Alex was back in the comfort of her jeans and loose-fitting shirt.
Checking to ensure the hem of her shirt was tucked in just so, she secured the gold buckle of her black leather belt before taking a seat on the tiny round bench in the corner.
When she was finished putting on her socks and black boots, she stood and peeked through the curtain. Alex was relieved when she spotted Colt standing with his back to her from a few feet away. From what she could tell, he was still on his phone.
“Well?” An awaiting Margo sent her an expectant grin.
“You were right.” She handed the other woman the dress. “I’ll take it and those nude heels I tried on earlier.But try not to let him see it, if you can.” Alex sent an oblivious Colt a sideways glance. “I want to surprise him.”
“Of course, Miss Webb. I’ll put the dress in a garment bag to keep it hidden.” A wide, knowing grin spread across Margo’s pretty face as she added, “You’ve made an excellent choice.”
“Thank you.”
Her personal shopper nodded before disappearing to ring up the sale. Luckily it wasn’t until she was behind the counter and the dress was secured within a black, zippered bag that Colt ended the phone call and turned back her way.
“Sorry.” He walked toward her with a guarded expression. “Find one you like?”
“Actually I did. And you were right about the bling.”
“Yeah?”
