“Do you like it?” he asked softly.
“It’s beautiful.” But the price tag dangling from the back was outrageous. “Greg, I can’t—”
“Oh, yes, you can. I told you this gift was selfish. It’s more for me than you.” His eyes gleamed with mischief. “I’ll send it back if it doesn’t fit, but there’s only one way to find out.”
I grasped the sides of the box, not sure what to do. I hadn’t seen the bill tonight at dinner, but it had to be a small fortune, and now this . . . I didn’t want a sugar daddy.
He must have sensed how uneasy all of this made me. He set a hand on my wrist. “There’s more that goes with that.”
“More?” I didn’t know how to feel about what he’d already given me. I mean, I liked it, but was I supposed to? Shouldn’t I feel uncomfortable about it? My mother had raised me to be polite and reject gifts that were too extravagant.
He smirked, and it looked utterly indecent. “You’ll like it, but you have to put that on to find out what it is.”
I swallowed a heavy breath while my gaze traced the intricate lace. I wanted this sexy lingerie and was excited to see how it would look on my body. Even if I demanded he return it, I was pretty sure I wouldn’t let go of the box when he tried to take it from me. But my curiosity was even greater. What else did he have planned?
“Trust me.” His words were laced with enough persuasion, my decision was made.
“Where should I change?” I stood, clutching the box in my hands, my palms clammy. I assumed he didn’t want me to do it in front of him—he’d want the big reveal.
“My bedroom.” His grin was enormous, lighting up his handsome face. “Come back out here when you’re ready.”
I carried my gift into his room, set it on the bed, and quietly shut the door. My heart pounded loudly in my ears as I eyed the box, and my face flushed hot, but I went to it, gripping the sides of my skirt in my hands to take off my dress. When it was done, I laid it gently on the bed, then undid the hooks of my strapless bra.
Every piece of the expensive lingerie he’d given me fit, but it took me a while to put it on. I moved painfully slowly, terrified of getting a run in the black stockings. I’d also never worn a garter belt before, and it took me a minute to figure out how to catch the top of my stocking in the clasp and lock it into place.
As I tugged the panties up over my thighs, a soft knock came from the bedroom door. “How we doing in there?”
I could picture the smile on his lips as Greg stood on the other side of the door.
“Good, but I need another minute,” I said. “So many straps,” I muttered under my breath.
When I had it all on, I stepped into the shoes Lilith had lent me, doing the delicate buckles around my ankles, then strutted into the bathroom where a full-length mirror hung on his closet door.
Jesus.
The pale pink mesh of the bra, panties, and garter belt matched my skin tone. It was see-through, so the coins of my darker nipples were faintly visible. In contrast, the black lace trim drew lines on my body, crisscrossing below my waist and leading down into the straps that held the black tops of my stockings up.
I peered at the girl in the mirror and barely recognized her. I wanted to be the brunette sex kitten who was staring back at me. Her legs looked long and beautiful wrapped in black silk and ended in those fuck-me stilettos. She wasn’t a teenager, she was in her twenties now, and she was about to walk out of this room, greet her boyfriend, and thank him properly for the evening.
It was darker in the living room than when I’d left it. He’d turned off the lights, but more than a dozen candles flickered around the room, from the side tables, the bookcases, and the fireplace mantel. They cast a warm glow in the space, and wavering shadows up onto the walls.
His sharp intake of breath pulled my attention away from the room and set it firmly on him. He was still wearing his fitted gray suit and was just as breathtaking to me as I seemed to be to him. My heart fumbled along in my chest as his gaze raked over me, taking in every inch of lace and tulle adorning my curves. His lips parted, like he was going to say something, but he only drew in another breath. His expression dripped with unabashed lust.
Finally, his broad shoulders straightened inside his suit coat, and Greg appeared to recover, although his voice was breathless. “You look fucking amazing.”