He stands in the doorway for a moment. He looks angry, and I brace myself for whatever that might mean.
“Do you want help,” he asks, “or do you prefer to keep struggling with it?”
“Help,” I say quietly. I close my eyes as I turn away so he can reach my back, wondering if he can hear my heart pounding.
I feel his hands at the hooks between my shoulder blades, and I wonder if he can even release the tiny clasps with his big fingers. I glance sideways at the mirror, but it’s small, and the angle is wrong. I can’t see what he’s doing.
I close my eyes again and try to feel what he’s doing instead. There’s a slight tug as the satin ribbon is untied, and then the dress begins to loosen from top to bottom as he works each hook in turn. The shoulders of the dress sag down my arms a bit, and Deklan places his hand at the back of my neck.
I don’t move. I don’t even breathe. Maybe I was wrong, and he’s not going to fuck me first. Maybe he doesn’t like me, and he’s just going to snap my neck right now.
He rubs the back of my neck for a moment, and then I feel him trail his finger down my bare back, stopping at my waist, just above the curve of my ass. I think his finger is right at the edge of my lacy, white panties, and I can hear his breath becoming heavier.
“Is that better?” he asks. His voice is soft and gruff.
“Yes.” I can feel the heat from his body at my bare back, but he’s still only touching me with his finger.
“Do you want more help?”
“I think I can manage.”
“I’ll be close by if you need anything else.”
“Okay.”
He walks out, closing the door behind him while I wonder why I didn’t ask him for a toothbrush. I rummage through the bag again, but there isn’t a little zippered pocket or anything like that inside of it, and my dress is trying to fall right off of me as I move.
With a deep breath, I stand and slip the dress from my body. Behind the bathroom door is a hook, and I hang the dress there, smoothing it slightly before stepping away and grabbing the lingerie from its box.
Ditching my bra and panties, I replace them with the white silk. Though it covers me from the top of my breasts to the top of my thighs, it’s practically see-though.
I squeeze my eyes shut, but when I open them, I’m staring into the mirror again. My dark hair is piled on top of my head with a ton of pins and another ribbon. Should I take them all out?
If I do, my hair will be a disaster, and I have no hairbrush. There’s no way Deklan’s simple comb will leave me with anything other than frizz, so I decide to just leave it as it is.
With a final, deep breath, I open the bathroom door. Deklan isn’t in the hallway, but I hear him in the next room. The door is open, so I walk in.
Much like the rest of the apartment, Deklan’s bedroom is plain and undecorated. The only thing of note—and it’s a big note—is the bed. It’s huge. It’s bigger than any king-size bed I have ever seen. It’s covered with a duvet, and there are six pillows on it. It looks like he just went into a nice department store and bought the display.
Maybe he did.
Deklan is standing by the dresser, depositing his watch and wallet onto a small tray. His gun is in its holster sitting next to the tray. He’s ditched his bowtie and cummerbund, and his shirt is untucked. Deklan has his back to me, and I watch him for a moment as he stares at his left hand, silently rotating the platinum band around his finger.
I take another step into the room, and he turns.
“Sweet Jesus.” Deklan’s eyes go wide as he gawks, and I feel my face go red. His gaze travels from my face to my bare feet and then back again. Deklan licks his lips as he takes a predatory step toward me.
I stiffen and keep my eyes focused on the floor in front of me.
He looks like he’s about to say something, but he doesn’t. Instead, he leans down and presses his lips against mine. I close my eyes and tilt my head up as I feel his hand move around the back of my neck. He puts more pressure against my lips as I place my hands tentatively on his waist.
I open my mouth, allowing his tongue access to mine. His hand grips my head and neck as he deepens the kiss. I stay still, not returning the kiss. I can’t move. All I can think about is the lack of a toothbrush.
Deklan pulls back, and I open my eyes. His eyes are narrowed as he looks me over and sighs again.
“Kera, we don’t have to do this tonight.”
“Yes, we do.”