Muse in Lingerie (Lingerie 1)

There was no guarantee I wouldn’t take her father’s money and fuck her before I returned her.

People did some fucked-up things, after all.

I turned on the TV before I headed down the hall. “Good night.”

Her weak voice followed me. “Good night…”

I could head to the lingerie club I owned and pick up a woman for the night. I could sneak off into a corner there and get a nice blow job in the darkness. She would already be wearing my lingerie so it would be perfect.

But the work didn’t seem worth the reward.

Not when I could just jerk off—and think about someone else.

8

Sapphire

I was back on the stage where I first auditioned with the other nine girls.

Conway stood in the aisle between the two rows of seats. He was several feet below me, but he still felt like the biggest thing in the room. He adjusted his watch before he stripped off his jacket, revealing his musculature in the cream collared shirt. He tossed it onto the nearest chair then slid his hands into his pockets. Straight, rigid, and strong, he stood upright with his chest opened to the stage. A black tie hung down his chest over the buttons of his shirt. The clothes covered most of his skin, but the distinct formation of his strength was outlined in the way the fabric hugged his body. It was tight over his strong biceps and his expansive shoulders. It was ironic he designed clothes for models when he easily could have been a model himself.

The lights were on high like they were last time, so I could actually see him in the audience. I wore a black corset with a sweetheart top and matching black panties. A diamond necklace was placed around my throat, and my brown hair had been teased for volume and curled for texture. Whenever I was done up by his staff, I had to admit I’d never looked better. And his clothes made me feel sexier than I’d ever felt. In the beginning, I was uncomfortable standing nearly naked in front of this man I hardly knew. But once I saw his kindness and generosity, it didn’t feel quite as strange.

“We aren’t leaving until you get this right. So I suggest you give it your best effort.”

Conway Barsetti had more important things to do than babysit me, but yet, he spent most of his time with me. He used me as the basis for his designs, and now he worked with me personally to get my performance down. This building housed dozens of employees. He couldn’t get someone else to do it? “Why is that?”

“Why is what?” He slowly approached the stage, his posture perfect with every step he took.

“Why are you working me like a mule?”

“Because I don’t accept anything less than the best. If you want to wear Barsetti lingerie in front of the world, you’d better be worthy of it. The rest of the girls would kill for this kind of attention.”

“Then why aren’t you using them instead of me?” It was impossible for me to control my smartass remarks. Not taking bullshit was ingrained in my blood. It might get me killed someday. Instead of submitting to Knuckles, I disobeyed him and took off. It was a stupid move, and if he ever caught up with me, I would pay the price. It didn’t matter if I was buck naked on that stage. I refused to let anyone speak to me like I was a household dog.

Conway tilted his head slightly, regarding me with his ice-cold gaze. The silence filled with tension, and at times like this, it seemed as though I could be taking my last breaths. Conway Barsetti was a frightening man, but he was never more frightening than when he stood in complete silence. The anticipation was worse than his actual response. He had more power than I’d seen a single person possess. The models worshiped at his feet, and everyone else in the world respected his unbelievable success. But he never responded to my question, stepping away into a different spot in the audience. “There and back. Go.” He hit a button in his pocket, and the music began.

I straightened my body as best as I could and then walked, moving across the stage while thinking about keeping everything straight and tucked in. My hands were positioned on my hips so I could feel the way my body shook from left to right.

Conway slowly paced down below, his fingertips resting against his smooth chin. He shaved that morning, so the hard lines of his jaw were clearly visible. His rugged knuckles were noticeable too, the way the veins stretched out over his hands. Everything about him was masculine, from the darkness in his eyes to the end of his fingertips. “Straighter.”