“Blue or green.”
“Good to know. Look around, if you see anything you like, grab it and try it on. I’ll be back with some more things for you to try.” She charges off into the store, and I can’t help but laugh. The woman takes her underwear seriously.
About twenty minutes later, I totally regret laughing. Because I can see why she takes it seriously. I’m standing in the dressing room wearing a bra and panty set that makes me feel like I’ve stepped into a dream. It’s a soft green, lacy on the edges with vines embroidered across the fabric. I can just feel the quality, and it’s a whole different experience than wearing the bras and underwear you buy at a department store. Like…a whole other level.
I’ve loved some things and passed on others, but everything that Sage has brought me has been beautiful and tasteful. “Okay,” she calls, “come out here for a sec.”
I put on the robe that the sales girl gave to me and step out of the dressing room. It looks like a movie in here, with a three-way mirror and step stool to see what you’re wearing from every side. Though I can’t imagine doing it with lingerie. Well…I suppose I could imagine that if Nolan were here with me.
My mind spins a fantasy of a private fashion show for him, showing him everything, letting him choose exactly what he wanted to see me in. There’s heat under my skin and in my core, and I realize I’m blushing. I’m not usually one for public displays of—well anything. But the thought of Nolan watching me in our own private fashion show is more than hot. It’s scorching.
Sage’s arms are crossed and she’s standing next to another pile of lingerie, these noticeably skimpier than the ones I’ve been trying up till now. “I think you’re going to want some of these, or at least something like them.” She gives me a face that is somewhere in between amused and stern. “Let me be clear, I have no interest in your sex life. I have no interest in Nolan’s sex life. But I can’t let you come here and not try on some things that aren’t typical underwear, if you know what I mean. I couldn’t care less if you wear them on this trip or not.” She picks up the bundle of bras and baby doll chemises and shoves them into my arms. “Off you go.”
I’m not shocked that Sage has exquisite taste in this area as well. The pieces she’s chosen are sexy—really sexy—but understated in a way that I appreciate. I’ve never been one to flaunt myself sexually. Hell, before Vegas I think it had been more than a year since I had slept with anyone. I appreciate her restraint. I saw some pieces out there that made me blush just looking at them. The most daring piece I try on makes me blush a little, but it looks so good that I can’t bear to say no.
Less than an hour later we leave the store, and I’m the owner of more underwear than I think I’ve ever owned in my life. Well, at least I will be when everything is delivered to Nolan’s apartment. I haven’t had to carry a single shopping bag today. Everything is going to magically appear later. That’s one thing I would love to take with me wherever I go.
The group of reporters has grown to five. A couple of them throw questions towards me as Derek and Sage get me into the car. Luckily the questions are nothing like the ones that they asked me outside my house. As soon as we’re settled, Sage gives the driver another address. “The next stop is the last one, but it’s going to be the longest.”
“Why?”
“I’m outfitting you for your dinner with Nolan. We’ve got to get a dress fitted and pick some jewelry. The hair and make-up people will meet us at the Coldwater Penthouse.”
Umm…what? “Sage, this is ridiculous. He’s already spent a fortune on me. I don’t need a dress. I can put a perfectly nice outfit together from the clothes we just bought.”
She gives me a withering look. “Do you like Nolan?”
The question stops me in my tracks. Do I like him? Of course I like him. — I like him way more than I should. “Yes.”
“Good. I know that you guys met only a couple of days ago, so this is all a little overwhelming, but this is how it is.”
“What do you mean?”
“This,” she says, gesturing around the car. “Nolan Coldwater is one of the richest men on the planet. It’s a very different kind of life, and if you’re with him it’s going to be like this. It’s going to be fancy dresses and black cars and security. It’s going to be having people come to you to do things like your hair and make-up.” She sighs, and her face isn’t unkind. “I’ve worked for Nolan for a long time, even before he was CEO. I’m pretty good at reading people, and I know that you’re not after Nolan for his money. But his money—and the life that comes with it—is part of who he is. If you like him, you need to understand that.”