Page 27 of Skin Trade

“You know, I could do anything to you for this. Anything I wanted.” He said the last part in slow, easy words, and her heart betrayed her and thudded, sending shivers all the way through her insides. She grimaced with it. If it could just stop.

“Then maybe you should get it over with so I can go back to my room.” She didn’t mean to snap, but it came out that way. Her anger was at herself, and not at him. She was stronger than this, better than this.

He arched a brow. “Get it over with?”

She met his gaze fiercely this time, staring down the danger in front of her. If he was going to threaten her, going to punish her, then no, she wasn’t going to go down like a scared little girl. She’d fight, like a woman with a will to live.

But he did the one damn thing that was sure to knock her off balance. He kissed her. He kissed her damn hard like he had every right to. She gasped against his mouth, almost buckled at his touch. His hand slid down to cup her backside, the other rested on the wall beside her head. He took her mouth and claimed it for his own. As she sank into the kiss, he moved his hand from her backside and cupped the back of her head. He bit down on her lower lip, sucked it into his mouth and pinned her against the wall with the solidness of his body.

She was a slave to him right then. She could have told herself to move, but there was no way her body was going to listen to her. Her toes curled; the beating of her heart sent waves of heat through her body as Seth took control. She hadn’t even realised she’d fallen into it, until the palms of her hands hit the hard wall of his chest. Perhaps she was meaning to push him away, but she didn’t.

A fire burnt in her belly, deep, rich, so much heat going through her as if by that single kiss he could breathe life into her.

“I can scent your arousal,” he said, nipping along her jaw. “I bet if I slid my hand down, you’d be wet.”

Her breath caught. “No,” she said. But it was a lie, a big fat lie she knew he’d never believe.

He dipped his head down into the soft curve of her neck and bit. A strong bite to keep her still, but gentle enough he didn’t piece her skin. It didn’t matter. It still sent sparks of electricity through her body and she curled her hands into fists against his chest, bunching the fabric of his waistcoat with it.

Just as fast as he had come to her and claimed her mouth, he let her go. The only reason she breathed was because it was a natural function her body did without thinking. He backed away from her and straightened his jacket in such a way, that if any other man had done that after a kiss like he’d just given her, she’d have stormed out of the room. But she couldn’t move, couldn’t even speak. Her lips were on fire from each blazing caress.

“I need you ready in an hour,” he said. He’d already gone to the computer, his back to her. “There is a boutique on the ground floor. Ask Sky to take you there and pick something out.”

“Something?” She could barely speak. Her word came out as strangled sound.

“Yes. You are to accompany me to a meeting this evening. I need you looking perfect.” He turned, eyed her up and down, slowly, and the way he looked at her sent shivers through her body. “Dress like you intend for every man who sees you to stop and stare.”

Chapter Eighteen

“Do you think it’s too much? I mean, if I lean forward like this, everything’s going to fall out.”

Sky stood back, hands on her hips. “I like it. It’s perfect. Sir will like it too.”

“Sir …” Payton eyed herself in the mirror. She barely recognised herself in this dress. It was elegant, and whatever it was made of felt like nothing she’d ever felt before, all smooth against her skin, like she wore nothing at all. “I thought when you said plunge, you meant it showed a little of my cleavage. Not all of it and then half my body.”

The dress was deep red. The kind of red her father would have said was for a slut. It was cut at the front, all shaped to hold her breasts in, but show enough of them to leave a man wanting. The cut went all the way down to her navel, showing a perfect V of her body. At the back it was just the same, except the gap was held together by a mesh.

“Maybe I should try on the blue one.” It did at least cover her more.

“Sir wants sexy, not grandmother.”

“You don’t think it’s too much? Honestly?”

“There is not too much for Sir. Too little, yes, but never too much. Now you need stockings and a garter.” When Payton arched a brow at Sky, Sky added, “It is not about the dress. Not really. The dress is just the main attraction, but it is what you put with it that matters. I do your hair after and make-up.”

“I don’t understand why I need to be dressed up this way. Where are we going.”

Sky’s light expression darkened, and she pursed her lips. “Sir has important business tonight.”

“If it is so important, why me? He’d be better taking you or Tasha, or someone else.” She was sure there were plenty of capable women here that she hadn’t met yet. More who were willing to do whatever he wanted and not be a thorn in his side.

“Sir has reasons for what he does. He knows best. Now put these on.” Sky produced a pair of stockings that shimmered slightly when she moved them and a red garter to hold them up.

When Payton came out of the dressing room again, this time with the garter belt, stockings and dress all intact, Sky had gathered other items. A pair of slightly heeled shoes that matched the dress perfectly. “You don’t need these too tall. You cannot be as tall as Sir.”

“I might be with these.” She wasn’t that much shorter than him. She got her height from her mother. She always remembered that about her mother, the way her legs didn’t stop.

“They’ll be okay. I got you some jewellery. You can’t keep it, though. I borrowed them from the display.”

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