Page 73 of Her Dom's Secret Past

Chapter Twenty-One

Anabelle

Sunday morning, John drove us to the Bridal Expo venue atHomebush. I noticed he often checked the rearview mirror. I felt very safe. He’d dressed in casual navy pants, a pale-blue shirt, and a navy jacket, I thought he looked delicious. The venue opened to the public at ten and closed at six. We had arrived about nine-thirty. Charlie, Miriam, and Heather were already there and had things organized. The two girls had worked all day Saturday, getting things ready.

By ten-thirty, the place was packed. John appeared to be having fun. He handed out brochures and sweet-talked all the ladies. I had to admit between him and Charlie, the place was a babe magnet. Those two men poured on the charm and I was sure half the women would have signed up for anything as long as those two hunks dealt with them.

By three, my feet were aching, and I thought my smile may become a permanent fixture, but I was happy with the way things were.

We’d taken a number of appointment bookings and they seemed promising for buying gowns. At three-thirty, John gave me a kiss and said he was off to get into his tux. I told him I’d meet him backstage in a few minutes. Charlie and the girls would hold down the fort while my section of the show was on—there’d been parades every thirty minutes and the girls told me most weren’t as nice or had as many gowns as ours. I left them to go backstage.

The models were dressed and the hairstylist was putting on the final touches. Carina was ensuring everyone looked spectacular when John walked in.

Oh hell—I wanted to have sex there and then. I caught my breath. The man was amazing. The black tux, white ’kerchief in the breast pocket, and vivid white shirt with a black bow tie were made to fit him perfectly. He saw me and did a little twirl.

“Like it?”

“Oh yeah,” I said, fanning my face as he reached my side.

“Mm, I like that reaction. Have to wear this one night,” he said with a wink and kissed my cheek.

I noticed the models were all sitting up and taking notice. The organizer came over to me. “Anabelle, five minutes. Can you get your models lined up, please?”

I called out to the girls, praised the one who was opening, and made sure all the dresses were as lovely as they should be as we heard the announcer tell people the Brides by Bella parade was starting. Once we were given the signal, I let the first girl out. I peeked through the curtains, saw we had a good amount of spectators, and listened to the applause as she almost completed her walk. Second girl, the first bridesmaid went out. Lots of cameras, and then it was time for John and his partner. He hooked an arm through hers and out they went.

There were cheers as the crowd got larger. By the time the last model went, I was sure everyone who was at the venue was watching the parade. When I went out to take my bow, John took my hand, kissed my cheek, and walked me to the end. He dropped my hand and clapped as I gave my little bow, and then we walked back arm-in-arm.

I was over the moon!

It had been perfect. My models were all chatty and pleased with their performance. One even asked about the wedding gown she was wearing as she was getting married in a few months. When I told her it had been made for the parade, she promptly asked me to keep it for her, even when I told her the price of thirty thousand—a steal, actually, because it would normally be double that if I’d made it for someone in particular.

John hugged me, gave me a kiss that had a few of the people backstage hooting, and then I had to go and ensure all the dresses were packed safely away with Carina’s help. The models and the stylists were thanked, and by the time we got back to the booth, it was five. Things began winding down. John brought the last few stragglers over to chat about dresses with me and the crew. Finally, the siren went to say the doors would be closing in ten minutes to guests.

I thanked my wonderful staff—tomorrow Charlie and Heather would dismantle everything with Justin’s help. He’d take the day off work and said he could help Charlie. John carried a few things I needed out to his car, and I went to follow when a reporter called me.

“I’ll meet you at the car, John.”

He nodded as I went back to the booth. The reporter told me they’d taken pictures of the gowns and wanted details on each. She intended to do a glossy six-page spread in one of the bridal magazines on my boutique. I was very flattered and arranged for her to come out in two weeks to discuss things and take any extra photos. Fifteen minutes later, I thanked her and finally went outside.

John was leaning against the bonnet of his car. His bow tie was undone as well as the top few buttons of his crisp white shirt. It lay starkly black against the white. One hand was in his pocket, pulling back one side of his jacket, stretching the fabric of his trousers tight across his groin. His other hand rested on his muscular thigh, a glimpse of his wristwatch peeking out. The black fabric against the white shirt accentuated his chocolate skin, the white shirt caressing his body. The ultimate package—combined together, it showed exactly how sexy and powerful he was. He appeared very relaxed, so natural and oozing sex appeal. There was no doubt he would be amazing on the cover of any magazine. He looked…

He looked incredible and I got this crazy thought. He was mine, all mine. Women passed him, trying to catch his eye, but he ignored them, staring ahead until he saw me. Then as I approached, his face lit up with his smile.

Oh God, what a smile!

It had the power to make me weak at the knees when he turned it on simply for me. Oh yes, he most certainly was all mine. As I reached his side, he pushed off the car and wrapped me in a perfect embrace.

I could stand like that for the rest of my life, safe within his arms. I took a deep breath. He smelled delicious. A raw masculine scent, sexy, slightly Oriental. I could smell bergamot with an underlying hint of lemon, and maybe a touch of leather that reminded me of the flogger or crop he used on my body. He’d told me the cologne was his favorite—Armani Code, and to me, it would always bring images of John to my mind.

He opened the door for me and made sure my seat belt was on. Then he kissed my cheek before getting behind the wheel. The drive to his place took about an hour and I had to admit to almost falling asleep. It had been a long week culminating in today. The salon was closed tomorrow and Tuesday, which meant everyone could get a few days’ rest. Miriam and Heather would take Wednesday off in place of tomorrow while they dismantled the booth.

After parking the car in the garage, we went upstairs to the kitchen. John took off his jacket and threw it over one of the stools while I sat on another.

“Thank you for today. Did you enjoy walking the runway?”

“It was a lot of fun. How did you think the day went?”

“I was very happy with it all. We actually took more bookings than last year and there was a lot more interest. I actually sold one of the models the dress she was wearing. That easily covered our expenses for the day.”

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