Page 41 of The House Guest
Dorian shook his head. “How the fuck are you so wise at twenty-three?”
I shrugged. “I had to grow up fast when my mom died. When you’re alone, you have no choice but to find strength from within. You have to be your own biggest supporter, learn to talk to yourself a lot. I had to let go of the false beliefs holding me back because I no longer had the energy for them.”
“I wanna be you when I grow up.”
I smiled, my gaze wandering over to a sparkly, emerald green gown. The lighting made the sequins shimmer. I stood and walked over to it. “This is beautiful, huh?”
“You should try it on.”
I looked back at him. “Wouldn’t that be weird?”
“Not at all. Someone will end up wearing it. Why not you?” He stood and turned so his back was facing me. “Try it on andtell me when.”
The way he’d indirectly encouraged me to disrobe made my body come alive.Foolish.
And yet I listened, my nipples hard from merely his voice, the memory of his tongue on my skin all too fresh. After I pulled my crop top over my head, I kicked my pants off. Slipping into the silk-lined, beaded gown felt surreal. It was even heavier than it looked, practically weighing me down. I began to zip the back but couldn’t get it all the way up.
“It’s safe,” I said.
Dorian turned around and smiled. “You look absolutely magnificent in that dress, Primrose.”
I didn’tneedto zip it all the way up, but I was a glutton for punishment who wanted to feel his hands on me, even for a moment, and even if that would be torture.
I cocked my head. “Do you mind helping me with the zipper?”
His Adam’s apple bobbed. “Of course.”
Dorian took a few steps toward me and I turned around, giving him my back. The heat of his body made my skin prickle. As his hand slid up my spine to close the zipper, I shut my eyes, imagining that he was touching me for other reasons, imagining his tongue on my body again, this time drawing a line up my back.
“Sorry if I pulled your hair,” he said as the zipper snagged for a moment near the top.
“I don’t mind my hair pulled,” I blurted, wondering instantly whether I’d meant to be so suggestive.
Dorian cleared his throat as he finished zipping me up.
I turned to face him, all too pleased by the sight of his eyes traveling the length of my body. He might nothave been touching me anymore, but his eyes devoured me. If they were any indication, he was second-guessing his decision to turn me down.
I moved over to look at myself in the floor-length mirror. “I’m a little curvier than she was. Shorter, too.”
Dorian stood behind me. “Nothing wrong with that.”
“Nothing the right bra and a good hem can’t fix, I suppose.” I brazenly pushed my breasts together, enjoying the way his Adam’s apple bobbed again.
He cleared his throat. “I think you should keep this gown.”
After a moment, I nodded. “Wearing it could be something to look forward to in the future.”
“Why in the future?”
“I don’t have anywhere to wear this now.” I turned to him. “But maybe if my art sells big someday, and I get invited to some fancy gala, I can wear it.”
“Whenyour art sells big. Notif.”
“Don’t even think about buying my pieces out of pity, Vanderbilt.”
He laughed. “What made you think I was thinking that?”
“I don’t know. Maybe because you also offered to pay my tuition.”
