Page 38 of An Improper Deal (Elliot & Annabelle 1)
At the sight of me, she claps. “Oh my gosh, it’s perfect!”
“It’s so…slutty.”
“No, it’s not. It’s called a tease. All he’s going to think about is ripping that dress off you so he can see you without the veil. It’s perfect.”
“But—”
“You’re going to be seen with one of the country’s most eligible bachelors. Don’t be a prude. You can’t show up in a potato sack.” Josephine clasps a delicate tennis bracelet around my wrist. “Karen, send everything I picked out to Elliot’s place along with an invoice.” She pauses. “Actually, check with Elliot about where they should be delivered, but the invoice should go to him.”
“Of course,” Karen says.
“And take this.” Josephine opens a black purse and dumps my phone and wallet in it. “Ditch your old bag.”
“But—”
“Elliot’s going to be here in three minutes.”
“What?”
“It’s already five. The traffic’s going to be horrendous to the restaurant.”
“But—”
“No more buts. You look fantastic. Curse me if you like, but I won’t hear of how you can’t wear this.” Her phone buzzes. “That’s Elliot. He just pulled in. Now go wow him.”
* * *
Elliot
After I text Josephine, I lean back against the side of the Mercedes and wait. Maybe I should’ve picked someone else. As great as she is, she can be a bit heavy-handed, and the woman has a limitless reserve of energy when it comes to shopping, or so I heard Paige complain when she thought nobody was listening. But at the same time I’m not certain that she would’ve done as I asked without someone like Josephine to force her.
Gigi, I tell myself, my eyes closed. Gigi. Her name is Gigi.
It pisses her off that I won’t call her by her real name, but she’ll just have to deal. It isn’t my fault her name is Annabelle.
I considered staying away specifically for that reason, but I couldn’t let go. It’s the way she looks every time I see her. That defiant little tilt of her chin…and the sound she made when I kissed her, like she couldn’t believe she wanted me but then expected the need to dissipate in any moment. Doesn’t she know that chemistry like we have doesn’t just dissipate?
She’s obviously inexperienced…or maybe her ex-boyfriends were simply worthless.
Ideally both. I want to wreck her, utterly ruin her in the year we have together. Then maybe finally I can flush all the old and ugly shit I’m carrying out of my system.
Chapter Fifteen
Annabelle
Elliot is waiting for me, standing by the passenger door. His gaze is hidden behind a pair of sunglasses, but I can feel his head-to-toe perusal. The breeze rustles my dress, the fabric rubbing against my nipples. They pucker, and a sharp sensation dashes through my body. I clench my legs. It’s the wind, really…nothing to do with the weight of his eyes roaming over my body.
Still, heat follows, and I flush. I should’ve asked Josephine for some sunglasses of my own when I had the chance. It seems unfair he can look in secret, while I can’t.
His mouth parts, and the tip of his tongue wets his lips. Shades or no, there’s a hunger in the man. And my body inexplicably responds to that need with my own. It pulses through my veins until I have to open my mouth to breathe.
Wordlessly, he opens the door to the Mercedes, and I climb inside. The edge of his hand brushes my bare shoulder; goosebumps rise, and I almost falter.
When he’s inside, I cross my arms over my chest. “How many cars do you own?”
“Enough to get me where I need to go,” he says.
I snort at the non-answer. “Do you have a yacht and private jet, too?”
