Page 73 of The Devil's Fire

I showed him the label on the dress, pointing to where it said A.C. just under my mother’s name. “A.C. for Althaia Celano.” I gave a small wink to the lady. Her face was quickly turning into a bright red shade that matched her lipstick.

“Your mother?” She asked, stunned.

“Where’s Chloé?” Damiano snapped, clearly not wanting to waste any unnecessary time.

“Y-yes, I’ll get her right away.” She spun around and almost ran away.

“I’ll get her fired if she made you unhappy.”

“No, no.” I said quickly. “But she could learn to be a bit nicer.” I gave a small, reassuring smile. She was being a pain, but I didn't want to be the one responsible for her getting fired. My conscience would eat me alive.

“Damiano!” Another woman walked up to him with a big smile and greeted by kissing his cheeks. I felt my fingers twitch, as I didn’t like how she greeted him and kept her hands on his shoulders while talking.

“… Althaia.”

“Huh?” It was only when I snapped my eyes to Damiano that I realized he had been trying to talk to me. Chloé just gave a small laugh.

“I’m Chloé, the owner of this boutique.” She introduced herself with a handshake.

“Oh, hi, I’m Althaia.” I smiled and shook her hand.

“Damiano tells me you need a dress for tomorrow, yes?” Chloé said and had us follow her into a private room.

“Something fitting for an auction.” He added.

“Of course! Let me just take your measurements.” She asked me to step on the small stage while Damiano took a seat on the couch.

“I have a few dresses in mind for you to try. As you have a bigger bust, we might need to make a slight pinch at the waist to accentuate your curves. Is that okay?”

“Sure.” I nodded, and she hurried off to grab some gowns for me to try.

I stepped down from the small stage and went to Damiano. He immediately wrapped an arm around me and sat me on his lap. He picked a strand of my hair, playing with it around his finger as his golden-brown eyes gazed at me. It gave me that fluttery feeling again that makes me want to scream into a pillow and kick my feet into the air.

“So jealous.” He said, amused.

“I’m not.” I denied immediately.

“You’re also a lousy liar.”

“Whatever.” I retorted as my only comeback, but it only humored him some more. “Oh, wait, weren’t you the one who beat up his own cousin for dancing with me?” I looked at him with a teasing grin.

“Mmhh. That will teach him not to touch what’s mine.” His words had my stomach tingle, even more when he kissed my shoulder and worked his way up to my neck.

“Chloé’s back…” I whispered to him because that was all I could. I shuddered when he nibbled my ear before leaning away.

As we watched Chloé coming back with a rack of dresses, it suddenly hit me.

“I’m not wearing any underwear!” I whispered in a panic to Damiano.

“Hot.” He replied, amused by it.

“Come, dear, let me help you.” Chloé called me over as she hung the first dress in the fitting room.

“Oh, it’s fine. No need to trouble yourself. I can manage on my own.” I said and darted into the fitting room.

“Are you sure -”

“Yup! Don’t worry.” I quickly said and closed the curtains.

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