Page 93 of Saved By My Buyers

“There are multiple styles in the boutique, feel free to either browse, or give me an idea of what you like. We are pretty eclectic,” she explains.

There’s a lot of clothes around us, and I can tell Dahlia is in emotional overload. “My style has changed a lot,” she admits. “I used to love bright colors, but my mom made me rebel as a teen when she insisted I wear pastels. There’s nothing wrong with them, but they wash me out. So, I pulled a lot of black, edgy pieces into my wardrobe in rebellion. Now? I have no idea what I am now. I haven’t really had any time to think about it.”

Liona stops, hearing something in Dahlia’s voice. “Well, whatever was going on before, I don’t think Jack will allow that to continue,” she says seriously. “It sounds trivial, but establishing who you are to the world, helps. Give me a few words that describe yourself.”

“Survivor,” I mutter, without meaning to. “Sorry, that’s what I think of when I see D…Deidra. Protective as hell, and so damn fierce.”

Dahlia’s hands tremble as she holds them tightly, blinking hard. “I’m those things only because I have no other choice to be anything else,” she says. “I used to love to write and draw, but I haven’t in a disturbing amount of time. Music helps, since it’s words in motion.”

Liona’s breath escapes harshly, gazing at the two of us. “I think that’s the most beautiful way anyone has ever described music to me,” she says. “Are there any articles of clothing you absolutely need?”

Dahlia winces, probably thinking about the fact that she has two pairs of clothing, and she’s wearing one right now.

“Pretend we’re working with nothing for her,” I finally say. “Clothing, bras, underwear, shoes, we need all of it. There’s no limit for a new wardrobe.”

Dahlia nods because she can’t walk around naked, though I plan to switch cards on her with Jack’s credit card. Her birthday is next month, I can spin this as an early present.

“Alright, this is the plan,” Liona says confidently. “I’ll go find clothing I think may work, and you two can go wild in the store as well. We’ll meet back at the changing rooms. See if we missed anything. I suggest clothes for everyday, lounge, workout, going out, and date nights.”

She winks at us before walking away, her other store employees moving quickly toward her to see how they can help.

“The ‘date night’ comment seems a little pointed,” Dahlia mumbles as she looks around the store with wide eyes. It is a large boutique, so I don’t blame her.

“Deep violet colors are pretty on you, I saw some cute tops over there,” I mention, leading the way. “I mean, you could be Jack’s cousin or daughter…”

“Ew,” she says, wrinkling her nose. “No thank you. I do not want to be related in any way to that man, especially after what we just did this morning.”

“And now that you opened that door, which thank you very much, I need to know all the things,” I gush. “How was he and it? The man needs to come with a warning label.”

“You mean one that says: big dick energy does extend below the waist?” Dahlia asks, giggling. “I asked him if it would fit!”

The last part is hissed, making me fall into her as I find the deep violet jumpsuit I saw. Grabbing her size, I throw it over my arm.

“So did it?” I tease her. We’re on the other side of the store, and I don’t really care what people hear. Jack asked them to sign a non-disclosure agreement that keeps them from saying a word about us or our conversations.

I think he’s worried the media will make something public and fuck up the work he’s done to make her disappear.

It’s important we have a little down time before we go public. I don’t really want to share her with anyone else other than Jack right now. I don’t care if it’s selfish as fuck.

“It did,” Dahlia says, blushing. “He was really patient. I didn’t think it would feel so good the first time. I heard people talk about their first times at Percy’s and some of them had horror stories.”

Catching sight of a T-shirt with a skeleton lewdly offering a public service announcement, I grin as I pick it up. This store has really fun stuff, even if it is at the higher end. The people who work here are not snotty either.

Distressed jeans are the next thing I pick up, though I’m not sure of her size.

“A lot of people have awful first experiences with sex for various reasons,” I murmur, choosing a couple different sizes of jeans.

“Can I ask how Jack was with you?” she asks.

I freeze, not knowing how to respond. God, we lost our virginity to the same man. I think in a way, it made it easier for me to trust Jack, because even though I was in a shitty place, he made the experience a good one.

“He was wonderful,” I admit. “He was focused on my pleasure, made sure I was okay, and took care of me when I cried afterward. It wasn’t because of anything he did, but God did it make me miss you more. A part of me felt like I was cheating?—”

“You weren’t,” she says, interrupting. “I left, baby. There’s no reason why you should feel like that. I mean it.”

Tears stain my cheeks as I blink rapidly. “Are you sure?” I whisper. “It ended up being this endless cycle, and we kept hurting each other. I think that’s why Jack finally started to insist that you’d find us if you wanted to. He was tired of cutting me open every time one of us felt guilty.”

“You’re not punishing me for dancing or doing the things I had to do,” she says, shrugging. “Therefore, you can’t punish yourself for this. I think if someone else had taken your virginity, I’d be jealous.”

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