Page 10 of Fiercely Protective

I rolled my eyes at his comment.Did he really just say that out loud?

His fingers brushed against my elbow and an involuntary tremor moved over me. I thought he was about to kiss me again, a ridiculous thought. Wasn’t this guy one of the richest men in the city? He probably had a plethora of women on standby ready for his call to fulfill any wish he desired. I felt my temperature rising at the thought of his cravings, his yearnings. While he might be handsome as sin and look like a guy from the pages of a magazine, he was not the kind of man who was interested in girls like me, at least not seriously. This entire arrangement was outrageous and if my instincts were right, perilous. But desperate times called for desperate measures, right?

The car door was opened by his driver, and he nodded his head. “Go on inside. They are waiting for you. I have a few calls to make before I can join you.”

I stepped out of the car onto the sidewalk and his driver escorted me inside the shop where a lady with a bright eager smile was waiting for me by the door.

“Miss Rogers, we are so pleased to have you as a patron of our boutique. We offer the finest fashion in Chicago. If you will follow me, I have a fitting room prepared for you with some dresses and other items already selected for you to peruse.”

My lips turned up into a slight smile, her cheeriness rather contagious, but when I looked around the shop, I was surprised to find it empty. “I guess this is not your busiest time of day.”

She turned around and the look she gave me was puzzling. “We are rather busy all the time. We are the finest boutique in the city. Today, however, Mr. Delaney reserved the entire shop just for you. He didn’t want you to have to wait for anything.”

He reserved the entire shop.What kind of man was he?

I followed her into a large room where several dresses and other things were displayed for my perusal. There were evening gowns, cocktail dresses, shoes, and casual clothes, along with intimates such as panties, bras, and silk pajamas.

“Mr. Delaney will not be purchasing my underwear.” I half laughed when I said it, but her eyes narrowed slightly.

“Mr. Delaney gave us strict instructions as to what he required.”

I pushed aside the irritation I felt at this man that I barely knew presuming that I would allow him to purchase panties andlingerie for me, but how could I seriously be upset over that when I had agreed to his outrageous proposal? It was rather silly I suppose to quibble about undergarments at this point. If I wanted to adjust the terms of our agreement, I could do so later. It wasn’t her fault I had foolishly gotten myself into this situation, and I was not the type of person to take out my frustrations on someone who was completely innocent and was only doing what she was told. It was her job and she probably worked on commission, so I’m sure she was hoping we would buy everything in sight.

I spent the first hour trying on formal and cocktail dresses. Then moved on to more casual clothes. There were so many things that I loved, but I only picked out a few of each style.

I never thought it possible to get tired of shopping, but when Gwen brought in one more cocktail dress, I sighed heavily and sank into a chair. “I truly do have everything I need Gwen.”

“Mr. Delaney requests that you try this on.”

It was a short silky black-beaded cocktail dress with a low back and spaghetti straps. I ran my fingers over it and then looked at the price tag. This one dress was more than what I used to make in two months. I took off my bra and slipped it over my head then zipped it up.

“Well, what do you think, Gwen?”

“I think it is perfect. I think you are perfect.”

My body froze when I heard his deep husky voice behind me.

I should remind him that being in my dressing room was not part of the arrangement. No matter what he had in hismind, I would not be his plaything. But when he stepped closer, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me back into him, every protest I had formed in my head vanished.

He moved my hair to the side and my eyes closed as his fingers glided along my spine from the nape of my neck to the base of my ass.

“Your skin is so soft, sweetheart.”

He pressed his lips against the skin right below my ear, and I leaned my head to the side giving him better access. The arm he had wrapped around my waist tightened as he pressed against me.

“I want you to wear this tonight.”

He feathered kisses down my neck, and I felt my knees growing weaker. “Don’t kiss me.”

He quickly spun me around and pinned my body against the wall. I felt his hard dick pressed into my belly, and it took all my strength not to rub myself against him.Damn, this man was sin personified.

He gripped my chin and forced me to look up at him. “Oh, my sweet lost angel, kissing is only the beginning of what I have planned for you.”

His lips claimed mine in a possessive kiss that lifted me on my toes. I shouldn’t want him, and I should be appalled that I was, once again, allowing this man to reduce me to a puddle whenever he touched me.

If this arrangement was going to work, I needed to get control of myself and let him know in no uncertain terms that I would not permit him to use me.

I pushed against his chest, and he released me. “I know I signed a contract, but I am not going to allow you to take advantage of me. This is strictly a business relationship, and if you continue to kiss me, I can’t continue to do this.”

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