Page 36 of Just Curious

“Remember when I told you how infectious his enthusiasm can be?” Jackson asked. “This is what I was talking about. I’ve been on buying expeditions with him before, and it’s pretty entertaining to see him uncover treasures and sometimes bargain for the best price. He used to drag me around to estate sales even back when we were kids. I’d look at old bicycles and cast-off computers, and he’d be digging around for an underappreciated painting or a filthy old antique that the owners didn’t realize was worth a small fortune.”

“You loved it,” Casey scoffed with a smile.

Jackson chuckled. “I did. Until I had to help you drag the stuff home.” He turned to look at Willa. “By the time we left for college, he had made himself a small fortune selling things to collectors.”

Willa smiled at both of them and remarked, “Pretty enterprising for a kid. That’s impressive.”

Eventually, they were all ready for some lunch. Casey had sent home a variety of pieces besides the sculpture of his dreams, and he looked like a satisfied cat. “Okay, come on, I know just the place to hit for some food.” He took them to a delightful and understated seaside bistro where they spent the next two hours relaxing, eating, and sipping wine. The fresh seafood was magnificent.

As they finished eating, Willa said, “Jackson, I’ve been meaning to ask you—did you ever get your message from the steward? And how did someone know to reach you aboard the yacht?”

“I did get it, and it’s nothing to worry about. I’ve been doing some research and left information about where we’d be staying with one of my contacts. My phone had been off while we were flying to France, and that’s apparently when he called. I also had a voicemail from him.” Abruptly, he changed the subject, turned to Casey, and asked, “Where to after this, fearless leader?”

“I’m done buying art for now. Why don’t we go buy some beautiful things for Willa?”

Willa chuckled, “You guys don’t need to do anything like that.”

“Oh, but it sounds like fun,” Casey protested. “Aren’t you getting tired of her same old bikinis, Jax? She needs a few new ones, if you ask me. And if we want to head to the casino,” he looked at Willa, “do you have anything suitable to wear? Some people like to dress up.”

“I brought a nice cocktail dress—just in case,” she answered.

Jackson asked, “The red one? I have such fond memories of that dress.” He leered at her when she nodded—her blush giving away her memory of what he’d done to her at Casey’s party in that very dress. “I think the occasion of being here in the south of France, loving every moment we all have together, warrants a new dress.” He turned to Casey and ordered, “Lead the way. We have more shopping to do!”

After settling the bill, they all piled into their waiting car. In just a few minutes they were dropped off at a boutique that was so exclusive they had to ring a bell to be allowed in. Casey answered the shopkeeper’s questions in rapid French that left Willa and Jackson slack-jawed. But the door buzzed, and they all entered an exquisite space where they were greeted by an elegant woman.

For the next hour, Willa tried on every imaginable style of dress. Some were classic and sleek, and others were positively scandalous. A couple of them were so revealing with side slits up to here and plungingdécolletédown to there, she couldn’t wear any undergarments. The men decided those were great, and Willa looked spectacular in them, but they were for their eyes only. Having other men leer at her made them uncomfortable.

They finally narrowed it down. An off-the-shoulder black dress that revealed her excellent cleavage and did a magnificent job of showing off her shapely legs, plus a teal blue shift dress covered in tiny crystals. The fabric skimmed her curves in an alluring way, and the sparkles brought attention to her beautiful figure. The blue also brought out her dazzling eyes.

They ended up buying the two dresses, incredibly beautiful and ridiculously expensive shoes for both outfits, and a half dozen or so tiny but costly bikinis without bothering to see if they even fit. They were about to pay for everything when Jackson remembered one of his favorite ultra-revealing dresses, and told the saleswoman to add that one to their purchase as well. The shopkeeper was practically salivating when she gave them the final tally. She seemed relieved when no one batted an eye at the exorbitant cost of the clothes. She wished them well and asked them three times to be sure to come back again. “Mademoiselle is extremely well-suited to our designs,” she assured them needlessly. “Or, pardon, is it Madame?”

Willa looked confused by the question, so Casey stepped in to set things straight. “Mademoiselle is fine, thank you.” He turned to Willa and explained, “French authorities have tried to stop people from using the honorific ‘Mademoiselle’ because they decided years ago that a woman’s marital status is her own business, but in private speech it’s still widely used. She just means you’re not wearing a wedding band, so she assumed you weren’t married. If you were fifteen years older, and she called you Mademoiselle, it would be a compliment. It would mean that you looked as young as a lady in her twenties.”

“So complicated,” Willa chuckled.

“It gets even more complicated in other French-speaking countries. In Canada, for instance, ‘Mademoiselle’ is considered an insult. The Belgians just try to ignore it completely, apparently. And… some younger French women—even married ones—bristle at being called Madame because they think the person addressing them is saying they look old. I guess it’s like Americans calling a young woman ‘ma’am.’”

Willa visibly shuddered and then laughed. “Thanks for the etiquette lesson.”

Laden with their purchases, they were soon back aboard Dream Come True. Casey went off to locate the captain and found him making arrangements for their visit to Monte Carlo.

The captain informed Casey that he’d have to arrange for a slip to dock at, but assured him that it would be no problem. The marina was used to superyachts and even mega-yachts like Dream Come True.

Chapter 22

Casey made his way back to the enormous master suite, admiring his work around the yacht as he went. He could hear Jackson and Willa talking and laughing as he entered the master bedroom area.

“Another one!” ordered Jackson cheerily. “I haven’t decided which is my favorite yet.” His head whipped around as he saw Casey and met his questioning look with a sexy smolder. “Willa’s been trying on bikinis for me. You’ve missed the show.” He turned back to Willa and continued, “You’ll have to start over now so Casey and I can vote.” His look was that of amused innocence.

Willa was, at that point, attired in a tiny yellow and blue striped confection that was barely there. In fact, the bottom half was actually a thong, and it made her tanned and toned bottom look amazing. Casey had specifically chosen this little number, and he felt himself getting hard just standing there looking at her. “Yes,” he said. “Please go back to what you were doing. I’d love to see them all on you… and off of you too.”

With a sultry smile, Willa slowly peeled off the top and then the bottom and stepped into a shiny black ensemble held together with complicated laces. Casey thought she looked a little like a sexy dominatrix. He plopped down next to Jackson on a pillowy loveseat. They were very cozy with their bodies touching one another. Jackson put his arm around Casey as they made themselves comfortable.

Willa began making a big production of doing a mini-striptease with plenty of booty shaking each time she changed outfits. She also smirked knowingly at their evident arousal. Jackson eventually unzipped his pants to get some room for his… excitement. “It was getting hot in there,” he mock-complained. “Ahh, that’s better.”

Casey winked at him and did the same as he peered at Jackson’s wood with approval. “Yeah. Free balling’s the way to go.”

Willa strutted around showing off her favorite bikini and wiggled her butt at them a few times. Finally, she ordered them. “Kiss each other. You know that gets to me.”

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