Page 97 of Dangerous Contract: Part 2

Yes,fuckwas a fitting word for this situation. Raz was fucked. But such was the life of a don. It was about time he got used to it. But could he really share his home and his life with anyone other than Monique Rose? Raz sighed.

Yes, he could, but only if he turned his emotions off and truly became the don his family needed. For the rest ofhis life, he'd be more of a robot than a man. Was this truly the life he wanted for himself?

Chapter Twenty-Eight

MONIQUE

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They'd been to three different stores, and she'd yet to find an outfit that made her happy. Monique almost rolled her eyes as she stared at the clothing that had been rolled out for her to browse through.

Though Cas wasn't in the back private room with them, he'd informed the manager that they were VIP clientele and to get them anything they wanted. Now, they were seated in a private room with a glass of champagne in their hand as they stared at rack after rack of clothing.

The clothing was beautiful, sophisticated, and sexy. That wasn't the problem. The problem was that they didn't have that beautiful, sexy, and elegant clothing in her size. The few items they had in her size were horrid.

Who told designers that thick girls only wanted to wear clothing in awful color shades? And who told designers that big girls didn't want to look stylish? Everything she tried on looked like a potato sack on her.

It was like they'd simply sewn together a 2x-3x outfit without taking into consideration the shape and contours of a woman's body. She wasn't shaped like a square or a circle. There were curves and dips that needed to be accounted for.

Monique took another sip of her champagne as the sales clerk wheeled the final rack of clothing out that held items in her size. The poor saleswoman looked nervous as hell. Not because any of them had been rude to her.

Never that. She was nervous because she already knew none of these items would make them happy. She gave them a sad smile and said, "I'm sorry, this is all we have left. I've already gone through it, and I don't think you're going to like any of them."

Toya set her champagne glass down on the center table. "It's not your fault," Toya told the sales clerk. "Us thick girls have a hard time finding clothing in regular stores."

"I know, right," Meka added. "It really is a shame. Even when I find an outfit that fits, it usually doesn't hug my frame right. I should've been a fashion designer."

Feeling defeated, Monique set her own glass on the table. She glanced around the room, noticing the pity in the eyes of her friends and the saleswoman. She didn't want pity. She wanted a dress that made her feel confident and sexy.

She needed a dress that would show Orazio Cattaneo exactly what he was missing. None of these dresses would make him regret that phone call he'd made to her three months ago. Monique's expression must've bothered the young sales clerk because she stepped closer to them and started whispering.

"This store may not have the dress you're looking for. But I know a store that does."

Monique knew a store that did, too, but it was owned by Orazio's cousin, and she wasn't allowed in.

"It's not owned by the Cattaneos, is it?" Monique asked.

The young lady quickly shook her head. "No. Well, I don't know who owns it. But, I overheard a woman talking about it in here once. She was a plus-size woman and couldn't find anything here. And her friend told her to go to a store called Luxe Regal.The owner of the store is a local designer. She's not famous like Dolce & Gabbana or anything. But her designs have appeared on runways. And she's a plus-size woman herself. At least, that's what I overheard them saying."

"Why have I never heard of that store?" Monique asked, staring at Toya and Meka.

Phone in hand, Toya said, "Probably because the clothing there cost more than all three of us put together."

Toya turned the phone so that Monique could see the screen. Her friend had pulled up the store's website. Monique's eyes widened when she saw those prices.

"And that's in US dollars," Toya drawled.

"Yeah, I heard they're expensive," the sales clerk said, taking a step back.

Monique's mind raced as she exchanged glances with her friends, who were equally concerned about the prices at Luxe Regal. She bit her lip, contemplating their options.

"Should we tell Cas to take us there?" Toya asked.

"I don't know," Meka rushed to say. "I don't know if I feel comfortable with him spending that kind of money on us."

"Said no woman ever," Toya hissed. "Show this man you're expensive so that he understands what it takes to keep you," Toya whispered.

"I'm not with him for his money," Meka whispered back.

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