Page 12 of Beautiful Beast

I have a feeling I won’t like any of these dresses because I don’t want to be here at all. I don’t want to marry Erik, a stranger who’s probably going to make my life a living hell. He is known as the boogeyman, after all.

The last dress I try on is …

Perfect.

It’s made out of crepe statin and has lace up the back. It’s sophisticated and sexy, yet elegant and classy.

It looks amazing on my body.

Too bad I won’t get to wear it again because I’m going to leave.

I head back to Nadia in the dress to show her. “What do you think?”

Her eyes light up. “You look beautiful.”

“Thank you.” For a moment, I let myself imagine what it would be like to be happy and in love doing this.

“Uh, Nadia, would you mind getting Amanda? I need her help getting this off.”

“Of course.” She hurries away.

I glance toward George. “What do you think?”

He nods, then checks his watch. “How much longer are you going to be?”

“You can’t rush this. It’s for my wedding day.”

“Right.” He settles against the wall with a deep sigh.

Amanda walks over with Nadia in tow. “You like the dress?”

“I love it. Would you mind helping me get out of it? Nadia, too.”

Amanda doesn’t hesitate to tell me to lead the way to the dressing room. Once the three of us are inside it, I turn to her.

“We need your help.”

She pauses, her eyes going wide. “Help? With the dress?”

“No. My sister and I need to escape. We’re in danger. Can we leave out the back door?”

“Do you need me to call the police?” she asks, lowering her voice.

“No,” I say quickly. The police would only make things worse. My father isn’t bound by normal laws. He would find a way out of it to force me down the aisle. “We just need to escape. We have money. Can we go out the backdoor without setting off the alarm?”

“Um … yes. There’s a way. Are you running from the man you’re with?”

I think back to George, bored, not wanting to be here. “Yes. He’s a danger to us. Trust me.”

“Ok. Anyway I can help, I’ll do it. You can use the backdoor.”

“Thank you.” I head for the changing room door, but Amanda stops me.

“Uh, you have to pay for the dress if you want it.”

“Right.” I quickly take it off and change back into my summer dress. “Save it for me, would you?” I hope I won’t need it, but in case Nadia and I get caught, I’d rather wear a dress I chose than be forced to wear something I think is hideous.

“Of course.” Amanda tentatively takes the dress back. “Here. Let me open the door.”

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