Page 59 of Dangerous Temptation
Feeling nervous, Elena straightened her spine. This seemed important to him. She didn’t want to disappoint him, but she’d thought they’d been on the same page about shutting out the real world. Why had he done this?
They turned into a first-floor room she’d walked by many times. The first thing she noticed was that it was different. The furniture had been removed. All that remained was a tufted armchair with a small table at its side. Across the room was a Japanese-style folding partition, screen-printed with cherry blossoms. Between the two was a free-standing cheval glass, something she’d always wanted.
‘I don’t understand,’ she said.
He waved to the racks of clothing that stood at the back of the room, the ones she’d walked right by without seeing. ‘You’re going on a shopping spree.’
Elena looked from one rack to the next, her eyes rounding. They took up the entire back half of the room. She walked to the nearest rack of dresses and looked at the labels. ‘These are designer.’
He signalled at someone in the hallway. ‘Jorge?’
A thin man in an exquisite grey suit came into the room. His dark hair was sleeked back and a pencil-thin moustache rode on his upper lip. Those lips were curled upwards in a smile as he extended his hand. ‘Hello.’
‘Hello,’ Elena said, returning the handshake. She rubbed her ankles together. She felt like such a bag lady in front of these two men who were dressed like power brokers.
‘Jorge, this is Elena. Elena, this is Jorge Cruz. He’s here to show you a few of his creations. It’s up to you to decide what you like.’
‘Oh, I –’
Alex’s gaze narrowed and he shook his head in warning. They were going to do this.
She rubbed her toe against the calf of her other leg as the designer’s gaze swept up and down her body.
‘You are gorgeous, my dear. Petite, but sleek and well proportioned.’ His eye didn’t linger on her curves with sexual interest. ‘Alex, you didn’t do her justice.’
‘How could I?’ he asked, going to take his seat. He opened the laptop that was on the table and started browsing business sites.
‘I have many pretty things that should suit you perfectly,’ the designer said. There were party dresses, gowns and suits. Jorge kept pulling her along, though, until she was staring at a flat table with an assortment of smaller pieces.
Much smaller pieces.
Lingerie. A hot blush settled into her cheeks. She looked over her shoulder. ‘Alex,’ she hissed.
‘It’s something I know you like,’ he replied, his gaze steady.
‘There are more designers waiting to show you their work.’ Jorge gestured to the table. ‘Lingerie is my specialty.’
Elena tucked her fingers into her pockets, but eyed all the gorgeous pieces in silks, satins, Spandex and every fabric in between. She felt like a kid in a candy store, wanting to touch but knowing she shouldn’t. ‘They’re beautiful.’
‘Which do you like?’ Jorge asked.
She pointed at a baby-pink set in front of her.
‘Ah, soft and sweet. A good choice.’ The designer picked up a bra and matching bikini-style panties. ‘Why don’t you try it on?’
She stared at him.
He gestured at the partition. ‘You can have your privacy over there.’
Was he serious?
‘Elena,’ Alex warned.
It was two against one, but the only one she cared about was sitting across the room. For some reason, Alex wanted to do this for her. After what she’d just learned, she didn’t want to hurt his feelings.
He’d been hurt too much already.
Her chest started to tighten, and the anguish built up in her throat. The vision of those claw marks on the door appeared again in her head.
