Page 50 of Tainted Princess
What a mistake that turned out to be.
I had no idea what a monster Lexi was when she was on a mission. The woman was focused, determined, and absolutely crazy. I had expected to head back to the Strip where we would wander through the high fashion boutique shops filled with old rich men and their younger beautiful wives, all hunting the most exclusive brand names and labels.
That kind of shopping I understood.
But shopping with Lexi was a horse of an entirely different color.
We went to vintage shops, places with clothes that were older than either of us, places that had piercing stations next to the racks of purses and shoes, even one place that wasn’t a shop at all. I don’t know how she found it, but Lexi took me to a pop-up store in the back of a van, like a food truck for leather corsets and fishnet stockings.
“Please, Lexi, I can’t set foot in another store, likely for as long as I live, but at least for today. Are you finished with me yet?”
Grabbing my arm, she pulled me toward the glass doors of a place that had a mannequin in the front window that was made up into a werewolf. “Last one for today, I promise,” she said, her smile indulgent but her eyes wicked. “I definitely saved the best for last. You’re gonna love this place.”
The inside of the shop was like nothing I had ever seen before. There were racks and racks of clothes, all different styles and colors and textures, blending together like a kaleidoscope of fashion. There was also an entire section of retro items, like old tin lunch boxes with cartoon characters on the front, telephones with the spiral cords attached, giant computers with tiny green screens, and just about every other out of date piece of Americana you could possibly imagine.
I wandered behind Lexi as she sorted through each section of clothing, watching as she held up piece after piece, most getting a glare from her discerning eye and then shoved back into the line-up from whence it came.
But she approved of more than enough items to keep us occupied, and soon her arms were loaded down with things for me to try. She smiled gleefully as she led me to the changing area, a small room at the back of the store draped in thick velvet in a rich eggplant purple and filled with a random assortment of bean bag chairs for guests to sit on.
It was on one of those bean bags that Lexi deposited herself after shoving me and the armful of items into a dressing room.
“So,” her voice came from outside the curtain, as I shimmied into one of the dresses she had selected. It was navy, with a halter top and a tight bodice that flared down to a skirt that ended mid-thigh on me. There were two rows of large gold buttons down the front that gave the whole thing a military feel. It nipped in tightly under the bust and was accented with a sparkly gold belt. It kind of screamed fifties housewife, but I also sort of loved it. “When are you gonna tell me your big idea forTaste of Eden?”
Sliding back the divider, her eyes popped wide when I stepped out. “Yes, girl. Oh, so much yes!”
I smiled, looking at myself in the three-way mirror. The dress was pretty great, and the color was bold against my olive skin tone.
Plus, it made my boobs look amazing.
Definitely taking it. “Well, actually,” I started, turning to look at her as she reclined in the bag. “I was thinking about the conversation you and I had the other day. The one about whatEdencan offer to women.”
The smile that split Lexi’s face was positively lecherous.
“Oh, please. Tell me more.”
I chuckled. “I have done some thinking on what kind of live streaming we could offer that would appeal to the female audience. Not that there isn’t a market for men engaging in sex acts, but I think, for the most part, the regular porn industry has that covered. A simple internet search and you can find a man doing pretty much anything with his penis.”
I grimaced. Unfortunately, I had learned that the hard way this week.
Lexi cackled at me. “Okay, well, remind me to ask you for links to whatever put that look on your face later. Please, continue.”
“I just wondered, what if we could offer a service of men doing things that they never did anywhere else? What if we could offer women their fantasy?”
As I tried on the next outfit, a pair of tight black jeans and a shimmery top that looked like it was made of liquid silver, I broke down my idea, and I could see the gears turning in Lexi’s head as she worked out what her part in the whole endeavor would be.
“And, I take it from our less than official meeting about this, that you are not going to be telling your hubby your plans,” she added knowingly.
“Let’s just say that Enzo hasn’t proven very open to suggestions. But, I hope that he’ll come around after he sees our idea in action.” I turned sideways, looking at the outfit.
“Oh, hell yes!” Lexi cried when she caught sight of me. “That is the one. That’s exactly what you’re wearing tonight.”
“Tonight,” I frowned. “What are we doing tonight?”
“I’m keeping my promise, girl,” she replied, and the look on her face told me that I would regret whatever it was. “I’m taking you out to see Vegas, Lexi style!”
So that was how I found myself, after several hours of primping and hair styling under Lexi’s capable hands, standing outside a huge night club with a line that snaked around the block. Looking at the tall building, I could hear the music pumping from inside, the steady thrum of bass making my bones rattle. The sleek and elegant design of the exterior was simple, with a single sign outside identifying the place asSin City. I stood on the sidewalk, not wanting to admit that I was more than a little intimidated.
There were a lot of things that I was comfortable with; cooking the books to cover up illegal money coming into a legitimate business, holding my own in a room full of wiseguys who all thought they were God’s gift to women and therefore able to cop a feel whenever you walked by, and I was even fine with a little murder, when the circumstances were right.
