Page 15 of Ruin
I swallow hard as I study the scraps of material in my handsbefore looking back up at her expectant face. “Isn’t this a bit much?”
She frowns, studying me closely. “Lily, have I steered you wrong yet?”
I choose not to answer that loaded question. I’m still not sure where I’m going to wear even half the clothes she’s bought today.
Sighing, I turn and head for the dressing rooms. She follows me in, hanging up the rest of the sets she’d pulled from the racks, before retreating to wait on the other side of the curtain.
I stare at the black set for a few moments, before sighing again and taking my shirt off for what feels like the thousandth time.
Shopping is exhausting.
Once I’ve hooked the bra closed between my breasts, eye myself in the mirror. I don’t try on the G-string though, leaving my jeans on to hide my simple cotton undies, too embarrassed to let Annika see them. Pretty sure she’s never seen underwear like that in her life.
I peek out the curtain. “Can you come look at it?”
She nods and comes to the curtain, holding it open slightly so she can check out the bra.
“Shit, that’s hot. I love it! We’re getting one in every colour.” She runs her eyes over my breasts. “Wonder if I should get some for work. These are almost better than the ones we wear,” she muses.
I don’t know how to answer that, so I simply nod and wait for her to leave again.
After trying on the next few bras on, I hand them to Annika and get dressed again while she goes to pay.
When I join her at the door, I’m beyond relieved when she declares we are done.
“I mean, I could easily shop for hours yet, but I have clientsin a few hours and need to get ready for work,” she says as we head for the car park, each carrying multiple bags.
She’s spoken about work a few times and doesn’t appear to care that I know what she does at the club. I want to ask questions about her job, more curious than I probably should be about what she does with her clients.
I never spoke to any of the sex workers in the Sydney Dark Desires, preferring to hide away in my suite unless I was hanging out with Daniel. But I’d seen them from a distance and each of them had been absolutely stunning, including the men. It’s obvious that the club caters to the super wealthy, so I guess they expect the sex workers to be beautiful and sexy.
I refrain from saying anything, though. I don’t want to admit how naive I am about this world they live in, and the last thing I need is to want things I can never have. From my experience, sex is all about men’s pleasure.
I’ll just stick with my steamy romance books that are pure fantasy.
Although Annika doesn’t strike me as the type to allow any sexual partners to take only what they want from her and give nothing in return. Maybe those books aren’t as unbelievable as they seem, and I have just been with a series of lacklustre partners… Joseph certainly wasn’t interested in making sure I was satisfied in bed. The one time I brought up experimenting, right at the very beginning of our marriage… Let’s just say it didn’t go well. I learned pretty quickly never to voice my curiosity again.
When we get back to the mansion, Annika leads me down the hall to Sebastian’s office once again. She pauses at the door, knocking loudly.
“Lily and I are back. Everyone decent?” she calls through the door.
What a weird thing to say. Why wouldn’t Sebastian be decent in his office?
“Yes, brat,” a woman’s voice calls back, and Annika sniggers as she opens the door.
“Hey, I never know what I’m going to see when I walk in here,” she says to the absolutely stunning brunette sitting behind the desk opposite Sebastian’s.
“Given you’re more often than not just as indecent, I don’t think you have a leg to stand on there, Annika,” the woman replies with a smirk.
Are they talking about sex? What the hell happens in this office?
I recognise Imogen from the two times I glimpsed her in Sydney, and my mouth goes dry. While Annika is beautiful, there is something alluring about Imogen that I’m finding very confusing.
“Ah, so this is the mysterious Lily?” Imogen says, running her gaze over me with interest.
“How was the shopping expedition?” Sebastian asks, and I turn to look at him as Annika answers for us both.
“Great. We got a full wardrobe, and a few other necessities.” She hands him back his credit card.
