Page 76 of No Saint

“Yes,leonessa.”

“There’s some other pieces,” Sierra continues, “Gabriel provided your sizes so they should fit.”

She watches while Sierra pulls out two lingerie pieces taken directly from her book, a red lace body suit with ribbons that wrapped around the waist and then up between the breasts to secure around the neck, the lace completely sheer and covering nothing.

Amelia glances to me and then back, fingering the material while Sierra pulls out the second, a three piece set that includes a bra, thong and garter belt. It was lace like the one before but fuller and more concealing and was white.

“These are stunning, you did these too?”

“I did,” Sierra beams, “but the talent is yours.”

“Thank you,” she whispers, turning to both of us, “Really, thank you.”

“Would you like to try them on?” Sierra asks.

“I can?”

Sierra laughs, “Of course, they are yours.”

My fists tighten at the thought of seeing Amelia in these pieces of lace.

“Gabriel can wait here,” Sierra glances to me with a smirk, “I’ll take you through.”

And the fantasy of seeing her in nothing but these little pieces of lace gets shattered. I grumble as I leave, taking a seat on the bench close to the front of the shop while the girls do their thing in the back.

Just knowing she was back there with no clothing, and I couldn’t get to witness it, was frustrating. But she hadn’t forgiven me yet.

She would.

Soon. She would.

30

The lace slides across my skin as I pull it into place and secure the ribbon around my neck. I’d never dared wearing such a thing before, but I wanted to so bad.

But it revealed too much, all the scars on my arms were on show and the scarring on my abdomen could be seen through the lace. I knew it would be the same on my back.

I couldn’t hide them like this.

The curtain to the changing room suddenly swings open and Sierra stops dead, eyes going to those scars.

“Sierra!” I yell.

“What happened?” She rushes over, examining those marks.

“No, stop,” I plead, louder than I intend as she lifts her hand to touch, “Please.”

“Amelia?” Gabriel’s voice brings a cold sweat to my skin, “Amelia is everything okay?”

“Sierra please, I don’t want him to see.” Her eyes widen. “I’m fine Gabriel!”

“Amelia?” Sierra hisses, “How has he never seen?”

“Please, Sierra.”

“Are you sure? I heard you shout.”

“I’m fine!” I beg Sierra with my eyes, watching her take in every angry scar, the slashes, and burns that mottled my skin., the small and the big. My back was the worst of it, the way my skin was raised, angry, like someone had dripped candle wax onto my skin and left it to dry. I had hoped as I grew, and they aged that they would become less noticeable but that hadn’t happened.

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