Page 19 of Shattered Diamonds

I never told my best friend about the kiss, and I have always questioned why.

ChapterTen

HAVEN

AmI shocked when I walk into my bedroom after my shower and see a white shiny box with an elegant black velvet bow lying on my bed? No, can’t say that I am. I have already learned that my date for this evening gets what he wants. Just in case I didn’t have a red dress, he made sure I did. What I can say when I stare at the box is that I am intrigued. That is until I pull the fabric bow loose and lift open the lid to see an exquisite red dress. In my size no less.

I knew exactly what was going to be inside. I just didn’t know how stunning it would be. My problem is, I can’t wait to put the beautiful dress on my body. It just won’t be for him, tonight. It will be for me, right now.

There is no way I am bowing to his demand. Scarlet red is his choice of desire. A harlot. A vibrant show of color to take notice of. A show to every man of what he has on his arm.

What is the opposite of the racy saturated color? White. That is the color I will be wearing tonight when he finally sees me at his chosen destination. A zing of giddy defiance whips through me, a playfulness knowing it will be too late for me to change when he finally sees me and demands it.

Goosebumps of excitement caress my skin. I pull the dress from the confines of the box. An impressive tag falls at its side. No price. Just the name of the boutique. Heart’s Desire. When I remove the tag and throw it onto the bed is when I notice the name and phone number on the back with a small handwritten note attached.

If you need help getting into this contraption, please don’t hesitate to call. I will personally see you through the torture.

Sofia Heart

Owner of Hearts Desire

The fabric is strategically positioned.The buckles mimic a U-shape shackle. They’re placed in a way that looks as if I’m trussed up. The dress is not shy of material by any means. It goes from mid-neck to mid-calf and is body hugging from top to bottom. It’s a vision of seduction. An open invitation to look but not to touch with the way the brass buckles bond the thin straps of material together. It’s a work of art, crafted with superb quality, and I know it cost Demetri a fortune. Too bad he won’t get to see it.

I lay the dress down across my bed and strip myself of my towel. My curiosity has gotten the better of me. Even though Demetri will not see me in what he picked out tonight, I will. I don’t know how but I am determined to get into this dress without the aid of anyone’s help. When I lean over to grab the top half of the dress, I see something red peeking out from under the tissue paper still in the box. I reach for it and gasp when I see the three-piece La Perla ensemble. The bra, panties, and garter are so beautifully delicate. The brass clips holding it all together match the dress.

I squeal with excitement. I have never owned anything so suggestive. I quickly put it on. Noting that it too, fits perfectly. I damn near skip to the floor length mirror to check myself out. I twist and turn, inspecting my body from all angles. Ignoring the slight twinge in my stomach when I notice some flesh protruding over the string lying on my hip. I feel giddy as I stare at myself, and dare I say… sexy. A challenge to someone who sees herself bigger than what she really is.

I rush to my closet and whip through the dresses I had sent over to the States when we made the trip. I know just the one I am looking for. It’s white and what I thought was sexy, but compared to what is laying across my bed, it leaves me to find another definition for it. I’ll go with classically clean and sophisticated with an edge of sexiness without being a hooch.

I blow dry my unruly hair with a diffuser to give my highlighted strawberry blonde hair corkscrew curls. I apply my makeup, giving my eyes a slight bit of smokiness but then dramatically apply my darkest red lipstick to my lips.

Demetri wanted red. I’ll tease him with just a hint of it.

I smile at my reflection, feeling sassy. Excitement I’m unaccustomed to fills me.

I think it’s the challenge of my defiance. The unknown of what his reaction will be. I’m messing with fire, and I know it. The burn will no doubt hurt but this feeling inside me spurs me on.

ChapterEleven

DEMETRI

It’sone thing to take interest in someone and have them become your lover. It is another when you have eyes on you making sure you do the honorable thing in a less than righteous position. I am a private man. Therefore, my partners are private matters. Maybe not in the sense of who they are but more of what we do. For me, I will consult no one in my dealings. Once I commit to something, I follow through until the end. That is why when the Don of the family asked me this morning at our regular weekly debrief if I have continued to pursue the exquisitely innocent Ms. Haven McKittrick, I just stared at him. It was answer enough.

Was it disrespectful of me? Yes.

Did I expect repercussions? The answer is also yes.

There was none.

Mr. Heart knows me. My word is as good as gold is lucrative.

Antonio and Giovanni met me for lunch after I made a large purchase at Heart’s Desire. Sofia Heart, the daughter of our boss and sister to Antonio, the underboss, owns the very successful high-end boutique. I felt that with tonight’s date looming, it was warranted. I needed the innocence behind Haven’s demure smile to be enlightened to what kind of man she will be sharing the evening with.

I had Luca retrieve her with instructions that if she was not wearing the red dress I had purchased and delivered to her that the date would be canceled and rescheduled for another evening until she could comply.

The moment she stepped into the restaurant; I knew. She was, by far, the most beautiful female I have ever had the pleasure of sharing a dinner with. It didn’t go unnoticed that every man and even some women gave my innocent date a thorough inspection. She was stunning in her strapless white mid-thigh dress. Her show of defiance was a turn on, a challenge on her part, and it made my cock rock-fucking-hard.

She watched me, waiting for the shock of her insolence at not wearing my offered gift to hit my features as she sauntered across the restaurant with swaying full hips and a half-cocked smirk. It’s one she is trying to conceal but doing a piss poor job of. She never received the preview. I already knew she wasn’t wearing the dress. The siren demanded that Luca bring her here anyway. Her excuse was that she had a debt to pay, and the dress was not part of the deal. Little does she know that I am the one who granted her demands. Luca would have walked out without a second thought.

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