Chapter 6
True to his word,Jace had sent over the travel documentation, copies of the contract and NDA, an itinerary, and a confirmation of the time for our shopping adventure on Monday. He even surprised me when he asked for my address so he could send a car to pick me up. I hadn’t spoken to the man I was meant to fake date, but I couldn’t deny the crush I had going for his best friend already.
Exiting the expensive town car, I gaped at the storefront before me. Jace hadn’t been kidding when he said he knew the designers and how to get into the best places.
Couture par Blitz was the hottest new boutique on the fashion strip, and no one got in without an appointment. Even the storefront was mysterious with dark tinted windows, only the gold sign indicating what lay behind the door.
Approaching the door, my hands were sweaty, and I tried to wipe them off as I pressed the button. Sudden flashes of Julia Roberts being mocked out of a store because she didn’t fit the image they catered to raced across my mind. Though in my case, it wouldn’t be because I looked like a hooker but because I didn’t fit the industry standard size.
My hips would not be fitting into a size eight. Nope. Just not possible.
I took a deep breath as I debated my play here. Did I go in and pretend not to like anything to save myself from the embarrassment of having to tell Jace nothing fit? Then casually suggested a place I knew carried my size. Or did I blurt it out to save myself from wasting time in a store designed to make anyone who wasn’t a model feel bad about themselves?
Anger rose in me as redness crept up my neck. I embraced my body and how I looked. I knew my worth and didn’t let others tell me what was okay for my body. But it didn’t mean these microaggressions—tiny battles I had to face multiple times a day—didn’t weigh on a person. And I could imagine the damage it did to anyone who didn’t love how they looked or felt in their own skin. It was a constant onslaught of being told you were different, or worse, not good enough.
My fists clenched as I stood in front of this store, the rage building more and more as I thought about it. This wasn’t okay. The fashion industry was the problem, not my body.
“Everly, there you are! You coming in?” Jace asked. He stood half in the door, half out of it. I still couldn’t make out anything behind him, but I no longer cared.
I crossed my arms over my chest and tilted my chin up. I tried to ignore how cute he looked, staring at me, his auburn hair artfully styled and bringing out the gray in his eyes.
“I’m not shopping here,” I said, my voice even and emotionless. I wouldn’t unnecessarily put myself into an uncomfortable situation. Decision made.
Jace’s brow creased as he frowned, stepped out the door, and walked closer to me. He wore blue shorts and a white tee that pressed against his abs, perfectly displaying how cute he was. His necklaces differed slightly, but his rings and watch remained the same. He looked the epitome of a relaxed yacht guy, with sunglasses tucked into his collar and comfortable but expensive boat shoes.
It was a crime that he looked that good.
“Everything okay?” he asked, pulling my hand free from where I had it clasped under my elbow. His touch sent a shock through me, momentarily startling me out of my anger. His hands were soft and warm, making me feel comfort when all I wanted to do was yell.
“Yeah. I’m fine. I’m just not shopping here.”
His brows dipped further like I’d spoken a secret language he couldn’t decipher. I knew deep down it wasn’t his fault. I wasn’t mad at him. This knowledge, combined with the compassion he showed me, had me melting under his touch.
“I don’t understand. It’s all covered by Kieran, and he expects you to get the best.”
Ouch. My clothes weren’t that bad. My cheeks heated, and I tugged my hand, but he wouldn’t let go. Activate brat mode.
“Well, you can tell Kieran that all the money in the world couldn’t buy anything in that store. So, as I said. I’m not shopping here. Do you have somewhere else in mind, or should I make it easier and tell you where?”
“You’re upset, and I don’t know why. Please help me understand, Everly. I want to spoil you with the best, and that’s this place.”
Scoffing, I rolled my eyes at his comment. “Yeah, well, places like this only think the best is for someone who doesn’t look like me. Nothing will fit me in there, Jace. And I don’t want to waste time being embarrassed when you realize that. So, again, all the money in the world wouldn’t be able to buy me something from Couture par Blitz. But sure, let’s go inside and let the attendants tell you because you’re not believing me.”
His face had hardened as I spoke, and his grip on me halted my progress when I tried to walk toward the door.
“I’m sorry, Everly. I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable or like I didn’t believe you. A designer friend of mine works here; they just started a new line, and I instantly thought of you when I saw the summer collection. I know how the fashion industry can be, and I would never want to put you in an uncomfortable situation, so if you don’t want to see if it might work, I’ll understand. We can go to another place.“
My anger deflated, and the embarrassment I’d been trying to avoid filled my cheeks anyway, but this time it was at myself.
Hello mouth, insert foot. Nothing like a rage mode outburst to make you humble.
Shoulders dropping, I tipped my head back as I stared at the sky to calm myself. Nature always worked better than anything else, reminding me how beautiful and vast the world was. A few clouds floated past, my body relaxing more and more as I stared. Blinking, I let out the last of my anger and glanced back at Jace. His eyes watched me, curiosity brimming in them and taking me by surprise.
“What did you just do?” he asked.
“Reminded myself how beautiful the world is.”
Jace’s hazel eyes grazed over my face like he was trying to memorize everything about me. My chest thumped like my heart had just flipped over itself.
“If you think this place has something for me, then I’ll trust you,” I said when I couldn’t take his eyes lingering on me any longer.
“Thank you. That means a lot.”
His eyes dropped to my lips, then back to my eyes as he gifted me a smile. Jace linked our fingers together like it was the most natural thing and pulled me along toward the door. My heart beat faster, and I wasn’t sure if it was due to his touch or if I was even more worried about this store than I’d let myself believe.
He punched in a code on the keypad, and the door unlocked, revealing a lavish entrance. Gold and black accented the area, from the columns to the rugs to the couches; it all had an eloquent goth vibe to it. Racks of clothes were placed in the back with doors and a center stage for everyone to preen on. A few people turned at our entrance and looked us over, or me more aptly, then returned to their business.
Jace pulled me around the side, not stopping to talk to any of the attractive onlookers who all followed him with their eyes. I could understand why. The man was too gorgeous for his own good. When we neared a black door with gold writing that spelled out Sapphire, I cocked my head as I tried to remember if I knew of it.
The door opened, and a man dressed in a feather robe, silk shorts, and snakeskin boots stepped out, his smile widening at the sight of Jace. He had on huge glasses that covered most of his face. His appearance was so strange I didn’t know how to take him. It was like a Drag Queen had thrown up on someone’s grandfather.
“My boy!” He hugged Jace, giving him big, wet kisses on his cheeks. Since Jace still held my hand, I followed, getting a mouth full of feathers in the process.
Spitting out the pink fuzz, I froze when the man grasped my face in his hands, worried I was about to be his next wet kiss victim.
“Yes, yes!” he exclaimed, turning my face from side to side. He stepped back and picked up my arm as he examined my body. It didn’t feel sexual, more like he was dressing me rather than undressing. “Oh, she’s perfect, my boy! I keep telling you that you’re in the wrong field.”
“Nonsense. I’ve worked in the industry long enough to know what to look for. I shoot the pretty things, not create them.”
The man tutted at Jace, dismissing his words with a wave of his hand. “So modest.” He turned back to me, his glasses moving as he scrutinized me.
“Please let me dress you, lovely. You’d make this gay old man so happy.”
“Um, sure.” I wasn’t usually one to stammer, but this whole situation had thrown me off. I was out of my element, and all the rules had changed.
“Peter!” the man said, snapping his fingers behind him. “Get a room ready for our lovely girl. I want everything from the summer collection.”
“Everything?” a young guy behind the feathered man asked.
“Yes. I’ve found the perfect model.”
“Model? Oh, no. I’m just here to try on clothes.”
“We’ll see,” the man said, giving me a wink like he thought I was playing hard to get.
“I’m not modeling,” I told Jace, hoping he’d listen.
“Ferro is just teasing,” he said, giving me a promise with his eyes. I took a breath, trusting he wouldn’t make me do anything I didn’t feel comfortable with.
“Fine, but I’m making you take me to get greasy cheeseburgers and milkshakes afterward for the endured torture.”
“Whatever you wish, Firecracker.” Jace smiled, and I felt it zing to my toes. It just wasn’t fair.
Stepping into Sapphire, I was taken aback at the difference from the front of the store, especially after what Ferro wore.
Comfortable couches blocked off sections of the room, giving each changing area privacy and its own little runway to see how the clothes looked. The decor was in shades of silver and blue, giving the room an underwater effect.
A clothes rack stood before the nearest section, growing with more items each second. Jace pushed me into the fitting room, pulled something off the shelf, and handed it to me.
“These first.”
Rolling my eyes at his bossiness, I took them and glanced down. The hangers held a pair of mustard-colored shorts with a bow and an off-the-shoulder black polka dot shirt. It wasn’t as bad as I expected, so I placed them on the door and undressed.
Pulling the shirt over my head, I instantly loved it. It fit perfectly, accenting my waist and small chest, and the material felt heavenly against my skin. Sliding on the shorts, I was equally amazed at how well they fit and cupped my butt. I took a few steps and discovered that they didn’t even chafe. These had to be miracle shorts.
“Show me, Firecracker,” Jace yelled beyond the door.
Opening the door, I walked toward him, still amazed the shorts didn’t ride up my thighs. When I neared him, I cocked my hip to the side and rested my hand there as I stared at him. His eyes held mine for the longest time before he dropped them and took in my outfit. He leaned forward to inspect it, shifting the material, and then stood, circling me.
“It’s all wrong,” he muttered before shouting for Ferro.
His comment confused me since the outfit seemed perfect to me. Ferro hurried over, his assistant hot on his tail. They both scrunched up their noses.
“No, no. That’s all wrong,” he said, echoing Jace. He snapped his fingers at Peter. “Grab my pins.”
I glanced down at the shirt, not seeing what they were. Peter returned with the pins, and Ferro got to work, cinching the shirt in tighter than I usually wore them.
“Um,” I started.
“Ssh. Trust me. I’m the designer,” Ferro said, ignoring me as he continued. When he was finished, he stepped back and nodded. Jace had stood with him, his hand on his chin as he looked me over.
“Yes. Much better.”
“I agree. Peter, fix.”
The younger man stepped forward and pulled off the shirt, leaving me standing in my bra and the mustard shorts. Ferro lifted my arm to inspect my body more, but again there was nothing sexual about it as he took in my bra.
“You need a better bra. This one does nothing for you.”
Internally, I rolled my eyes. I knew it wasn’t the best, but bras were expensive, and I didn’t spend too much money on anything I had to wear daily. It wasn’t practical. He shoved a few things into my arms, surprising me since I hadn’t seen him move.
“Try these. You can take it off right here, but I suppose you might not be comfortable with that. Though no one here cares. Your choice.” He waved his hand as he spoke, sitting on the couch and crossing his leg.
His words confused me, but as I peered around the room, I realized there weren’t many people. Just Ferro, Peter, and a girl leaning over a counter as she cut out the fabric. And well, Jace. I glanced at him; his eyebrows lifted in a challenge.
“Nudity isn’t a big deal in the fashion biz,” he said by way of explanation. I highly doubted the other three people would be interested in my breasts, and since Jace believed I wouldn’t do it, it made me want to all the more.
“Doesn’t bother me; I’m comfortable with my body.”
I shrugged off the straps, his eyes widening the slightest before he sat back and crossed his leg, mirroring Ferro. I turned, giving him my naked back as I dropped my well-used bra to the floor. Sliding on the new one, I hid the embarrassment at how nice it felt and looked compared to what I’d been wearing.
“Yes, yes!” Ferro affirmed as I spun around. My eyes met Jace’s, his pupils larger than they’d been before, making his hazel eyes more gray-blue, the gold flecks shimmering. They roamed over my chest, building my confidence as I posed. Maybe this modeling thing wasn’t so bad when you had a hot-as-sin photographer watching you.
Peter returned with the shirt sewn to the new measurements, and I put it back on, immediately noticing the difference. The few tucks and cinches they’d done did better accent my frame, capitalizing on the parts of me that gave me the best shape.
Over the next hour, I tried on so many clothes that I quit entering the changing room and just pulled them on in front of everyone. Now and then, Ferro would make his corrections, and Peter would run off to tend to them. Jace’s eyes heated increasingly as he watched me dress and undress, our eyes sending flirty dares back and forth.
I got more and more into modeling, striking sexy poses, and taking my time stripping them off. Ferro even gave me new panties that matched the bra, giving me a sexy silhouette in my underwear. Jace shifted for the tenth time in the last sixty seconds, grabbing a dress with several complicated straps, and rushed toward me.
“Ferro, take a break. Everly needs help with this one, and it might be a while.”
The flamboyant designer chuckled, waving as he stood and flaunted to the other side of the design studio, the sewing machine whirring to life.
My eyes stayed fixed on Jace’s as he took the last few steps, his hands reaching to touch me. The heat from them had me gasping, his thumb stroking the soft skin above my panties.
“Watching you for the past hour has been torturous. It’s like I’m being trained to be a monk and failing miserably. Then I remembered I’m not a monk and can end my torture.”
“Oh? How do you plan to do that?” I asked, my breath husky.
Jace stepped forward, the bulge he’d been pretending to hide pressed into me. My eyes fluttered closed at the contact, and I felt my panties soak.
“I hope you planned to buy these panties because I’m pretty sure if you cum in them, you can’t return them,” I purred.
“I’ll buy them all just so I can take them off you later, Firecracker.”
“Why not now?”
Jace’s eyes dilated more, if possible, as the air between us shifted. His body pushed me forward until I stepped back into the dressing room I’d been in earlier. As soon as my back hit the wall, he swooped down, stopping a mere fraction from my mouth and giving me that second to remember my rule.
“No kissing on the lips,” I gasped.
Jace growled and moved his mouth to my cheek. “I want to make it perfectly clear, this by no means has any bearing on your position. I want you, Firecracker, so will you let me show you what I promised?”
“Yes,” I moaned, his fingers digging into my hips before they pulled the fabric from my body and skated over my skin. One hand hiked my leg up around his hip as he sucked on my neck, his fingers spreading my drenched pussy open as one ran up the middle.
Jace wasted no time plunging into me as he lavished the sensitive area on my neck, leaving his mark. His fingers pushed in and out in perfect rhythm as his palm rubbed against my swollen clit. Add in the fact I could hear the others, I was turned on to the max. If I could stay in here forever, I’d be fine with that. Just toss some food under the door now and then and let Jace have his fill.
“Fucking hell, Firecracker. You’re so wet and hot. All I can think of now is how good you’ll feel wrapped around me. You’re squeezing my fingers like a greedy girl, wanting more.”
“Yes, please,” I moaned, not even ashamed. Sometimes the quickest way to get what you want was to ask.
“Not today, Everly. But soon. For now, you’ll have to drench my fingers. When I take you, I want no restrictions. I want all the time in the world to dominate you and make you beg.”
I chuckled, moving my head as I stared into his eyes. “Good luck with that.”
Jace didn’t back down, his smirk matching the one I wore as he continued to thrust his fingers into me, my legs shaking from the action. Before I could argue anymore, he curved his fingers and pinched my clit, sending me sailing over the cliff without a parachute.
My body spasmed as I came, my moans barely muffled by Jace’s neck as I screamed into him. My arms and leg wrapped around him, clinging to him as I shuddered.
“That was beautiful, Ev,” Jace said, peering at me with more awe than I expected. His eyes were still blown, and I licked my lips as I watched him suck my essence off his fingertips. “Mm, fucking delicious. I can’t wait to taste it with my tongue. You and I are going to have fun on this cruise. Now, let’s finish up and grab that lunch I owe you. I’m suddenly starving.”
His body left me, and I had the urge to pull him back before I remembered who I was. I straightened myself, acting as cool and aloof as possible in only a bra, my cum dripping down my thighs.
“That dress won’t work. We’ll try something new,” he teased, reminding me why we’d come in here in the first place.
Jace backed out of the dressing room, palming his large erection and winking before he closed the door, leaving me wondering what the hell I’d just gotten myself into.
Who needed a hot girl summer when you could have a curvy girl voyage? I’d take a cruise with Jace and his dirty mouth any day.