Chapter Forty – Verity
CHAPTER FORTY
VERITY
“ O w! Can you be a little gentler, please?”
“Oh, hush. Stop being such a baby.” Hannah stabs another bobby pin into the updo, scraping it along my scalp.
“Hannah,” I grit out through clenched teeth.
“It’s not my fault you have such a sensitive skull. Like, seriously.”
The process repeats itself another five or six times until she is satisfied that the braid won’t move.
I would like to be a little more pissed, but she is doing me a favor.
The stunning braided updo she’s spent the last half hour working on is gorgeous—it looks just like the girl in the video tutorial.
She even pulls a few tendrils of hair loose to frame my face and uses an obscenely thin curling wand to give them a soft curl.
“Hold your breath.” Hannah gives the command at the exact same time she releases a cloud of hairspray onto my hair, basically cloaking my head in the stuff.
Our tiny bathroom fills with a vague haze, a testament to the sheer quantity she just sprayed out. There isn’t a chance in hell of even a single strand coming loose tonight.
“There. All done.” Hannah grins at me like a proud parent.
“Thank you, my goddess.”
She lets out a sigh. “I’ll admit. I’m a little jealous. I haven’t gotten all fancied up in ages.”
“You are literally wearing a bedazzled mini dress.”
The skintight, strapless bodycon dress she currently has on is covered in pink rhinestones, with a heart cutout between the boobs. One of her DJ friends is playing at a new rooftop nightclub, and she went all out.
“This is completely different. You’re wearing a gown; I’m wearing a party dress. There’s a big contrast between a black-tie event and a nightclub.”
I’m not wearing said gown just yet. I was way too nervous to put it on while doing my makeup, worried that a stray drop of foundation would splotch onto the rich fabric.
The gown was delivered three days ago, courtesy of Cullen.
The sneaky asshole had bought it for me even though I’d told him not to.
I tried to give it back; I went so far as to bring the garment bag down the next morning while he was waiting by the lamp post with two fresh croissants.
He told me he cut off the tags and threw away the receipt, so there was nothing I could do unless I wanted it to collect dust in his closet.
“It would look far better on you than wasting away on a dressing rack,” he told me.
I was torn. It’s the same stunning dress I had been captivated by at the department store before Imani had scared the ever-loving crap out of me.
It is utterly stunning, a gorgeous midnight blue satin with a pleated bodice that flows into a rippling skirt.
It is like the night sky reflected in the ocean.
I am in love with it, but I also know that it cost half my yearly salary—and that terrified me a little.
“All righty, let’s get you zipped up.” Hannah grabs the gown from where it hangs off one of the light fixtures in our living room. We didn’t have anywhere else to hang it without the bottom of the dress getting all crumpled on the floor. “Come on, strip.”
I slip out of my sweatpants and then contort my arms out through the neck of my tank top before shimmying it down my body so I don’t mess up my hair.
Hannah’s upper lip curls.
“What?” I raise my hands over my boobs, suddenly feeling self-conscious even though we’ve seen each other nude a million times.
“You’re not wearing that underwear, are you?”
I look down at the plain black briefs. “Why? They’re seamless.”
“I don’t care if they’re seamless, you have to wear something sexier with this dress.”
“No one can see my underwear, Han.”
“Your boyfriend.”
My cheeks heat up at the thought of Cullen unzipping the dress and laying me bare in just a small thong and fuckable heels. “Good point.”
I run into my bedroom and dig through my drawer for one of the four lacy thongs that I own. I find the white one first and swap it for my briefs.
“Happy?” I strut back out to the living room with a dramatic flair, swaying my hips and raising an arm in the air for her.
“Delighted.” She smirks. “Now get that sexy ass over here.”
Hannah helps me step into the gown and zips up the side, mindful not to catch any of my flesh in the process. I hold her hand as I carefully step into my heels—they are the same ones I wore to the Kelton event, but this time I’ve taken the precaution of lining my feet with Band-Aids beforehand.
Hannah lets out a squeal, pressing her hands into a prayer in front of her lips, grinning from ear to ear. “You look so hot.”
I give her a twirl, letting the material swish around my legs. The dress makes me feel like Anastasia, just a little bit like I could be royalty.
The buzzer to our apartment goes off. Hannah scurries over, pressing the button.
“Hello, hello.”
“Hey, it’s Cullen.” His comforting voice crackles through the shoddy intercom.
“Come on up!”
Hannah buzzes him in and then quickly disappears and reappears from her bedroom, a small bottle of perfume in one hand and a packet of mints and a lip gloss in the other. She doesn’t wait for my approval before giving me a few spritzes of the jasmine scent.
“Put this in your purse for when you need to reapply and then take these, just in case.” She hands the lip gloss and mints over and then pops back into her bedroom. Her head sticks out a moment later. “Do you need any condoms?”
“No.”
“You sure?”
“Where do you think I’m going to bang him? The table in the middle of the room?”
She shrugs. “Exhibitionism is a popular kink among the rich folk. One of Caleb’s artists is known to get a lil freaky in public with her boyfriend.”
“Hannah.”
“What? There’s no shame. Haven’t you ever been curious about the thrill of getting caught?”
My memories wash back to the night of the ballet when Cullen had me pushed up against the wall of the opera box, fingers curling into my pussy as the orchestra rang around us.
Something must show on my face because it sets off Hannah’s senses and she comes rushing up to me, a dangerous glint in her eyes.
“Stop. Did you do something and never tell me?”
“What? No.”
“Vee.”
“It was nothing.”
“Doesn’t sound like—”
There’s a loud knocking at our door, my boyfriend saving me from the scrutiny of my roommate.
“Well, gotta go.” I shove the lip gloss and mints into my clutch before snagging my phone from where it’s charging next to the toaster. “Love you lots. Stay safe, okay?”
“Uh-huh. Love you, too. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
“That’s not saying much.”
“I know.”
She blows me a kiss and I let out a laugh before opening the front door.
My entire world stills for a moment as I take in the man in front of me.
My knees almost go weak at the three-piece suit Cullen is sporting, something about the vest causing my ovaries to go into overdrive.
He’s even gone so far as to wear a suit that complements the midnight blue of my dress.
His stubble is perfectly cut, highlighting his strong facial features. His hair is parted and styled to the side, the long strands on top making it look like he rolled out of a meeting of the British aristocracy.
Cullen’s hazel gaze travels slowly up and down my body as he takes a step forward, looping his hand around my waist and tugging me close. “You look absolutely gorgeous.”
I suppress a shiver, toes curling in my heels.
“Thank you, you don’t look half bad yourself.”
He presses in even closer. “Mm, is that right?” The side of his nose grazes against my own, lips ghosting my skin as his gravelly tone scrapes against my soul in the most delicious way.
My thighs squeeze together, my mind already melting under his hypnosis.
Our breaths mingle, dancing to a silent, seductive tune before he catches me in a kiss. All my hesitations and reservations about tonight fade away. I smile against his lips, my soul happy to just be with him again.
The slow, tantalizing taste morphs into a feast. His grip on my waist tightens and his other hand comes up to cup my jaw, drawing me into him. I become dizzy, totally lost to his spell.
I think I could make out with Cullen until the world burned down around us, and even then, I wouldn’t stop until we were sitting among the charred remains.
“I know I said I was all for exhibitionism, but I highly advise against fucking in our doorway, because Randy put up security cameras in the stairwell the other week after Ms. Warble slipped down the steps and blamed it on poor management.”
Hannah’s drawling commentary interrupts our rhythm, slicing the mood in half. Cullen pulls away, slowly looking over my shoulder at where my roommate must be.
“Thanks for the advice.”
“You’re welcome,” she taunts, ignoring his deadpan.
I finally calm my heart rate, clearing the fuzz in my brain from his kisses. But just when I think I’m back on solid ground, he throws me off-kilter.
Cullen swipes his thumb under my bottom lip with a smirk. “Come on, angel. We’ve got a show to put on.”