Chapter Forty-Three
Ailee
Josh wasn’t kidding when he said he wanted to pamper me.
“Your shoulders are way too tight,” Leslie says, then puts me through a Thai massage, hot stone massage and scalp massage, although I’m not sure how my scalp is related to shoulder tightness.
She kneads me like I’m some sort of intransigent dough that refuses to become soft and malleable.
I can’t complain because it feels amazing to have my muscles turned into warm goo.
Does Katt do this every time she needs to get ready for an event?
If so, it’s no wonder she looks radiant. I could definitely get used to this.
Another person, whose name I didn’t catch in my gooey stupor, clucks her tongue at the state of my skin and has me bathe in squishy mud, while a thick layer of seaweed sits on my face.
Leslie comes back for an oil massage to work fragrant lavender oil into my skin and work out whatever kinks she might’ve missed the first time around.
I sigh with appreciation. Josh really is a man worth spoiling if this is how he repays me for my little efforts.
The loveliest pink lacquer goes on my nails. Then comes my hair. I press my lips together at how unruly it is. It looks like a mushroom cloud of atomic devastation. “Really curly, huh?” I say with a small smile.
“Yeah, but it looks good. Your hair’s fantastic.
Thick and glossy,” Monica the hairstylist states with a twinkle in her dark eyes.
“Lots to work with. No need for extensions to give it volume.” She takes my hair, dries it, sprays in some products, then braids it into sections and twists them into a complex updo that I never thought was possible with hair like mine.
She sticks several freshly cut purple orchids into the thick mass.
“Perfect. Look at you. You look like a princess.” Monica grins.
“Oh my God, you’re a genius!” I say, unable to tear my eyes from the mirror. “I didn’t know my hair could look like…like…” For maybe the first time in my life, words fail me.
She laughs. “I got the magic hands,” she says, wriggling her fingers.
“Magic isn’t enough to describe this. I think you’ve destroyed the laws of physics. Thank you!”
“Like I said, great hair. Made my job easier.” She puts some very light makeup on my face, focusing on bringing out my eyes and lips. “You look like a little fairy. I love it.”
I simply can’t believe how amazing my reflection looks. Confidence and joy soar in my heart. I’m dying to get into my dress for the evening—the one I carefully packed for the event.
Finally, I shrug out of the robe and put on the gorgeous off-the-shoulder royal-purple gown that clings to my curves and accentuates all my assets the right way—as Max might put it—then slip on a pair of gorgeous silver stilettos with faux-diamond accents around the ankle straps.
I stand and stare myself in the mirror. My eyes sparkle, and my cheeks are flushed with excitement.
I feel like Cinderella, ready to attend the ball with my Prince Charming.
Just then, Josh steps inside.
My breath catches. He’s strikingly handsome in a black-and-white tuxedo.
It fits his broad shoulders perfectly, then molds to his chest and slim waist. The man radiates a cool authority and power that warns people to keep their distance.
But when he looks at me, warmth enters his eyes, and it makes me special, like I’m the only woman in his world.
His eyes roam over me, head to toe and back up to my face. He steps forward, then grasps my shoulders, his palms warm and tender on my bare skin, and places a careful kiss on my lips to avoid smudging the scarlet tint.
“You look so beautiful. Can’t believe you’re mine.”
I look up at him with all the love and trust welling in my heart. “Thank you. You look very handsome yourself.”
Smiling, he flicks a petal on one of the orchids in my hair. “The flowers look so good on you. We should plant these in our garden.”
“Really?”
He nods. “These are just so you. Pretty, fragrant. Delightful.”
He extends a hand to one of the staff. She brings over two boxes—one with the Sebastian Jewelry logo and the other containing the pearls that I received from Akiko.
The woman opens the lid on the first one, revealing a gorgeous diamond-and-platinum tiara.
It’s just big enough to make a statement without being pretentious.
The gorgeous, glittering stones and chic design are fit for a princess.
“Wow,” I breathe.
“A tiara for my princess.” He smiles, then places it carefully on the crown of my head. Monica comes over to secure it with bobby pins.
Once Monica’s finished and retreats, I study my reflection. The tiara sparkles like a crown on my head. And I do feel like a princess.
Josh reaches for the pearls next. He places the dangling earrings on my earlobes.
Then the bracelet circles my wrist with a soft click of the clasp.
Finally, he steps behind me and loops the stunning necklace around my neck, his fingertips brushing against my bare skin, sending shivers down my back.
He lowers his head until he can whisper into my ear, his breath tickling my sensitive earlobe.
“I love the way you smell. What did they do?”
“A massage with scented oil. It was really nice, but I like the way your shower gel smells on me better.”
His eyes flare, and his arm around my waist tightens. I turn in his embrace and press my forehead to his, inhaling the shared air between us.
“There’s something I need to confess to you,” I say, my eyes on his Adam’s apple. A mixture of anxiety and anticipation spark along my nerves. When he doesn’t respond for a few moments, I look up at him.
The humor slips from his face at my serious expression. “What is it?”
“Privately,” I murmur.
He gestures at the staff to leave us. When everyone is gone and the door closes, I exhale slowly.
“I did something bad,” I say.
“How bad?”
“I had some negative thoughts about myself earlier, before the event, even though I didn’t mean to.” I try to look penitent. “I shouldn’t have done that.”
He stands like a statue, but the tip of his eyebrow twitches. “No, you shouldn’t have.”
“So I should probably be…punished.”
His warm palms stroke my ass, then squeeze. “And how do you propose I should do that?”
“With, um…this?” I reach into the clutch and hand him the sleek cylinder.
He takes it and studies it, half curious, half turned on. “A remote control? To what?”
“My friend gave me an annual subscription to the Year of Coming First. A pair of crotchless vibrating panties came inside the first box. And this is the remote control,” I explain.
My cheeks burn, but I don’t want to chicken out.
Sexual excitement isn’t the only thing driving me.
It’s trust that he’ll safeguard me—and my heart.
Heat erupts in his eyes. He taps the button at the end.
A soft vibration pulses against my clit. I let out a shaky sigh, my eyes fluttering.
“How does it feel?” His low voice washes over me, making me shiver.
“Good, but not enough.”
“Enough to keep you simmering?”
“Yes.”
He chuckles wickedly, then rolls his thumb over the wheel. The intensity shoots up. I gasp. My knees buckle. I grip his forearm so my butt doesn’t hit the floor.
“This is perfect,” he purrs, then returns the intensity back to the lowest setting.
I look up at his satisfied expression. In this position, my face is at his crotch, and I can see his thickness straining against the pants.
I run my fingertips over his length, keeping my touch feathery.
“You’re so hard.” And ready to be pulled into my mouth or into my pussy.
Anywhere where we can make each other feel amazing.
“Watching you breathe makes me hard.” He pulls me up and holds me tight.
My eyes slide to the closed door behind him. “Do you think that has a lock?”
“No. Doesn’t look like it,” he says.
“Mmm. Too bad.” I graze the backs of my fingers along the thick girth of his shaft. “I could’ve sucked you off before we head out.”
He presses his lips together as though containing a groan. “You’re going to be the death of me.”
“Blame yourself.” I smile at him. “You make me feel safe and confident. I’ve never felt this secure with anyone before. I feel like you won’t judge me, no matter how outrageous my demands might be.” My cheeks are so hot I feel like my face will burst into flames.
His breathing roughens. “Jesus. Klein, baby, you can’t say stuff like that to a man when he can’t do anything about it.”
I press my body closer and rub him gently through the clothes. “Later. I’ll let you do anything you want with me.”
“Anything?” Desire glitters in his fathomless eyes. I can’t look away.
“Yes. It will satisfy you, and it’ll make me feel good. But most importantly, it will also teach me a lesson. That I’m worthy and beautiful. And that I shouldn’t doubt your judgment.”