Chapter Seventeen #2
“I know it’s a bit much to wear here and now…
I wanted to present this dress to you when we were ready to leave here and you had a cause to celebrate,” Tristan said, his hand going to the back of his head in an embarrassed gesture.
“But I think it’s better than wearing those soggy clothes?
I can throw them in the dryer and they should be ready to wear again when Matthias comes for you.
Or, if you prefer, I can lend you something of mine… ”
His explanation reassured me a little: it was one thing to wear a designer dress to an upscale restaurant, or whatever celebration they had planned, and another thing to be expected to pose as a beautiful pet all the time.
I enjoyed putting on makeup and turning myself into a goddess when the occasion called for it.
“Yes, that would be good. The dryer, that is,” I said awkwardly.
Tristan nodded and immediately put his money where his mouth was and went to load in my clothes, not expecting me to do the household labor.
He did it so quickly I was still deliberating undoing my towel cocoon when he returned.
“Please, let me help you get dry?” he offered.
Tired of shielding myself from an attack that kept not coming I turned my back to him and opened the towel, letting him take it from my outstretched hands.
He pressed the fluffy fabric against my skin, first gently, then with brisk efficiency as he toweled all my limbs, then got on one knee to dry my feet with worshipful attention.
Once he got up, he cradled my breasts through the fabric.
Even though he touched me only as much as was needed to dry my body it was enough to make my nipples pebble into little peaks, which couldn’t have escaped Tristan’s notice.
And yet, he finished his task without straying, then transferred his attention to the dress.
“Ah,” he stopped in his tracks and it took me only a second to realize what was the issue both of us forgot about.
My old pair of underwear was currently being dried.
“It may be presumptuous of me, Victoria…” Tristan started slowly. “...but I do have another gift I had planned to keep for a while… until you were more comfortable with me.”
“Show me,” I demanded.
“Very well,” Tristan opened one of the drawers and pulled out a small box with a splendid red bow. The black packaging with golden lettering spoke of a bespoke product hiding inside.
I had a feeling I knew what it was.
My tongue flicked out to moisten my lips as I reached to undo the ribbon. It fell to the side smoothly and, under the lid of the box, I found…
Underwear.
Beautiful, sexy, outrageous lingerie .
The sight was enough to make even Tristan flush. The red color climbed high on his aristocratic cheekbones as he held his hands behind his back in a nonchalant pose.
The dress, while tremendously beautiful, wasn’t anything I hadn’t worn before as a young lady of a rich house. But I had never allowed myself to wear something this… this… decadent , as this lingerie.
The blue silk of the bra and panties was decorated with what looked like little sapphires, glinting, mesmerizing speckles of blue which underlined the beauty of the garment.
Delicate lace shot through the fabric, leaving exquisite patterns in its wake.
And the crowning gem in the collection was the pantyhose with a sky-blue garter belt.
I wanted to wear it. To feel that silkiness over my skin. Under Tristan’s fingers.
I let the towel I was still wearing drop to the floor, unabashed in my nakedness in the face of such a wicked gift.
“Put your gifts on me. All of them,” I entreated, my words not quite an order and not quite a plea.
Tristan reached for the bra first, his hands holding it as if it were an offering to a goddess as he put it on me.
The cups cradled my bosom perfectly as he closed the fastenings.
Then the panties were carefully drawn up my legs until they laid flush with my bottom, exposing as much as they were hiding.
Maybe putting the pantyhose on would be easier with me sitting, but we were locked in a tableau in the middle of the room and Tristan chose to kneel and let me support myself on his shoulders as he rolled the pantyhose up my legs and secured it to the garter belt with little clasps.
After the last clasp was in place he pulled back and seemed stunned by the sight.
“You are a vision, Victoria,” he whispered reverently.
“So are you, on your knees,” I responded.
“That’s a man’s place in front of his Queen,” he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
I looked over at the marvelous dress.
“Make me beautiful, my valiant servant,” I said.
“You are already beautiful,” Tristan argued. “But I can add a backdrop to make your beauty shine. That’s all this dress is.”
I knew I wasn’t plain but the three vampires seemed to be delusional about how pretty I was. The worst part? I liked that. It made something warm flare in my chest and stay with me for hours after one of the three men praised me.
The dress with its many layers was one of those costumes you could hardly put on alone but, with Tristan acting as my butler, the rich material ensconced me with barely a wrinkle to the pristine fabric.
Dexterous hands tightened the fastenings at the back of the dress and looped the ends into a pretty bow.
I gathered my hair into a bun and secured it with a blue ribbon, adding a flower pin to hold it in place.
My transformation into a butterfly was complete.
I spun, letting the dress flare. In Tristan’s eyes, in how they were shining with fervor of admiration, I saw the reflection of my own allure and I could almost understand how he saw me. How in his eyes I was the one who was the fairytale creature.
“Do you like it?” Tristan asked. “The outfit?”
“The lingerie?” I shot back cheekily. “Yes, I love it. Now, what would you like as thanks for such a wonderful gift?”
“No thanks are needed,” he insisted. “It’s my privilege to be allowed to gift you happiness, in whichever form I can give it.”
“Still, I want you to ask for what you want.” I placed my hand on his chest, destroying the distance between us. I wanted to be closer. He only had to ask and I would let him explore how the lingerie fit my body.
“Is that so? Then please grant this silly old man his wish. Victoria, will you dance with me?”
That was all he was asking for? Truly a silly old man. A gentleman, a rare breed on the brink of extinction. What he meant by dancing was probably the kind of stuffy ballroom dancing I was subjected to as an upper-class socialite. I wasn’t a fan of that, to say it mildly.
“Sure, if you give me your phone and I can pick the music,” I said with a smirk.
Tristan did so without a peep of protest. When the first notes of a famous pop song started playing, I expected the older man to be thrown off his game.
He surprised me by immediately jumping into action, mirroring my moves, complementing them, adding his own spins for us to integrate into the dance routine.
He was... he was really matching my freak!
After the song was over and we stopped, grinning breathlessly at each other, I reached for the phone and this time I pulled up some old-style swing.
“Darling, I was there when this dance style was first invented. Let me show you some moves.”
And, holy cow, did Tristan have moves. He responded to my steps as if he was reading my mind, and when he took my hand to lead and twirl me until I was pressed against his body or flawlessly performed the move where I slid between his legs, I felt so full of life, of energy, I could burst.
“Well, I see the old fox did get you panting, just not in the way I thought he would,” Matthias intruded after the song, his form leaning nonchalantly against the door.
I immediately went to smack him on the head. He didn’t even try to avoid the swipe, taking his due.
“You look stunning, Vic,” Matthias said with sincerity that disarmed me.
“Yeah, the dress is very pretty,” I agreed.
“I wasn’t talking about the dress. I mean, yes, it’s amazing, but I was talking about your smile. You like dancing? We can go clubbing someday.”
I loved the intimacy of dancing behind closed doors but showing off on the dance floor sounded like fun as well. As long as it wasn’t a gala where I had to dance with Carl wannabees, I was in.
“I will hold you to that,” I nodded resolutely.
“Now that Matthias is here, I’m afraid I have to go,” Tristan sent me an apologetic look. “I have made Jonas wait long enough.”
“You are making the boss wait for you?!” I yelped. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
“You were more important,” Tristan shrugged. “Besides, I need to keep him on his left foot. A bit of unpredictability helps with negotiations. We are so close to finishing this, Victoria... Soon,” he promised me.
“Soon,” I responded, entranced by his fiery gaze. All that determination just for me.
Tristan threw Matthias the keys and a look.
“Lock the door when you are done and I will swing by Victoria’s room when I’m finished.”
When the older vampire left, Matthias turned to me with a shit-eating grin.
“Look, we got the key and didn’t even have to steal it! And here you are, dressed so beautifully... You know, we could desecrate Tristan’s bedroom...” Matthias suggested, his voice low and intent as he put a hand on my waist.
“We could,” I said, leaning on my tiptoes until my lips were nearly brushing his. “You could take this dress off and see the lingerie underneath.”
“Fuck,” Matthias swore and reached for the back of my head to pull me into the kiss.
His mouth was left hanging open as I ducked under his arm and planted my hands on my hips.
“We could have had that but you ran like a coward and left me to face Tristan alone! No lingerie for you!”