Page 26 of Savage Little Lies

I’ve seen her wear the hell out of enough dresses to know what complements her body the best. What puts her curves on display. What suits her height and her auburn hair.

“This one,” I say as I pull out an off the shoulder bright red evening gown. I hold it up to Cara’s figure, seeing that it stops just past her ankles. “What do you think?”

“I’ve never worn something off the shoulder before,” Cara admits as she takes the expensive dress from me and twists it around to check out all sides. “I don’t know if I have the best shoulders for it.”

A chuckle breaks from me. “You have great shoulders.”

Cara gives me a pointed look. “Do you really mean that, or are you just being kind? It seems like you’re willing to do just about anything to get me to go.”

“I mean that,” I assure her. “And I just so happen to want your company a decent bit.”

“A decent bit,” Cara replies with a coy smile before turning and heading toward the dressing room. “Stand outside and I’ll show you what it looks like.”

My heart is already pounding at the thought of her in that dress. She’ll look incredible. I already know it.

Cara steps into the small hallway with two dressing rooms on either side and chooses the last one on the left side. She slips behind the beige curtain out of sight, rustling sounds from inside. “Be done in a minute!”

“Take your time,” I tell her as I linger in the small hallway, tucking my hands in the pockets of my suit pants.

More rustling and shuffling come from behind the curtain, followed by the sound of a strained grunt and a frustrated sigh.

“Everything okay in there? Should I get you another size?” I ask her as I take a step closer to her room.

“No! The size is fine. It’s just the zipper,” Cara replies before letting out a sound of defeat. “Could you help me? It won’t budge.”

“Yeah, sure,” I say before pulling back the curtain enough to step into the small dressing room. Three mirrors, two angled and one straight ahead, face me as I approach Cara from behind.

She lifts her eyes to the middle mirror, peering at me through the reflection as she holds the front of the dress flush against the swell of her bare chest. The zipper is stuck in the middle of her back, keeping the top loose, while the bottom of the dress hugs her hips perfectly.

She looks fucking gorgeous half-dressed in the cherry red elegance.

I tear my eyes away from hers and focus on the stuck zipper, my blood rushing. I gently sweep her hair out of the way, my fingertips grazing her smooth skin.

Cara shivers a little, and the sound of her breath trembling sends a wave of heat through me.

I clench my jaw, trying not to look as affected as I feel because I know that she can see me in the reflection of the mirrors. I grab one side of the dress and the zipper, putting some force into working the zipper free from where it’s stuck.

“Got it,” I say as the zipper glides up to the top of the dress.

Cara breathes in deeply and releases the front of the dress so that it can cling to her body naturally. She fixes her hair and adjusts the top of the dress where it hugs the enticing swell of her breasts. “Thank you, Mr. Ivanov. Dmitri,” she quickly amends.

The way she says my name makes my chest tighten. Fuck. Why does it feel so hot in this tiny room?

I remain standing right behind her, able to feel the heat radiating off her body.

Cara gazes at me through the reflection in the mirror, her emerald eyes bright, her cheeks even more flushed. She’s gorgeous. “What do you think?”

My hands lower, the fingertips of my left hand grazing her side. “Fits like a glove.”

I can see all of her through the mirrors, but it isn’t good enough. I want to drink her in right in front of my eyes. “I think I need a better look, though. Turn around.”

Cara nods, her eyes not leaving mine until she fully turns around to face me. She looked incredible in the mirror, but the dress looks even better on her body now. “Does it look okay? Be honest.”

How the hell do I voice my thoughts without being inappropriate? I can’t be thinking about my assistant or any woman like this, but I’ve thought that she was beautiful since the day of her interview. There’s no escaping my desire for her, no matter how deeply I try to bury it.

But I can’t act on it.

“It’s the one,” I assure her as I force myself to keep my hands off her.