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I just couldn’t face any of them, especially Emma. I could only imagine what she might think happened with her brother, and I didn’t want to put her through that. With one hand holding up the front of my dress, I started up the car and started backing out. Bending forward awkwardly to keep my chest from being visible through the windows, I drove into town. Luckily, my apartment building wasn’t very far away. The winery was on the same basic end of town as where I lived.
Confusion ran through my head like a steam train. I knew Jayden had been only trying to help, and to be honest, there was really no way I was getting the corset unlaced myself without double-jointed limbs or a wire coat-hanger, which is what I’d planned to use when I’d gotten home. It was a relief to not have to wait, but I hadn’t realized how erotic it would get. To be fair, I didn’t think he did either.
By all looks, I’d been wearing the corset over the dress. He would have had no way of knowing that opening up the corset so I could breathe would open up the entire dress. It was all such a mess. Making matters even worse, was I’d really liked it. I loved the feeling of his strong hands basically ripping off my clothes like a rogue in a romance novel. One of the old ones with the painted covers featuring Fabio modeling as the hero.
I also wanted things to go further. I wanted for him to get my dress all the way open and then off, leaving me in only panties and sneakers before bending me over and taking my virginity right there in his vineyard. I could hardly think of a more beautiful setting. Not that it could ever happen. I needed to keep things strictly professional with him and his siblings. At least until I could pay them what I owed for the damage to their truck.
I didn’t want him to think I might be trying to seduce him to get out of paying. I wasn’t that kind of girl. I knew my duty and always paid my debts one way or the other. I blushed the double meaning in what I’d said about paying with my butt. Glad I had said butt and not ass, the assumption was even more clear. I had honestly meant I would bust my butt working for them and doing my best to save them money in hiring waitresses to help make up for the damage.
My idea about doing a costume party was similarly meant to help them get more business. I hadn’t actually been planning on charging them for the costumes at all. It didn’t seem right, considering I owed them money, but Jayden didn’t seem like he would take no for an answer. Thirty-five hundred dollars was more than I usually saw from my costumes in a couple of months and felt like a massive success. I was even more determined to do my very best for them and make the Christmas Costume Ball a roaring success.
Getting to my place without anyone seeing me, I switched over into comfortable and much more concealing sweats. Determined to make things clear, I decided to call Jayden despite having just fled the winery less than an hour before.
I paced as the phone rang, trying to work out the energy I suddenly felt coming up out of nowhere. It took five rings before he answered. For a second I was worried he might have been avoiding me, which was understandable.
“Hello.”
“I really appreciate your help,” I blurt out, “But want to make things clear that ours is a strictly professional arrangement.”
“Understood. I’m glad you know I was trying to help, and I’m sorry for not asking first. I agree, we should keep things professional.”
I was glad he agreed, but he sounded a little strained. It wasn’t clear what was going on, and I was getting a bit worried. I wanted to ask him what was going on, but found that I couldn’t.
“O-ok, good. Glad we have that clear. Thanks. Goodbye.”
I hung up before he could reciprocate. I didn’t want to hurt him anymore, if that was what was going on. Tension crept up my back and I knew I needed a bath. I wanted to get started on the costumes for the party before I had to go to work the next morning and needed to be relaxed before that could happen.
As the water poured into the tub, I dumped in every nice relaxing thing I had, drawn mostly from stocking stuffers of Christmases past. Hoping to soak away all the pent up tension and desire weighing on me like a backpack full of bricks.
I sank down into the preparation, letting the lovely warmth envelop me. I didn’t even move at first. I just floated and enjoyed the sensation of weightlessness. Feeling, at least for a little while, like I was in a world all my own. There was nothing like a nice hot bath to make everything seem okay. Except maybe a nice cup of tea, which was going to be my next stop before getting back to my sewing machine, instrumental symphonic metal in my earbuds as I worked.
