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16
She was pacingher living room the next night, fighting the urge to hyperventilate when the intercom buzzed. She looked at it for a few seconds before crossing the room, the Louboutins clicking on the woodfloors.
“Hello,” she said into thespeaker.
“It’sJack.”
His voice was every bit as commanding as she remembered and all he’d done was say hisname.
“I’ll be right down,” shesaid.
“You’ll buzz me up,” hesaid.
Anotherorder.
She found herself complying even as some distant voice in her head wondered what would happen if sherefused.
If shedisobeyed.
A shiver ran up her spine. It wasn’t at allunpleasant.
She hurried into her bedroom and took one last look in the full-length mirror propped against the wall. The dress was perfect, flattering and sculptural while skimming all the right places. Underneath it all was a bra she’d bought specifically for the dress and a scrappy bit of fabric that hardly qualified asunderwear.
She’d swept her hair into a low knot at the nape of her neck and pulled out a few tendrils. They curled around her face, carefully made-up according to Karen’s instructions and a Youtube tutorial Amy had texted her right after Robin’s message telling Nina to be herself and let the chips fall where theymay.
She loved Robin’s sentiment, but she was glad she’d taken Karen and Amy’s advice. The makeup was striking but subtle, highlighting Nina’s cheekbones, her hazel eyes that responded to the makeup by turning mossy green. She was especially glad she’d taken Karen’s advice about the red lipstick: the pale pink was much moreflattering.
Her arms were toned thanks to the last few months at the gym. She even had a collarbone again, and while she would never be slim, her curves were more pronounced now thanks to a decrease in body fat and muscle built up through a steady routine of strengthtraining.
A knock at the door set her heart racing all over again. She left the bedside lamp on as she took the three steps required to get her from the bedroom to thedoor.
She took a deep breath and opened it, then had to remind herself toexhale.
His coat was unbuttoned at the top, and she caught a glimpse of the bow tie she assumed was attached to a tuxedo. His dark hair was slicked back, silver glistening at his temples and making his face look even more striking than sheremembered.
His eyes raked her face, then descended over her body. He took his time, made no attempt at subtlety as he scanned her neck and collarbone, grazed her breasts and continued to her waist, over her hips, all the way down to thestilettos.
He lifted his gaze to meet her eyes. “You’restunning.”
“Thank you,” she said. “You look nicetoo.”
“I was hoping you would choose the Jason Wu,” he murmured withapproval.
Her cheeks heated with the compliment. “The dresses were all gorgeous — and you’ll have to tell me how to get them back to you — but this one is definitely moreme.”
“I know,” he saidsimply.
He tipped his head, his eyes taking on a studious air as they dropped to the bodice of thedress.
“Take off thebra.”
“Excuseme?”
“The bra,” he said. “The dress doesn’t need it and neither do you, not with this dress. Nottonight.”
She swallowed the mixture of fear and excitement that rose in her throat. While she’d dropped two cup sizes during the divorce, she was still far from a perky Acup.
“I don’t… I’m not sure I’m comfortable going without it,” shesaid.
