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Guilt and anxiety ate at her for the rest of the ride until they hit the outskirts of town and Lara realized, with traffic congestion even there, they might miss their scheduled appointment. The threat of facing Dette’s wrath if she didn’t return with the formal wear was enough to get her mind on the task at hand. The congestion in front of the bridal boutique was atrocious. Summer was tourist season and the streets were crammed with convertibles, hotel shuttles, bicyclists, pedestrians and skateboarders alike. But Cal cut through traffic with ease, jockeying for the best position on the road until he’d managed to make his way onto the main drag of old downtown and double parked in front of the white awning that read “Exclusively Bridal”.
“Why don’t you run in? I’ll circle around until the dresses are ready to be loaded, then swing back. Got your phone?”
Unbuckling her seatbelt, Lara leaned over to the corner of his mouth, grazing it with a kiss. “Yep. Perfect.”
She hopped out of the car and jogged over to the store, reminding herself she didn’t need to feel like this was a trip to the principal’s office. She was only two minutes late. As snobby as this little boutique might be, even they wouldn’t want to contend with Dette’s wrath if she didn’t get what she wanted.
Lara opened the door to the sound of tiny chimes above her head and the scent of lilacs enveloping her. Every surface of the softly lit shop was adorned with draped tulle, lace and silk. Sprays of baby’s breath and dried roses peeked out of each nook. Silver, crystal and china settings covered the small tabletops arranged tightly in the limited space.
Lara’s palms began to sweat. This place was an obstacle course and she wasn’t sure she could navigate it without a Waterford or Hermes casualty.
From the front counter, the clerk looked up with a perfectly lacquered smile and sheen of smooth blonde hair hanging in a straight, sophisticated sweep. Dette’s kind of help. The kind where they deign to serve you. The smile faltered almost imperceptibly. “Dette? Is that you?”
Ahh, there it was. Lara approached the counter, knowing she should clarify as quickly as possible but a small petty part of her relished the fact that this clerk, Giselle, judging from the silver pin on her lapel, mistook her flawlessly presented sister as having the potential to be so unkempt. Though Lara had made an effort with her hair, and even doubled her cosmetic application as a peace offering to her sister for being so late to start this morning.
“No, I’m Dette’s sister, Lara. I’m picking up the gowns and tuxedos.”
Unflappable now, Giselle winked. “Of course. Aren’t you precious?”
She was twenty-seven. Precious hardly seemed the right word, but Lara knew enough to smile and accept the compliment, if that’s what it was.
The chimes sounded behind her and the clerk offered a pleasant smile over Lara’s shoulder. “I’ll be with you in one moment.”
“I’m just looking.” The masculine voice behind her had Lara turning around, curious. It was always entertaining to see a man in a setting so frilly as this. They never seemed to know where to put their hands or how to stand. This guy didn’t seem to feel out of place at all, though. He stared back at her with confidence.
He looked familiar and she wondered if they’d gone to school together. Simple white shirt and blue jeans, expensive watch and sunglasses hanging from his front pocket, dark straight hair hung across his brow nearly covering the brown eyes—that were still focused on her. Oops. She smiled politely and turned back to Giselle, who was flipping through a leather bound book of orders.
“Wonderful. Here it is, dear. We’ve got everything hung in the stockroom. Why don’t you follow me and we’ll get the rack out onto the loading dock? It’s the best way to get your order into the car.”
“Great.” Lara signed the receipt and followed her out through the back. Together they pushed the heavy rolling rack out to the dock and off to the side where the concrete ledge broke off into several steps leading down to the alleyway a few feet below.
Giselle offered a limp handshake and wink before ducking back into the store. Pulling her phone from her pocket, Lara dialed Cal. “I’m out at the loading dock with a rack of formalwear.”
“It’s going to take me a couple of minutes, traffic’s pretty tight.”
“I’ll be here. See you in a few.” She snapped the phone closed and tucked it back into the snug pocket of her shorts.
Lara flipped through the tuxedos and gowns until she came to hers. It was midnight blue, cut in a straight sheath with a hand-beaded border across the bust and over the thin shoulder straps. Elegant and lovely. Dette had chosen a style that flattered every one of the maids. Her eyes fixed on the dress and she froze.
The unea
sy feeling of being watched overcame her. She started to turn when a pair of strong arms wrapped around her, one low on her waist the other over her shoulder and across her breast. Not Cal. She knew instantly by the unfamiliar scent of cologne and the sense that her skin was crawling away from the touch rather than towards it. She tried to scream but the hand at her breast moved, wrapped over her mouth while the other crushed her back against her attacker’s body, lifting her feet off the ground. She let out a groan at the impact and thrashed against the man’s steel grip.
Frantic, she looked for Cal but, positioned between the building’s rear wall and the rack of clothes, she couldn’t see anything but the far end of the alley. The bright yellow H3 was nowhere in view.
“You think, after last night, you can just walk by me on the street, smile and then turn away in there like you don’t know me, like you don’t want me? You trying to drive me out of my mind or something?” His voice was low and smooth, edged with a seductive quality that had Lara’s panic in full force.
It was the man from the store. He was insane.
No! Her mind was screaming but only the muffled sound of her voice filtered through the huge hand clamped over her mouth.
“Mmm, playin’ hard to get’s your favorite game.” The man tightened his hold across her body, rocked forward so she couldn’t miss the hard bulge of his erection jutting against her ass. “You like that, sexy? You’re so fuckin’ hot, so fuckin’ red hot when you squirm.”
Lara squeezed her eyes closed, screaming as she fought, praying for only one thing. Cal.
The next thing she knew, her body jerked back with the arms that restrained her. The sick sound of skull meeting fist was followed by Cal’s savage growl. “You like that, asshole?”
Lara jumped, stumbling out of the way as her attacker slumped to the ground dazed. As fast as he’d knocked the man into the wall, Cal pulled Lara tight into his chest. She buried her face against the comfort of him, thanking God he’d gotten there when he had.
