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“Oh, you betcha.” It was my security blanket for every uncomfortable situation. And it usually worked, in my mind at least.
“We’re not all that different, Nova. We both seem to be unlucky in love.”
I got a fluttery feeling in my stomach as he gazed at my lips, then down my body. Something told me he would not stop trying to kiss me, and I hoped I had the willpower to not give in. “Fuck them all, right?”
He clinked his glass against the bottle I was holding, and we both took a drink.
Maybe the universe had brought us together for a reason? Maybe this was our chance at redemption?
If only I had known what the universe had in store for us, I wouldn’t have been so optimistic.
Chapter Six
I looked like a gothic swan. I groaned and held my arms up, doing a little twirl in front of the full-length mirror.
Some things were becoming clear. The first was that Ryzen and I had very different ideas on what fashion was, example number one being the swan-like trash bag of a dress he had insisted I try on. The fabric clung to my hips and waist, but the sleeves—the sleeves were what nightmares were made of. The loose fabric hung nine inches from my elbows and was bedazzled with what looked like rhinestones in the pattern of wings when you held your arms up. They weren’t actual rhinestones, according to Gianna, the saleswoman helping pick out my new clothes who insisted on calling me “love” every chance she could, but Swarovski crystals. Oh, joy.
The second thing was that despite my rule of not dating uptight businessmen, Ryzen was growing on me. After our make-out session on his terrace last week, I had been worried that things would be awkward. But they weren’t, and I was having a good time with him. Sometimes I had to remind myself that not all men were terrible.
Over the past week, we had spent a lot of time together in an attempt to get to know each other better. I had cooked dinner for us one night and had learned that he hated Chinese food. What kind of person hated Chinese food? The day after that, he had picked me up at work and surprised me with lunch in the park, where he learned of my fear of flying rats, also known as city pigeons.
Hey, those pigeons were no joke. They would fly right up to you and steal your sandwich right out of your hand or snatch your soul out of your body before you even realized what was happening.
I also realized that at least one of his two security guards was with him almost all the time, which I found odd.
We were having fun together. But as each day passed, every time he kissed me in public, or draped his arm over my shoulders and trailed his fingers in little circles over my skin, making me shiver, or held my hand as we walked down Michigan Avenue, my brain got more and more confused. And so was my vagina. She was screaming at me,Why aren’t we humping this man? His hands are soft and make us excited!
But we had agreed to keep it platonic, only putting on a show for the outside world. The press needed to think we were a couple in love, and he sure knew how to lay it on thick when he thought it would benefit him. As we left an Italian restaurant earlier this week, he had unexpectedly pulled me tight against his chest, his lips devouring mine. My knees had weakened as he had kissed up the side of my neck and whispered, “There are two paparazzi on the side of the building. Let’s give them a show.”
I was getting familiar with some of our products at the shop. “Product development,” was what I had told Juliet as I’d carried out a sample box of vibrators after work one night.
“Coming in, love!” Gianna threw open the curtain to the dressing room, arms loaded with more outfits.
Yesterday Ryzen had said that we needed to go shopping to update my wardrobe. Apparently, ripped jeans and tank tops weren’t the kind of thing you wore to award ceremonies or fancy dinner parties.
“You’re going toPretty Womanme?” I clapped my hands together and laughed.
He raised an eyebrow. “What on earth are you talking about?”
“Julie Roberts? Richard Gere? Hookers and falling in love?” I clicked my tongue at his blank expression. “Wow, you’re missing out, man.”
“Oh, yeah, ten out of ten, love.” Gianna nodded and smiled at my reflection in the mirror. “You’ve got the best legs for this dress. Let’s show your man.” She snapped her fingers and swiveled on her heels, walking out to the waiting area. I followed behind her like a lost puppy.
Ryzen sat on the end of a white velvet chaise, gazing at his phone. Gianna cleared her throat and his head snapped up as he gave me a once-over. “Yes.” He gave a thumbs-up and then looked back down at his phone.
That had been his answer to almost every hideous outfit we had shown him over the past hour. He had vetoed only two outfits, both of them being the only ones I had liked.
Gianna smiled from ear to ear and clasped her hands in front of her. “Perfect!”
I tapped her on the arm. “Do you have anything”—I held my arms up and flapped them like a bird—“not so bird-like?”
“Wait right here. I’ve got the perfect Valentino dress for you.”
She hurried off down the hall, and I turned my attention back to Ryzen. His head had been buried in his phone since we had got here. Occasionally, he would snicker, shake his head, and tap out a message on his phone.
“So how many more outfits do you think I’ll need?” I walked over and poured myself a glass of complimentary champagne and took a sip. It was like a reward for being trapped in fashion hell. I cleared my throat, but Ryzen still didn’t look up. “Oh, look, the store is on fire.”
“Very funny, Nova.” He stood up as Gianna came back into the room, her heels clicking with each step. “Just a few more and then we—”
