AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“If I think she is a threat then I will do what you can't do, Judge. You are not thinking clearly with this.”
Wasn’t I? Maybe that was the truth. Taylor had kind of blind–sided me. “If she is a real threat, I will do the deed myself, but I don’t think she will be. I mean, the woman is half in love with me already.” Chuckling, I tried to lighten the mood. It didn’t have the desired effect. Gio’s frown just intensified.
“She's in love with your cock, you mean. How do you think having sex with her once is going to make a difference?”
I stared back at him for a second. And then smiled. A slow predatory smile that would have unnerved anyone else. Gio was as always unfazed. Leaning forward his eyes narrowed. “What are you up to?”
“I'm not going to just have sex with her once, Gio. I'm going to marry her.”
TAYLOR
Work was my happy place. Sad but true. I enjoyed making people happy. Watching brides find their perfect dress and seeing their faces light up was one of my favourite things. It stoked the romantic in me, because those people had found their happily ever after. And it gave me hope that one day I would find mine. Not that it was going to plan so far. Sure, I dated. I'd even had a few disastrous relationships, but nothing had ever come close to what the ladies that paraded through the shop had found.
I hadn't found my one.
But that didn’t mean I was going to give up looking.
For what seemed like the hundredth time since I had found the note on the bedside table, I found myself staring at it. There was no denying that I was slightly obsessed with reading it, and that it made my heart swell a little bit every time I did. Even if I never saw my mysterious lover again, I would always have his parting words to look back on. They gave me hope that sweet romantic men were really out there.
“Taylor?”
I folded the note up, slipping it back into my bag as my boss appeared in the doorway. I greeted her with a smile.
“Can you take some gentlemen that have just come in? They don’t have an appointment and their request is…” she frowned, and her unnaturally smooth forehead didn’t move. I only knew she was frowning because her lips thinned. “A little unorthodox.”
”Sure can, but you said men? Without a bride?” It wasn’t unheard of that men came in, but they were usually part of a bride's entourage. Dads, brothers, friends, even a fiancé now and then. But in all the years I had worked there, I couldn’t recall seeing a group of just men before. Still, if they needed help, then I was the girl for the job. Following her out of the staff room and into the main shop, the first thing I noticed was that the three men were all devilishly good looking. Varying in age, they all had the same dark hair and smokey eyes that made them resemble each other. The second thing I noticed was how polite they were, throwing out compliments in a way that felt sincere and not sleazy.
The good–natured laughter died on their lips when they saw me.
“Good morning gentlemen, I'm Taylor Lawson and I'm hopefully going to be helping you today.” I held out my hand for them to shake. No one moved. Three pairs of dark eyes looked at it like it was a foreign object. They looked at it so long that I had started to drop it back to my side, embarrassed, before the eldest of the group moved.
His smooth fingers curled around it, but instead of shaking it, he brought it to his mouth. Brushing his full lips over my knuckles, “Bellissima,” he murmured against my skin, and I almost swooned. Good looks, and charm times three. Forcing myself to stop drooling and start acting like a professional, I flashed him what I hoped was a friendly, but aloof, smile and took my hand back.
He noticed my slight discomfort straight away. “Forgive me, Miss Lawson.”
“Taylor, please.” Another smile, this one more genuine. “Now tell me, how can I help you today?”
“We are looking for a wedding dress.”
I looked around before I could help myself, taking in their wide shoulders and narrow waists. “Of course, who is the lucky…” I glanced at each of them in turn. I could usually pick out the bride straight away, but with them I was coming up blank.
“I think you misunderstand us, lovely Miss Lawson. We are looking for a gown for a very special someone.” Laughter bubbled up around them, and I joined in before I could help myself.
“And who is the groom? Maybe you can tell me what your beloved likes?” I waited for the lucky man to step forward, but not one of them moved. “None of you are the groom?”
“He is…indisposed at the moment.” The older man said, his eyes glinting with what I took as mischief. “With business, but…” Their laughter grew louder. I didn't understand their mirth, but I smiled indulgently anyway. “He has trusted us with picking the right dress for his beautiful bride to be.”
“Well, you must be great friends. It's a very important job, so I hope we can find something she will love. I would hate to get things wrong.” Something I said made the chuckles die on their lips. They were suddenly pensive. Frowns taking over their faces instead of smiles.
“Not picking right would be bad indeed,” One of the others said and his features were troubled. I didn’t like it. I much preferred them laughing and happy. After all, choosing a dress was meant to be a joyous occasion. “Well then, tell me about the bride to be.”
“She’s …”
“Dress size?”
They paused, and they were adorable in their confusion, but if they didn’t know that at least then we were going to have problems. I was good at my job, but I wasn't a miracle worker.
“Her height and build are similar to yours, Miss Lawson. Blonde, beautiful.”
