AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I turn back to him, hope flaring in my chest. “I love all art styles, but I have a soft spot for paintings that capture real people. Normal mundane things.”
“How come?” He has his hands in his pockets and a soft smile on his lips. His stance and energy make it easy to talk to him.
“I love seeing something that’s normal painted in a way that brings out its beauty. It reminds me that there’s beauty in everything if you know where to look.”
“I think that’s wonderful. I’ve never looked at art in that way. You learn something new every day, huh?”
“I guess you do.” We look at each other for a moment. Henry isn’t as handsome as Leo, but there’s an easiness to him that isn’t there with Leo. With Leo, it’s like I want to argue, prove him wrong. With Henry, it’s like talking to an old friend. “This might seem like a random question, but … do you have a favorite flower?”
“I have a soft spot for lilies.”
I almost gasp. What are the chances?
Before I can ask more, Emilia waddles over. “Fran, I’m getting a little tired.”
“Ok. We can go.” I try to hide my disappointment. I turn to Henry. “It was nice talking to you.”
“Maybe I’ll see you around,” he says before giving me a little wave and walking away.
“Who was that?” Emilia asks.
“Henry. He told me he works for Marco.”
Emilia frowns. “I’ll have to ask Marco. I’ve never met him before.”
I pause, my heart beating wildly. “So, he’s never been over to the house before?”
“Not to my knowledge. But then, Marco will have his men come over sometimes, and I tend to stay clear of it, so you never know. I’ll ask him.”
“Ok, thanks.” So, maybe Henry wasn’t lying to me, but if he had been, I would be incredibly upset. I don’t take too well to people lying to me.
After Emilia and I return home, I stare at the box with the lingerie inside. It’s toying with me, tempting me to open it again. I desperately want to ask Leo why he gave it to me, but I know I’ll never ask, not even in a million years. The embarrassment of it would surely kill me.
I can’t take it anymore.
I open the box again and pick up the lingerie set. Clearly, Leo gave it to me to try on. I’ve never worn anything like it before.
Maybe now’s the time …
I do sometimes get tired of being so shy and not taking chances in life. You only live once.
With shaky fingers, I take off my dress and slip the lingerie on. The dress is see-through, so I can see my stomach and pubic mound. The sight of my body makes me blush. Sure, I’ve seen myself naked before, but never in anything like this. In the box, I notice a pair of underwear. Slipping it on, it goes with the set and helps me feel a little less self-conscious.
I make myself look into the full-length mirror. The longer I look, the more I get used to the sight of myself in lingerie. It’s not as awkward as I thought it would be.
In fact, it’s quite … empowering.
It’s like my long-buried womanhood is rising to the surface.
Somone knocks on my door. I run over to it right as the door opens and slam it shut. Emilia gasps on the other side. “Fran?”
“Sorry! I just … I’m changing.”
“Oh. Sorry. That’s what I get for not knocking. I just wanted to let you know dinner will be ready soon if you want to come down.”
“Thanks.” I press my palms and forehead to the door, listening as Emilia walks away. If she had a bad reaction to the flowers, then I definitely don’t want to know what her reaction would be to seeing me inlingerieLeo bought for me.
Feeling like a fool, I change back into my dress and hurry downstairs. Emilia looks at me funny as I enter the dining room.
