With a look behind her, she took in the vast expanse of Felix’s white-sheeted bed and the two subtle dark wood doors at its rear. Thea’s lips quivered. They likely led to his bathroom and maybe to his very own red room. If that was the case, Thea would have to call Gemma to find her some better underwear.
With little furniture around the edges, the entire room was a hanging bed. A hammock. The fanciest, sexiest hammock she’d ever seen. She didn’t know what she expected from his bedroom. Maybe a generic hotel suite or a soulless loft apartment. But sleeping here would be like sleeping on a cloud. She couldn’t wait to settle into the soft white pillows that piled up at one end of the bed, and she couldn’t wait to settle into Felix, either.
Thea tugged on her bottom lip, and she turned to the bed. Her bag sat on the end, looking totally out of place. Its jauntycorn-on-the-cob pattern was completely at odds with the room’s simplicity. But it wasn’t the only thing on the bed. There was a gold box, large enough to house a small family, with the right plumbing.
Thea crept to the bed’s edge and nudged the parcel as if it were a sleeping animal. Its lid slipped away a little. Overtaken by curiosity, Thea lifted it and set it on the bed. A layer of gauzy black paper beckoned her to investigate. She removed it, her breath catching in her throat.
A layer of midnight blue silk shot with gold greeted her. She bent down to pick it up, her fingers looping into two very thin straps. She lifted her arms, and the most beautiful dress she’d ever seen unfurled down to the floor. At least, she thought it was a dress. It resembled a piece of dental floss. Or the leaf of a palm. No, that was unkind. The dress would cover both her boobs. She turned the gown around in her hands, noticing its lack of back and plunging neckline. Felix really had got her something to wear to the party.
Thea lay the gown down on the bed and looked back at the box. It contained a handwritten note and an exquisite pair of midnight blue heels that made her toes ache just looking at them.
With her heart doing handstands in her chest, Thea picked up the card.
Thea, I hope you don’t think me presumptuous, but I meant what I said.
Her breath hitched. Felix hadn’t been kidding. He wanted her to wear this dress. To wear it just so he could take it off her. To undress her, just like he’d done in her kitchen. A gentle tingle sprung at Thea’s core, and she savoured the feeling. Did she dare do it? Wear the dress for him? This must be a kink in someone’s sex manual.
Holy hell! The day she met him, she’d never have guessed this was where they’d end up. Or how his suggestion made herfeel. Talk about still waters running deep and dirty. Felix rivalled the Mariana Trench.
The ping of a text startled her, and she reached into her pocket to check it. Kitty and Josh were under strict instructions to only contact her in an emergency. The text was from Felix, and she opened it with trembling fingers.
Felix: I can hear your brain working from here. Just wear the dress… please.
At the word “please”, butterflies hammered relentlessly against Thea’s chest. The idea of Felix watching her all night, knowing he’d dressed her only to destroy his creation later. To see her naked again, was all kinds of messed up, but she’d be lying if she denied the idea didn’t thrill her. She smiled. Why the hell not?
Thea checkedherself in the bathroom mirror for the fiftieth time. She had to admit, she’d never looked so good in her life. She trailed her newly fancy fingertips over the chill marble of the sink top. Felix’s bathroom was predictably elegant, understated, and devoid of clutter. There were no half-squeezed tubes of toothpaste on the side and no dust gathering around the taps. And there was no Felix either.
She hadn’t heard from him since his text about the dress. She had heard about logistics from Gemma twice. But although she was a witty texter, Gemma was Felix’s employee, not a friend. And she wasn’thim. Thea would have plenty to do if she’d been at home, on the farm. She wouldn’t have time to obsess. But stuck here, all alone in Felix’s heavenly ivory tower, the only thing she had was time.
She’d looked around the kitchen. Checked the fridge. Admired the expensive champagne and exotic fruit it contained. She’d paced around the sitting room three times,strummed at the harp in its corner, and stood out on the balcony with a coffee efficiently made after she’d dialled “three” on the wall. Still, the silence overwhelmed her.
What would Ammy be doing now? Thea checked the time on her phone. Six-seventeen. She’d be in the bath, covered in bubbles, before getting ready for bed. Thea’s heart pulled at the thought. She missed the noise, the laughter, and even the mess. She couldn’t imagine Ammy in Felix’s apartment. Thea would be terrified she’d break something and would follow her around with a pack of baby wipes.
With a sigh, she glared at her reflection again. The sophisticated smoky smudge around her eyes belied the burn ripping through her gut. She’d be on full display tonight. Representing him. Representing the Walsh Group brand. Who in their right mind thought that would be a good idea?
Thea’s heels clacked against the tiles but fell silent as they met the carpet of Felix’s bedroom. She closed the bathroom door and, as she did, reached her hand to the second wooden panel. She hadn’t opened it yet. Hadn’t peeked inside. What if it really was some secret room that catered to Felix’s “singular tastes?” She wasn’t sure what they would be, but maybe he had his very own kitchen draining board installed in there, along with a drawer of spatulas and whisks for spanking purposes.
With a snort and a feeling of abandon, Thea pushed against the heavy cedar. Felix obviously didn’t believe in door handles. It gave way easily, and lights flickered on overhead as she entered. There was no punishment kitchen and no sex toys displayed on the walls. It was his walk-in wardrobe.
Racks of suits lined one side, and Thea ran her hands across a neat row of jackets. She moved towards a mirror that stood at the end of the room. She stood in front of it, admiring her shoes and the way her shimmering thigh peeped out from behind the dress’s silk when a low whistle reached her ears.
Thea sucked in a breath and spun around, heat racing toher face. Felix stood at the door, his eyes raking over her.
“You have some lovely suits,” she squeaked, mortified to be found fondling his formalwear.
“Thank you,” he said, stepping into the dressing room and undoing his cufflinks.
His face betrayed no emotion. While Thea fidgeted with the scrunchie on her wrist, Felix laid his cufflinks on the side and shrugged off his jacket. He pulled off his tie, winding it around one hand and pulling the other end taut. Thea swallowed. Perhaps his dressing room doubled as his torture dungeon after all, and she’d find herself rigged up to the coat hangers.
“Pardon the intrusion,” Felix said as he put the tie down on the side with the cufflinks. “But I just wanted to make sure you were safe.”
Thea let out a breath. “Safe?”
“Yes. I had word there’d been some unusual activity in the hotel today.”
The skin on Thea’s palms prickled. “Unusual?”
“Indeed. I even had to review some security footage.”
