Page 30 of His to Bedevil
“Everything?” I look at her, frowning.
She nods, and before I can argue, she opens the curtain. Alejo is sitting just outside of the fitting room on a comfy couch, currently looking down at his phone. But his gaze immediately snaps up when he notices the curtain open, and his eyes lock on mine, a faint smirk playing on his lips. He’s obviously enjoying making a mockery of my absence of power.
I turn around and prop my hands on my hips. “Is this really necessary?”
He cocks an eyebrow, and his gaze roams the length of my body. Then he frowns just the tiniest bit. Most people would miss it because it was so subtle, but I didn’t, and now I want to hide under a rock. He doesn’t like what he sees, and for some reason, it stings, and it makes me want to disappear. When his gaze snaps back up to mine, I can feel my cheeks on fire, and I hate my fair skin all over again. You can see the slightest blush, giving away everything and hiding nothing.
Panicking, I look over to the woman, and she seems to be pleased although Alejo is not. I take a peek back over at Alejo, and he’s now smiling. He nods as if he approves then looks back down at his phone. Before the curtain is closed again, I snap, “I’m not doing this.”
His eyes slowly roll back up to meet mine with his head still angled down. “Do what, my love?”
“I’m not doing this weird little fashion show for you.”
“No?” He leans back and props his arm up along the back of the couch as if he owns this place.
“Not only will it take forever, but it’s just weird.”
“I want to see everything on you,” he retorts, challenge in his tone.
I’m supposed to be appeasing him, but without seeming too zealous about it. “How about I just show you the fancy stuff?” Negotiation. “Like dresses or skirts.”
He gives me a handsome smirk and then rubs the scruff on his jaw with his hand. “Fine. Dresses, skirts, and bathing suits.”
I narrow my eyes at him, and it only makes him smile even bigger, revealing his gorgeous set of teeth. “Wouldn’t stuff like bathing suits be more fun if they were a surprise?”
Chuckling, he leans forward again. “Okay,mi amor. Just show me the dresses. The rest can be a surprise.”
Feeling a little victorious, I motion for the woman to close the curtain so I can try on some more things in private. It’s a small defeat, I know. But it’s a victory nonetheless. He’s capable of caving for me. It’s something I’d like to test the boundaries of and see how far I can make him bend.
I try on several items, and we’re now on a roll. She’s learned my style somewhat and finds items to my liking. I purposely avoid trying on any dresses so I don’t have to model them for Alejo, but the woman insists, and I guess I should try to indulge him with a dress here and there.
It’s a short and tight cocktail dress I’m now standing in. It’s pure white with large ruffles making up the short sleeves and dipping down low in front. The dress is modest and still sexy. I pair it with some strappy silver stilettos, and the curtain opens. I turn to face Alejo, and he once again makes a heated trail down the length of my body with his eyes then gives me an imperceptible frown at the end. And just like with the first outfit, my cheeks burn with embarrassment and my eyes sting like I’m on the verge of tears. He’s once again disappointed, and I want this nightmare to be over already. I’m physically weak, my freedom has been stripped from me, and now my confidence is being shattered right before my eyes. I have never felt so low in my life.
He prevaricates, telling me I look beautiful, but he does not look at me like I’m beautiful, and he’s most likely second-guessing keeping me around. The emotional storm it causes inside of me is a shockingly dreadful one. I should be feeling this way because that could mean I’m dead along with Matches, but it isn’t for those reasons. If he decided he made a mistake wanting to keep me around, I’d feel severely abandoned all over again. Tossed and thrown away like I’m nothing. Always nothing.
Several more outfits later, I’m forced to try on another fucking dress and show it off to Alejo. This time, I put up a fight with the woman. It’s an evening gown. Why the fuck would I need an evening gown? It’s exactly what I ask her, and she informs me it’s perhisrequest. “At least one evening gown.”
Groaning like a bratty teenager, I let her help me into the damn thing. It’s gorgeous, but so unnecessary. The dress is made of green satin, covering only one shoulder, and fits snug all the way to my thighs then falls loosely all the way to the floor, even with the strappy gold stilettos I’m wearing. There’s also a slit on one side that goes all the way up to my upper thigh. Green always looks great with my red hair and green eyes.
For a moment I’m feeling elegant and pretty until I turn around to face Alejo. I can’t meet his eyes this time. I can’t stand here and see him frowning at me in displeasure. He is now taking everything from me. My inner fortitude that he has had shaking now crumbling to dust. Sinking to the pit of my stomach.
Standing there like an empty mannequin, I wait for him to say something. Tell the woman yes or no, so I can hide behind the curtain again. My fists clench at my sides in anticipation and animosity waiting to be concealed.
Without a sound, his shoes appear on the floor in front of me, and my head is gently lifted up by his fingers tucked under my chin. I’m forced to meet his gaze, and I’m surprised to find him looking so solicitous and confused. “What’s wrong,mi amor? Do you not like the dress?”
I purse my lips, and I know I should just bite my tongue. “Does it matter? You seem to hate everything. Or maybe it’s me that you hate.” I absolutely loathe the vulnerability in my voice.
His eyebrows knit together, and he steps in closer. “Why do you say this?”
I snort and roll my eyes. “Oh, please. Not only is your disapproval very apparent, but you almost seem repulsed every time that curtain opens. Sorry I’m not as sexy as the women you’re used to.”Like the woman from the yacht, I really want to say. “But I was just locked away and starved for several weeks.”
His face hardens, and his eyes simmer with anger. I pressed a button, and I don’t know which button I pushed exactly. “Give us a moment,” he barks out, and I see the curtain being drawn shut without any question. My breathing picks up, and my heart rate has accelerated, nervous at what he might do to me.
With his eyes locked on to mine, he slowly threads his fingers through my hair, his touch a contradiction to the rage in his eyes. His other hand skims down the silky material at my side, giving me chills, then he snakes it around to my butt. Without warning, he grabs a handful of my butt cheek and yanks me forward, making me gasp, and my hands flatten against his chest to catch myself. “Does this feel like I don’t find you sexy?” He grinds his very present erection into my lower belly, and my eyelids flutter on reflex, the desire making me feel off-kilter and delirious. “Tell me, my love. Do you not know what you do to me?” His voice is low and husky, turning the chills into shivers. Dipping his head down, his lips brush against the shell of my ear. “You are the most sublime creature I have ever laid eyes on,” he whispers, and grinds into me again. I resist the urge to loll my head back and melt in his arms, letting him do whatever the hell he wants with me and grinding back.
“Then why do you look so disappointed every time she opens the curtain?” I whisper with a shaky voice, hating how tiny I feel at this very moment.
“Because I don’t like seeing you like this. In poor health. Not like the feisty woman I plucked off the streets.”
