Chapter 56

I glanced at him from the corner of my eye. "You mean you need Nicole to go with you." Somehow, I managed to keep my voice steady.

He stilled for a moment, then continued his perusal through the clothes rack in front of him. "Yes," he told me. "It's on Saturday. Two days from now."

I digested that piece of information. I would go with him, of course. I couldn't make him fall in love with me if I refused to spend time with him. Refused to play along in his game. But...carefully, Veda. "What if I don't want to go?" I pulled out a pair of pants. Checking them out, I made a face and put them back. "You can force me,” I answered before he could say it, “but then wouldn't you be afraid I'd tell everyone who I really am?"

His response was immediate. "No. Not at all. We made a deal, you and I. And I trust you will live up to your end of it."

Wandering over to another rack of clothes, I glanced at him from the corner of my eye. If he was bluffing, he was very good at it.

“Come on, Veda. You're an intelligent woman. You know what would have to happen if you tried something like that. Besides," he added. "You'll be surrounded by my family. You won't have an opportunity to rat me out, and even if you did, they wouldn't believe you. Or care.”

Good to know. I grabbed a few more things and headed to the dressing room. When I realized Luca was following me, I stopped and turned, frowning at him. "I'm going to the dressing room."

A smile teased the corners of his mouth. "So am I." "Uh, no. You're not. You're not allowed in there with me."

"Sara!” Luca called to the single employee in the store.

The girl behind the counter hustled right on over, all knees and elbows in her shift dress and walking like a deer on her five-inch heels. "Yes, Mr. Morelli?"

Without taking his eyes from me, he said, "Lock the front door. I'd like us to have the store to ourselves."

"Sure thing." And off she went to do exactly as he'd said, even shooing out another customer who'd just come in.

Biting back the comment that was on the tip of my tongue, I tried for an impressed expression. "I feel so Pretty Woman-ish right now."

"I'd like to see what I'm buying before it walks out of this store."

I didn't miss his meaning. Turning on my heel, I found an unlocked room and hung the clothes I'd found inside.

"Try the pink dress first," he ordered, then sat down in a chair near the 3way mirror.

Shutting the door so he couldn't see me, I flipped him off as I kicked off my shoes, then got undressed. In no hurry to obey my new master, I tried on three pairs of shorts, a few vintage-looking, short-sleeved tops in blues and greens and golds, and a pair of pants to wear around the house. They were bright green, baggy, and comfortable, and after only a short argument with Luca, they were mine. Apparently, he's not a fan of the color.

“The dress, Veda.”

Making a face at his patient tone, I removed the damn thing from its hanger, slipped it over my head and tugged it down. I had no bra, but I wouldn't be able to wear one with this anyway. It was pretty, the openness of the back setting off the more modest front nicely. The skirt was an A-line that landed right at my knees. The bodice darted to flatter my figure. The only thing I couldn't reach were those darn laces.

"Let me see, Veda."

Barefoot, I opened the door and walked out.

Luca was quiet for a moment as he looked at the dress. "Turn around."

I glanced up sharply at the growl that had entered his tone.

"Turn around," he told me again, spinning his finger in a circle.

Holding the dress together where the laces gapped right above my ass, I turned around until my back was to Luca.

"Stop."

I watched in the mirror as he rose from his chair and came toward me. Brushing away my hand, he started to straighten out the laces, the backs of his knuckles skimming the bare skin of my back from the base of my spine to my neck. Everywhere he touched, I burned, little thrills of pleasure shooting straight between my legs.

"All done." His voice was low. Strained.

Dragging my eyes from his reflection, I stepped to the side to see myself fully, smoothing down the skirt and twisting to see the back before standing still again. I was a little thinner than normal, and the dress was very flattering.

"You look beautiful," he told me.

He stood so close I could feel his breath ruffle my hair. "It would help if I had shoes," I said. Luckily, the bodice was layered, and mostly hid the fact that my nipples were hard and sensitive, vying for his attention.

"Mmm." Taking a seat in the chair again, he crossed his ankle over his knee, the picture of a patient boyfriend. "We'll take that one. What else do you have?"

"Maybe one more thing." I started to walk away, but Luca stopped me with a hand on my arm. He stepped behind me, and I felt the laces loosen across my back.

"We definitely need this dress," he murmured in my ear. Sweeping my hair to the side, he lightly brushed his lips against the side of my throat, lingering there as he inhaled the scent of my skin before he released me.

A hand over my stomach to steady myself, I returned to my dressing room and nearly ripped the thing from my body, not sure what I hated more— how much Luca liked it, or the fact that what he liked wasn’t me at all, but me dressed as my sister.

The only things I had left were some bras, underwear, and a swimsuit I'd grabbed without really looking at it. I'd already tried on the bras but refused to model them for him. The underwear I knew would fit. And I was loathe to try the bathing suit on after what had happened with the dress, for it also had laces. Gathering up the rest of the clothes I wanted to get, I left the suit in the dressing room and joined Luca. "Actually, this is it."

Taking the clothes from me, Luca took them to the front to pay. I stood beside him, my heart still thumping and my knees locked as he chatted pleasantly with the salesgirl.

I could still feel the brush of his lips and the rumble of his voice in my ear. It sent chills up and down my spine.

"Would you like to change?"

Snapping myself out of those obtrusive memories, I blinked up at him, and realized he was speaking to me. "What?"

"Would you like to change your clothes before we leave? Put on one of your new outfits."

I looked down to see him holding the bag out to me. "Oh! Uh, sure. Yeah, that would be great. Thanks." What the hell are you thanking him for? Kidnapping you? Dressing you up like his doll?

Taking the bag, I disappeared back into the dressing room and threw on my new underthings, a pair of drawstring black shorts, and a printed turquoise top. I'd have to stick with the white sneakers until I could get some different shoes.

The rest of the afternoon went by quickly, and by the time dinnertime came around, I had enough clothes to be comfortable and even a few nicer things to wear out to his blood parties, along with four new pairs of shoes.

"Are you hungry?" Luca asked me. "There's a great Italian place right down the block with some of the best pizza. We can sit outside if you like."

Actually, I was starving. And pizza was my food of choice at any time of day. "That sounds great."

The restaurant he took me to was a quaint little place with sidewalk seating, the tables shaded with umbrellas. Benches ran along the edge of the patio, and this is where Luca sat me, tucking me back into a corner and sliding in next to me. We ordered drinks and decided on a margarita pizza. I watched people walk past as we waited for our server to return with our sodas, jealous of their normal lives and wondering where they were going. Briefly...very briefly...I thought about calling out and asking for help. However, I thought I knew Luca well enough by now to know he wouldn't just let me go, and I didn't want anyone to get hurt because of me.

Taking a sip of my soda, I glanced at him out of the side of my eye as I racked my brain for something to talk about. It was hard to think with him sitting so close to me, his dark spice scent in my nose and his thigh nearly touching mine. "So, where did you grow up?"

He angled his body toward mine, one arm on the back of the bench and the other resting on the table, caging me in. Instead of answering me, his eyes narrowed. "What's this you’re doing, Veda?"

Well, fuck.