CHAPTER ELEVEN: SHOPPING SPREE

SAGE'S POV

"Who does that asshole think he is?" I muttered under my breath as I climbed into the back of the car. The number of things I wanted to do to him was probably graphic enough to land me in jail.

A part of my consciousness told me I was only overwhelmed by how fast it was all going but I pushed that thought away, still fuming.

"Start the car, we're going...home," The word "home" felt like acid in my mouth, and I crossed my arms, staring out the window as the car started.

"If I could give my opinion I'd advise you just use the card," one of Dante's men explained, probably trying to talk some sense into me.

"No thanks. All I want to do is drop this thing in his office and act like it never happened," I said, staring at the shiny black card.

Crystal sat beside me with her bright purple hair coming out of her braids. She sighed and patted my knee. "Sage, you are only loading yourself with twice the stress. You know that, right?"

"Loading myself? He is the one who got my apartment trashed and now he wants to throw his black card at me like it fixes everything." My voice came out louder than I expected as I turned to glare at her.

Crystal grinned and leaned back against the seat. "Well, if you refuse to use the card, you are only losing three times in a row. First, your place got destroyed so you have no clothes, and because you are too stubborn to go shopping."

My brows furrowed in confusion, "Then what's the third?"

"Oh, that's when you incur Dante's wrath after he finds out you came back empty-handed. Three losses. Not a great streak."

The driver actually laughed out loud from the front seat. I whipped my head toward Crystal with an irritated glare. "Whose side are you even on?"

Crystal wrapped her arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer. "I always have your support, babe. Always." Just as I calmed down, she muttered under her breath, "Just not right now."

"Oh, come on, I thought you'd understand," I called out, suddenly feeling exposed. "I do not want to owe a wolf like Dante anything. Not his money, not his protection, nothing."

Crystal rolled her eyes so hard I thought they might fall out. "Sage, listen to yourself. You already signed the contract. You cannot owe him because everything is on his terms anyway. If anyone is at fault in this situation, it is he. After all, his baby is currently growing in your tummy. He should be the one paying up."

Her words actually made sense, even though I hated admitting it. I sat there quietly for a minute, chewing on my bottom lip. Wanting to take her advice, I leaned forward toward the driver. "Take us to the mall."

Crystal let out a loud cheer and clapped her hands. "Yes! That is my girl. Let his account feel the pain."

The driver changed directions without argument, and we headed toward the largest shopping mall on the city's edge. When we finally walked inside, the place was busy with weekend shoppers.

Crystal led the way, heading straight for one of the designer stores but I could feel the mean energy the minute we got in.

"Sorry, is there something we could help you with?" One of them said with a condescending tone and if Crystal picked up on it she gave no reaction.

"Yes actually, we'd like to try on some clothes," she muttered, her brown eyes scanning the displays and all I could think of was how much I wanted the ground to swallow me.

"I don't think we have anything in your budget you should go try Zara or something cheaper," one of them scoffed and Crystal recoiled in shock as she noticed the attitude.

"Excuse y—" She spat but I dragged her hand pulling her back. "It's not worth it. I'm sure we'll find someone else."

We were about to turn around and walk out when one of the sales ladies overheard Crystal say, "This place feels too cheap for Frost's money anyway."

The woman stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes the size of golf balls. "Did you say, Frost? As in Dante Frost?"

"Yes. Sage here is his girlfriend." Crystal said with a mischievous smile and I watched the saleswoman pale even more. The other two women who had been ignoring us suddenly rushed over with completely different attitudes.

Their fake smiles turned into real ones and they started falling over themselves to help us.

"I am so sorry for the misunderstanding," the first one said quickly. "Please, let us show you our newest collections. We have private fitting rooms available for VIP clients."

From that moment everything changed. They brought us armfuls of clothes, shoes, bags, and even some maternity pieces that actually looked nice.

Crystal went wild, she kept picking things out and handing them to me. "Try this. And this. Oh, and definitely that dress. It will look amazing on you."

The sales ladies kept bringing more options, dropping compliments but I only felt more numb with each outfit.

Crystal did not seem to care about the price tags at all. By the time we finished, the total came to more than two hundred thousand dollars. My stomach dropped when I heard the number, but Crystal just waved her hand.

"His account has to pay the price for putting you in danger," she said firmly. "Let him feel it."

"We'd have our delivery bring them," the lady said with the brightest smile I had seen in a long time.

When we finally got back to the mansion it was already late afternoon. After a quick late lunch Crystal and I went our separate ways. I retired to my room for a nap, but my mind wouldn't stop spinning with thoughts of Dante.

I laid on the huge bed staring at the ceiling. I kept thinking about the way he had pulled me into his chest earlier, the way his voice had sounded when he told me to breathe.

Part of me hated how safe I had felt in that moment. Another part hated him even more for making me feel that way.

I closed my eyes and tried to push the thoughts away, but Dante's face kept appearing in my mind. Those steel grey eyes and the way my body felt whenever he was around.

I did not know how I was supposed to live in the same house with him for months without losing my mind.

The exhaustion from the day finally caught up with me. I pulled the soft comforter over my body and let my eyes drift shut, wondering what Dante would say when he came home tonight and found out how much money we had spent.