The CEO Buys in (Wager of Hearts #1) (24 page)

“If I tasted you, I wouldn’t be able to walk into Saks,” he said.

That made her smile, a triumphant curve of her full lips.

“Now
you’re
smirking,” he said.

“No, that’s a grimace of sexual frustration,” she said, smoothing her skirt down as she pressed her knees together.

The car came to a stop.

Nathan threaded his fingers through Chloe’s and lifted her hand to kiss the smooth skin on its back. “I hope the fitting room has lots of mirrors.”

Chloe felt like a bundle of lit-up nerve endings. As Nathan helped her out of the car and escorted her to an unmarked bronze door on the side of the venerable retailer’s Fifth Avenue store, she could feel every brush of her clothing, every whisper of air over her skin, every point of contact between Nathan’s body and hers. It all fed the tightly wound knot of desire deep in her belly that was aching for release.

A tall, beautiful woman whose salt-and-pepper hair contrasted dramatically with her chocolate-colored skin stood just inside the door. “Ms. Russell, Mr. Trainor,” she said, stepping forward with her hand outstretched. “I’m Faye LaBarre, your personal shopper. Let me show you what I’ve selected for you.” Her deep voice moved in the cadences of the South, and her handshake was firm.

Nathan took Chloe’s elbow as they followed Faye to a bronze-and-wood-paneled elevator. Just that casual touch sent fire burning through her veins. The elevator was small enough that Nathan’s shoulder and hip brushed against her, and she had to quell the urge to lean into his body. Faye led them out into what looked like someone’s living room. A plush beige couch and several chairs were arranged around an open space covered by a pastel Oriental rug. An elegant brass rack hung with dresses stood in the middle of it.

“May I offer you something to drink?” Faye asked, waving them toward the couch.

“Water would be great, please. And call me Chloe.”

Faye’s smile was as warm as her voice. “Sure thing, sugar. Mr. Trainor?”

“Nathan,” he said with his own heart-grabbing smile. “Water for me as well.”

Nathan settled onto the sofa, stretching out his long legs and sliding his cell phone out of his pocket. “I’ll leave you ladies to your critical task.”

Faye handed each of them a tall glass of water with a lime floating in it. Chloe took a gulp and turned toward the rack.

“Nathan forwarded me the sizes you gave him and explained about the wedding you’re attending. I pulled together several ensembles I thought might work. Shall we begin?”

Chloe took another swallow of water and set the tumbler down on a glass-topped side table. She ran her damp palm down her skirt so she wouldn’t get water spots on the beautiful clothes displayed in front of her. She saw with relief that they had tags dangling from them, so she’d be able to select by price.

She walked to the rack and casually glanced at one of the tags, biting back an exclamation of dismay. The only information on it was the size and the designer’s name, and the name let her know it was exorbitantly expensive. She reminded herself that her appearance would reflect on Nathan, so she needed to swallow her pride, just this once.

Faye showed her each of the half-dozen outfits, naming the designer, describing the fabrics, and discussing the accessories. As Chloe hesitated in front of the array, Faye said, “If you don’t like any of these, I have another rack for you to look at.”

“My problem is deciding which one to try on,” Chloe said, running her fingers over the beautiful embroidery on the skirt of one dress.

“Try them all on,” Nathan said, startling her into spinning around. She’d thought he was engrossed in his cell phone, but instead he was lounging on the couch, his arms spread across the back, the glass of water dangling from his long fingers. “I’ll help you choose.”

“A gentleman after my own heart,” Faye said, rolling the rack toward a wide door.

Chloe trundled along behind Faye into the huge dressing room, remembering Nathan’s comment about mirrors as her image was reflected back at her from multiple angles. He had to be kidding about having sex here, since they had a very attentive personal shopper. Chloe was both relieved and frustrated.

“All right, let’s try the Roberto Cavalli first since you were stroking it.” Faye’s tone invited Chloe to laugh along with her. “Would you like me to help you, or would you prefer that I give you your privacy?”

“I, um—” Chloe wasn’t accustomed to having a dresser, but when she thought about the possibility of damaging one of the delicate and expensive pieces of clothing with her inexpert handling, she decided she could use some assistance. “Please stay. I don’t want to ruin anything.”

“With pleasure, sugar. You’re going to look stunning in this.” Faye was already unfastening the dress and slipping it off its hanger.

Chloe stripped down to her bra and panties so the other woman could drop the dress over her head. Faye zipped it up and then pulled a shoe box from the stack on the shelf at the top of the rack. “Now just slide your feet into these.”

Chloe couldn’t guess the cost of the dresses, but she knew her shoes, and the studded leather Sergio Rossi Mary Jane pumps were well north of a thousand dollars. She toed off her Louboutin knockoffs and reverently slid her feet into the sky-high heels. She started to lean over to fasten the straps, but Faye stopped her. “Let me get that for you.”

Once the straps were buckled, Chloe couldn’t take her eyes off her feet. “They’re so beautiful,” she breathed.

“Hmm.” Faye sounded less than satisfied, and Chloe lifted her eyes to find the personal shopper gazing at her with an assessing eye. Chloe looked in the mirror. The dress fit her a little too well, in her opinion, the royal-blue lace fabric following every curve.

“Not for a wedding,” Faye said. “It would work for an intimate dinner for two, though.”

“I’m too buxom for it, aren’t I?”

“No, sugar, it’s too flat for you,” Faye said.

Chloe hesitated. “Maybe I shouldn’t show it to Nathan since it’s not right for the occasion.”

“Any man who’s willing to wait while you shop should be rewarded with a look at you in that dress.”

“Can I have your home phone number?” Chloe joked. “I could use you when I need a little ego boosting.”

Faye chuckled as Chloe teetered past her on the high heels.

Nathan dropped his phone on the sofa beside him as she walked into the sitting area. She stopped in the middle of the carpet and held out her hands at her sides in a mute question. “It’s a Roberto Cavalli.”

He frowned as his gaze skimmed down her, leaving a trail of heat in its wake. “Come closer,” he said.

Chloe walked to within three feet of him. The heels gave her so much extra height that she had to look down to meet his eyes. They were ablaze with wicked intent.

“Now turn slowly.”

She rotated in front of him, knowing he was teasing her. “How many mirrors are in the dressing room?” he asked when her back was to him.

She threw him a glare over her shoulder. “Five—and Faye.”

He gave her a light pat on the behind.

Chloe came all the way around to face him. “There’s a security camera too.”

“I’m a tech geek. Security cameras don’t stand a chance against me.” He leaned back. “You know why I like this dress?”

Chloe raised her eyebrows.

“It makes me want to rip it off you.”

All the arousal she’d managed to tamp down burst back into full flame. “You don’t rip a Roberto Cavalli.”

“I suppose I could use scissors.” He ran his fingertip down the side of her rib cage and along the line of her hip. “Cold steel against your soft, warm skin. That could be very erotic.”

She sucked in a sharp breath. “I’d better try on the next dress.” She tried to spin on her heel and nearly fell. He caught her by the hips, holding her until she found her balance. As she teetered back to the dressing room, she could feel the imprint of his hands on her skin, almost as though they’d burned through the lacy fabric.

“He liked it for all the wrong reasons,” Chloe told Faye as the shopper unfastened the dress and helped her out of it.

“I’ve got the Carolina Herrera ready for you next. I have a good feeling about it.”

The soft cotton fabric of the second dress slithered down over Chloe’s skin, evoking the brush of Nathan’s hands. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm her racing pulse. The zipper sang as Faye ran it up her back. When Chloe opened her eyes, she knew this was the one.

The sheath skimmed her curves in a subtly sexy way, touching but not clinging. The pattern was an impressionist version of tweed in white, gray, and a rich, soft blue. What gave the dress a high-fashion twist was the way a different fabric, a sueded cotton in solid blue, formed wide straps in front but turned into a solid yoke in the back. It was fresh, sophisticated, and perfectly appropriate for an afternoon wedding in the South.

“Nailed it,” Faye said. “And wait until you see the shoes.”

She pulled a box marked “Dior” from the shelf and opened it to reveal pumps of gray taffeta embroidered with a dusting of blue spangles. As Faye lifted the shoes from the box, the beads threw a confetti of sparkles around the fitting room.

“I can’t wear these,” Chloe breathed. “They should be in a museum.”

Faye knelt to help Chloe step into the shoes. Then she draped a featherlight shawl of cashmere around Chloe’s shoulders in a swirl of blue. “For the church. I checked the weather, and it’s all you’ll need this time of year in North Carolina.”

She handed Chloe a neat little handbag in textured metallic leather. “By Alexander McQueen. Just enough room for what you need to carry, with a little sheen to give the outfit edge.”

Chloe stared at her multiple images in the mirror. She looked like . . . like a woman a billionaire would take to a wedding.

“All you need is jewelry,” Faye said. “I thought Nathan might want to choose that with you.”

“I can handle that myself,” Chloe said. She was not accepting expensive jewelry from Nathan. It reminded her too much of the dismissal of Ms. Fogarty. With the salary Trainor Electronics would be paying her, she didn’t need a diamond bracelet to sell anymore.

The Dior pumps were easier to balance on, so Chloe sashayed out to model for Nathan. He was drinking his water but put the glass down on the glass-topped coffee table with an audible clink when he saw her.

“This is the one,” Chloe said, striking a pose with her hand on her hip.

“If you say so,” he said, leaning forward. He gave her the same laser-focused assessment as she turned slowly without his prompting. When she faced him again, he nodded. “It works for me at a distance. Now come closer so I can test the fabric.”

Chloe stayed where she was. “To make sure it tears easily?”

His lips curved in a wicked smile. “No, to cop a feel.”

“Oh, well, in that case . . .” Chloe started toward him, letting her hips swing.

He gave a low rasp of a laugh and came up off the sofa in a swift movement, startling her to a halt. He came around the coffee table in two long strides and, putting one hand behind her head and one on her bottom, pulled her hard against him for a kiss that nearly blew the top of her head off. He lifted his head and looked at her with heavy-lidded eyes. “Time to send Faye in search of some lingerie.”

Chloe hadn’t believed he meant it about the dressing room, but the seriousness of his intention was clear on his face. “We can’t really do that,” she hissed in a low voice. “The video will end up on the Internet or something.”

“Trust me.” He laced his fingers with hers and pulled her along behind him as he walked into the fitting room. Faye was unzipping the next dress for her to try on.

“You found the perfect dress,” Nathan said, turning his charm on Faye, “but it needs lingerie to match. Would you mind choosing a few possibilities while we wait here?”

Chloe felt the embarrassment reddening her cheeks as Faye nodded with a knowing look in her eye. “I’ll bring a selection.” The personal shopper glided out of the dressing room, closing the door behind her with an audible click.

Nathan scanned the room from floor to ceiling. “Only one camera. They trust their customers.” He dropped her hand and pulled a small black gizmo out of his pocket to fiddle with a couple of buttons. “Now let’s leave the room empty for a moment.” He opened the door for her.

Chloe stepped outside with Nathan following behind her. He closed the door and waited a minute before pushing more buttons on the gadget and pointing it toward the camera in the ceiling.

“I feel like I’m in a Julian Best movie,” she said.

“Julian Best would sneer at something this basic,” Nathan said, pocketing the gizmo. “But now the security video will show an empty room for as long as we need it.”

Chloe felt the oxygen leave her lungs as Nathan held the door wide, his eyes blazing with desire. “We have to be careful with the dress,” she squeaked as she walked through the door. Suddenly the multiple mirrors seemed shiny with sinful decadence.

“No ripping,” Nathan promised, leading her to the center of the room and stepping behind her. He took the bag and shawl, and then unzipped her dress so expertly that she wondered how many times he’d done it before. She felt the drift of air on her bare skin, and then he was stripping the fabric from her shoulders and shoving it down over her hips.

As it puddled on the floor, Chloe stepped carefully out of the dress. Before she could pick it up, Nathan had hooked it up off the floor and tossed it over the stool set in one corner. “It won’t be there long enough to wrinkle,” he said.

Then he came up close behind her and splayed one hand over her belly to pull her against his erection while the other covered her breast. He was watching their reflection in the mirror, the heat in his eyes refracting from the glass and spreading through her body. “I’d like to take more time to enjoy this picture, but we have a deadline.”

He skimmed his hand inside her panties. She knew he would feel how wet she already was. A low groan vibrated through him as he slipped his fingers into her. She shuddered with pleasure at the pressure. “Ah, Chloe, I want to do so many things to you right now.”

“I just want you inside me,” she panted.

And then his fingers were gone, leaving her feeling empty and yearning. He yanked her lace panties down to her knees, letting them fall from there. Chloe kicked out of them as she felt his fingers at the hook of her bra. The lace fell from her breasts, leaving her naked except for the spangled heels. The curves of her body seemed tender and vulnerable framed by the navy of Nathan’s suit. When he wrapped his arm across her waist, the dark sleeve of his jacket looked and felt almost like a restraint. She shook with the intensity of her arousal.