Page 30 of A Deal in Darkness
I smile, nod, and she retreats behind a curtain to try on another outfit. I sit on the ottoman and Eva fetches me the newspaper while the manager arranges for coffee.
The girls fuss over Adriana as she tries on more outfits, rarely meeting a no from me. The only objections I have are when the clothes look cheap or they don’t suit her figure, and I’m pleasantly surprised to discover that my girl already has good taste.
Three coffees later and the pile of clothes and accessories is disgustingly extravagant and we’ve expended all the possibilities in this shop. I beckon the manager over, arranging for the alterations to be made as swiftly as possible and for the items to be delivered to my loft. Eva takes the hint and leaves with him, sorting out the finer details, including payment.
“You ready?” I ask.
“For what?” Adriana asks in reply.
I smile and extend my hand, pleased when she takes it without resistance. I pull her against me, wrapping my arm around her as I guide her out of the shop.
“The next shop, baby.” I whisper into her ear. “You’ve been trying to hide your sexy little body underneath those hideous clothes you insist on wearing and I won’t allow it. I insist you show everyone your fucking glorious figure while making damn sure they know who it belongs to.”
She tries to hide a giggle and if I weren’t a demon, I’d have missed her reaction. Adriana is a slut for praise and I pocket that for use later.
“We’ll leave the underwear for tomorrow.”
8
A SUITABLE PUNISHMENT
ENZO
My hands clutch a large glass of wine as I stroll to the sitting area, admiring Adriana’s figure as she lounges on the sofa. She’s still wearing those awful sweats and they’re failing to hide the curve of her ass as she stretches out.
She’s reading and I’ve spent the evening leaving her alone, allowing her time to recover before I demand her complete attention.
“Baby,” I say, passing her the drink.
“I really don’t like it,” she says, sitting up before she takes the wine glass.
“I really don’t give a shit. Now thank me. Properly.”
Her brows furrow as her lip twitches.
“Thank you, Sir.”
I nod and wait for her to finish with her wine. She turns the pages of her book, sipping the Bordeaux, oblivious to the vintage she’s consuming. Usually, her ignoring me would irk me, but yet again I find myself drawn to her quiet calm as she loses herself in the story she’s reading.
“Did you decide which offer to take?”
Her head lifts, and she closes the book, sliding it across the coffee table. She rolls her bottom lip between her teeth as she contemplates what to say next, presumably worried it’ll offend me.
“How does this work, Enzo?” Her worried glance is another sign of how far out of her depth she is. “I mean, does it make any difference which one I choose? Or will you make it work out for me, regardless of the choice I make?”
She’s quick. Quicker than most.
Her choice is, as she’s guessed, irrelevant in a way. One will cause some dire consequences for others and another will save an almost bankrupt firm, but Adriana doesn’t need to know these details.
“That’s the deal we made. You get the job you want, the career you want and almost anything else you want—and I get you.”
“Almost anything else?”
“You can’t undo the deal, sweet girl.” I smile and the flicker of hope in her eyes extinguishes. “Nor bring about world peace and other ridiculously unachievable notions.”
She sinks against the back of the sofa, and I slide closer to her.
“Did you want my advice?”
