Page 56 of The Score

Chapter 19

Bear

I stand in front of the store Evie told me to go to, and check I'm at the right place. The address is correct, though it doesn't look like a bridal shop. A few mannequins wearing interesting, colorful outfits stand in the window display, below a gold and black painted sign on the glass that reads BELOVED. Behind them, a black screen blocks the view from outside. The main door is tinted, except for the smaller version of the same logo and the three words printed underneath— BELOVED - come on in. Like the owner wants you to know they sell clothes, but you go into a little world of your own as soon as you cross the door.

Arching an eyebrow, I open the door and do just that. A little bell announces my arrival, and two faces turn my way, none of them Pen.

"Welcome!" one of them says. "You must be the fiancé. I was told you'd come, when I talked to your bride's friend on the phone."

I approach and offer my hand. "Yes, thank you. I'm Leon."

"The Bear, I think, from the way your fiancée talks about you?"

I grin. "Just Bear, thanks."

"And I am Jacqueline, but call me Jack. This is Maeve, my spouse and business partner. She's a delight and a whizz at the sewing machine."

I shake Maeve's hand, too.

"While Jack is the creative director, you could say." She laughs. "They designed the dress your bride picked."

Maeve makes a gesture to show me the way and I follow.

"Pen is right through there." Maeve points at a door at the other end of the room.

"She's almost done," Jack adds. "We'll give you some space to chat, okay?"

I nod. The couple walks away and into a backroom. A deep breath later, and I'm ready to face whatever is going on with Pen. I go through the door, expecting to find a hall with changing rooms— only to freeze on the spot.

Pen stands on a small pedestal, wearing nothing but a deep blue lingerie set, and deep blue stilettos. Her long hair falls down her back, the waterfall of it driving my eyes down her back, down a wonderfully round ass, and lower onto thick thighs. A cute smattering of dimples give texture to her skin, while silvery marks on her skin shine differently under the hundred lightbulbs around us.

The door lets out a mildbangas it closes. I stop breathing. I can't react.

"Bear?" she asks, eyes wide open. "What are you doing here?"

She stares at me from the reflection in front of us, where a large mirror showcases my best friend in all her glory. The space is smaller than I imagined, or the situation is suddenly making everything feel tiny— like we were crammed into minimal space without notice. Still, there's enough room to have several dresses lining one side of the mirror in their hooks, while several lingerie sets perch from hooks in their own hangers. Three sets of sexy bras and panties on display, but my eyes go back to the one Pen wears… and I die.

The mirror shows me things I should not be staring at. Her full breasts hugged by lace, a soft, gorgeous belly I could kiss, lined with more of those silvery stretch marks, and two layers of… panties… over her…

"Oh my God, Bear!"

Her expression gets my attention. I startle.

"Pen— I—"

"Leon Karlsen! What—"

She tries to turn, but loses her balance.

"Fuck— these heels!" she manages, before she cuts herself off.

Some part of my brain has processed what's going on even when I don't think I have. She's trying to make it off the pedestal but her ankles give out.

I snap into action, and jump to catch her before she can fall. On autopilot, I bring her closer to me— it will be easier to keep her upright this way. One hand goes to her ribcage, the other to her hip.

"Watch it," I say.

"Watch it?!" Shock and irritation go into her voice. "You should watch it. What are you doing here?"