Unmatchable (14 page)

Ember: You should have sent me a forklift with the bear.

Colton: Too big for you? ;)

Ember: Are you talking about the bear or something else?

I grin.

Colton: I'm talking about the bear. Pervert!

Ember: lol Like you have any right to call me that.

Colton: You're right. I don't, but it's fun messing with you.

Ember: Seriously, though, it just took me plus two co-workers to get the thing into my car. I have no idea how I'm going to drag it into my apartment. I'm pretty sure it weighs almost as much as I do.

Colton: My evil plan worked!

Ember: What evil plan?

Colton: The evil plan where I order you an oversized gift in the hopes that you'll invite me over to help you get it inside. And then once we get it inside, I can get inside of you.

I roll my eyes, hoping he's not serious.

Ember: Well, I had thought to ask for your help, but on second thought, I've got this.

Colton: Are you sure? I really don't mind going over there.

Ember: Are you going to be good?

Colton: Am I ever good?

You're always good, I want to tell him, but that would give him too much pleasure.

I sit behind the steering wheel of my car thinking. While it would be nice having help getting the bear into my apartment, there's not much of a point in inviting Colton over. As soon as the bear is inside, I need to take off again to go buy a dress. If he came over, I'm pretty sure I'd get distracted and never make it to the store. That would be bad on multiple levels.

Ember: Don't worry about the bear. I'll take care of it. It was a very sweet and thoughtful gift. Despite that fact that moving it around is kind of a pain in the ass, I really do appreciate it.

Colton: I'm not convinced.

His comment makes me feel guilty for complaining, but I know how to turn the conversation around.

Ember: I'll prove it to you tomorrow.

Colton: Is that so?

Ember: That is so.

Colton: Tell me how you plan to prove it.

Ember: I can't right now. I'm about to leave work. After I drop the bear off, I need to go buy a dress for your hoity-toity charity event.

Colton: You should totally show up naked.

I laugh.

Ember: I don't think your hoity-toity friends would approve of that.

Colton: Fuck them. The only one you need to please is me.

Ember: Fuck them? Are we into sharing now?

Colton: I'd kill any man who tried to touch you.

It amazes me how good he is at saying the right thing at the right time. Hearing him be so possessive makes my heart flood with warmth for him.

Ember: I've got to go. I'll talk to you later.

Colton: Drive safe, babe.

Babe.
A term of endearment. It's funny how one word can ignite my face with a smile brighter than the sun and make my entire night.

***

I walk into Macy's at The Galleria and go straight to the expensive dress section. The section with dresses for prom and weddings and other events where you buy the dress to only wear it once but the damn thing costs as much as all of the other dresses in your wardrobe combined. The fact that I'm about to drop so much money on a dress is proof that I've got it bad for this guy. I certainly would not be doing this for anyone else.

The first evening gown I pick out is long with lace insets. The cream color goes well with my skin tone, and the position of the insets on the skirt are just high enough to be sexy but also look classy. It's love at first sight...until I look at the price tag. Holy hell, I am not spending nearly five hundred dollars on a dress.

Quickly, I put it back and start shopping for dresses based on price instead of what catches my eye the most. It's almost pathetic how frugal I am, but knowing I'm only going to wear the dress once makes me even less inclined to want to drop more than a hundred dollars on it.

I spend over an hour trying on about half a dozen dresses before I finally settle on a long black halter dress that I found on the sale rack. It's a sexy little number with a floor-length side ruffle and rhinestone embellishments beneath the bust. I already have the shoes to match it, so that makes it even more of a great buy.

Since I saved so much money on the dress, I wander into Victoria's Secret to buy myself some new lingerie too. It feels so strange walking through the isles looking for something sexy. Up to this point, every lingerie purchase I've made has been for functionality only. Now, I'm shopping for something that will truly knock Colton's socks off. I have no idea when or if he'll ever see it, but I want to be prepared, just in case.

As I look at the variety of styles, I can't help but wonder if he prefers simple lacy things or tight, seductive lingerie. A few corsets catch my eye, but I quickly remind myself that's not me. Besides, I don't want to give him the impression that I'm a bad girl in the bedroom when I'm really not.

“
Can I help you find something?” A sales associate pops up from behind a mannequin.

Inwardly, I sigh in annoyance, but in truth, I am having a hard time deciding what I want. “Yes. I'm looking for some lingerie. Something sexy, but not too sexy.”

“
Do you want a nightgown or a babydoll?”

I take a moment to consider. Nightgowns make me think of old ladies. A babydoll would be far sexier. “A babydoll.”

“
Sheer or opaque?”

“
It doesn't really matter.”

“
Any preference in color?”

“
Preferably something that goes well with my skin tone and hair.”

She looks me over for a moment, thinking. Then her eyes widen as if a light bulb has gone off inside of her head. “I've got just the thing for you. Come this way.” She motions for me to follow her.

Her first selection is a pleated pink babydoll. The shade is soft, almost skin tone, and there's a big bow on the front. It's cute, but it covers too much. Her next selection has the opposite problem. Instead of having fabric all the way around, it's a flyaway babydoll. And the flyaway part is so sheer that I might as well be wearing nothing at all. The underwear is made from the same material, so that's definitely a no-go.

I'm just about to give up hope when my eyes land on a mannequin in the corner sporting a peach-colored lace and mesh babydoll. The top is designed like a bra to give support and has crisscross straps below it that connect with sheer mesh. The underwear matches the bra and offers full coverage. It's sexy while not being overly revealing.

“
I'll take this one,” I decide, then wait on the sales associate to find it in my size.

With my packages in tow, I head out to my car with a smile on my face, pleased that I got away with spending just over a hundred dollars on both the lingerie and the dress. If discount shopping were an art, I'd be a master of it. My entire apartment is furnished with stuff from flea markets and second-hand stores, yet if someone didn't know that, they'd think I spent a fortune on furniture.

Of course, even though I got away cheap today, I can't totally attribute that to my thrifty shopping. After all, I did pay full price for the lingerie. Still, I spent far less money than I could have.

When I get home, I'm so excited by my purchases that I try them both on a second time, twirling around and modeling them in front of the mirror. While I want to keep the lingerie a secret, I can't resist the urge to snap a picture of me in the dress and send it to Colton. It doesn't take long before he responds.

Colton: You look stunning.

Ember: You should see what else I bought.

Colton: You should show me.

Ember: Some things are better left to the imagination.

Colton: That makes me think it's something naughty.

Ember: Maybe it is.

Colton: Are you trying to get me all hot and bothered, Miss Washington?

Ember: Maybe I am.

I smirk, feeling devious. The thought of making Colton all hot and bothered makes me hot and bothered. I trace my tongue over my bottom lip as I think of the cock pic he sent me. If things continue with us as they have been, it won't be much longer before I see it in the flesh.

Colton: It's not beyond me to come over there and see for myself. Just say the word and I'll be on your doorstep in thirty minutes or less.

Ember: You make yourself sound like a pizza.

I laugh.

Colton: I'll be hot and ready just for you. ;)

Ember: Such a charmer, you are.

Colton: Want you, I do.

I snort at how adorable he can be.

Ember: That's all you get for tonight, Yoda. The rest will have to wait until tomorrow.

Colton: I'll be looking forward to it.

So will I, though I'm admittedly a bit nervous, and that's only going to build the closer it gets to the actual event.

***

By the following night, I'm a wreck. Nothing seems to be going right. I feel fat in my dress when yesterday I know I looked svelte. I accidentally got mascara on my foundation and smeared my lipstick trying to correct an overdraw. And no matter how much I try to smooth my hair into the perfect high ponytail, I still have frizzies. I wanted to be flawless tonight, and all I can manage is disaster.

When the doorbell buzzes at promptly 6 PM, my stress level is about an eight out of ten. Colton has been nothing but perfect every time I've seen him. He deserves better than this.

Agitated, I fling open the front door, ready to bark at Colton's driver to give me an extra ten minutes to finish getting ready. It's not his driver on the other side of the door, though. Some of the frustration drains from me as I see Colton standing there in a classic tuxedo. He's freshly shaven, and his hair is slicked back away from his face. It's yet another new Colton Larsen look, immaculately put together. I feel like a toad by comparison.

“
You look even better than the photo.” He beams at me, his expression nothing but pleased.

“
You're too kind,” I tell him sincerely.

“
May I come in.” He glances around my doorframe like a vampire that needs to be welcomed in before he can cross the threshold.

“
Sure...” I reply hesitantly. “I still need a few more minutes.”

I turn from him to go back into my bathroom and finish adding the last touches to my outfit. My neck looks too plain, so I pair the dress with a teardrop rhinestone necklace. For a moment, I consider going bare, worried that some of the wealthy people at the event will be able to tell it's fake. I definitely don't want to give the impression that I'm cheap, even though I kind of am.

I sigh at my finished ensemble, a lot less pleased with it than I was yesterday. Turning my head from side to side, I look more like a teenager going to prom than a grown woman accompanying a billionaire to a fancy charity event. Part of me feels unworthy to be by Colton's side, an emotion I haven't experienced yet, and that sours my mood.

You've got to put on a fake happy face for him. Screw all of those other people. This isn't about them. This is about you making Colton happy.

With a sigh, I grab my clutch from the bathroom counter and head into the living room to present myself to Colton. When he sees me, he stands, an ear to ear grin spread across his handsome face.

“
You look beautiful.”

“
If you say so.”

“
I do say so. Something is missing, though.” He gives me a curious look, and my heart drops to the pit of my stomach.

“
Should I redo my makeup?” I wrinkle my nose at him, still worried that my lipstick is crooked.

“
That's not what I'm talking about at all.” He shakes his head before gently picking up the rhinestone teardrop from my chest. “This. Is it important to you?”

Shit. He can tell it's fake.

“
Not particularly.” I shift my weight.

“
Then you won't mind if I take it off. Turn around.”

I do as I'm told, scowling as soon as we're no longer facing each other. He told me that something was missing, and now he's taking something away. Perhaps he just said that as a kindness.

As soon as he takes off the necklace, I start to turn around. He stops me, though.

“
Not yet.”

“
Not yet?” I glance at him over my shoulder.

“
Not yet.” There's amusement in his voice.

A few seconds later he slips something cold around my neck. The second it touches my skin, my breath hitches. I can't see what it is, so I run my fingers across it. Another necklace.

Once it's in place, he leans forward to whisper in my ear, “They say diamonds are a girl's best friend.”