I sat up slowly, letting my body revel in the afterglow of my orgasm. I wasn't sure how he did it but the way he made me feel was something I wished I could bottle. Tentatively I reached out to him, my hand brushing against the side of his face. He held perfectly still and it reminded me of a frightened animal. It was as though no one had really touched him before. Not sexually, not in a business-like manner, not because they thought it was what he wanted. But just because he could be touched.
David released his breath in one long whoosh, the cool air blowing across my skin and making me shiver. That was it. The look on his face was gone and he pulled away from my touch. I watched the shutters come down once more and all of the vulnerability vanished. It was gone, as though it had never been there. Except I knew. I had seen the look in his eyes and it had made my heart ache.
I wanted another glimpse of that man again. I wanted to see him open up to me to show me the real David Ashcroft—the one he kept hidden from the rest of the world. I would do whatever it took to get that back. I would make him open up to me. I had to. The more my heart became entangled in this situation, whatever it was, the more I needed to know where it was going. I had to know that he felt something for me. It didn't have to be love. But it was important that he felt something.
"What's the suitcase for?" I asked, stretching slowly in the bed.
"A trip." David's voice was once more all business. My curiosity, however, now was piqued. I wanted to know what he had planned for me. I had agreed to one week and my mind was desperate to know what that entailed. Perhaps I should have been a little more insistent when he had spoken about the deal. Perhaps I should have pushed it a little more and asked exactly what he had planned instead of accepting blindly.
"Won't you tell me?"
David smiled, a small movement of his lips that briefly lit up his face and opened him up to me once more. But it was gone in an instant, replaced by the blank unreadable expression I had come to know him for.
"You'll find out soon enough. At least allow me to have some surprises. You should shower, since your clothes will be here soon."
I looked at him and I couldn't keep the surprise off my face. "Clothes? You got my clothes from my apartment?" Part of me wanted to feel violated but after everything that had gone on between us I just couldn't manage it.
"No. I've sent out for clothes. I've had some of my favourite designers send over whatever they have."
Shock made my body numb. Designers? Sent out for? Expensive custom made clothes? There had to be some mistake. There was no way that any designer clothes would ever fit my curvy frame. It just wasn't possible.
I recalled the humiliation of the last time I had attempted to buy some designer clothes. Nothing had fit. I wasn't a size zero. I wasn't even close to being a size zero nor would I ever be. Panic thrilled through my body. I would be humiliated all over again and this time it would be in front of David.
CHAPTER NINE
The doorbell finally rang and I jumped. It felt as though I had been waiting forever. After showering David had bundled me into a large fluffy robe and left me sitting in the living room. That was if I could call it a living room. It was one of the largest and most opulent rooms I had ever sat in. The couches were a combination of cream and black leather. The walls were tastefully done in cream except for one signature wall which was also black. Swirls of silver were laced throughout the wallpaper giving it a rich tone.
There was nothing overly ambitious in the room. I just had the impression that everything was picked out by a designer specifically to complement everything else. I could see nothing of the real David in the room. In fact everything smacked of the cold hard exterior that he liked to portray. It was a facade, nothing more and nothing less.
David answered the door while I stood in the middle of the cream rug on the floor. Part of me had wondered if I should have answered the door myself but if I was honest it would have felt a little weird answering the door to someone else's house.
A young woman bounded in the door. Her blonde hair was cut short and curls framed her pixie-like features. Behind traipsed several other young women all carrying clothes bags. I swallowed the lump back in my throat as I watched David greet her.
Her small dainty hand lingered on his arm as he turned to me.
"Rachel, this is Carrie. The woman I was telling you about. I trust you will be able to help her pick out some suitable outfits."
Rachel smiled up at David but the moment she turned her gaze back to me it changed. The smile remained but it had hardened onto her face like a mask. I knew she did not like me.
"Of course we can sort something out." She moved over to me and took my arm in hers. Her fingers dug into my skin as she manoeuvred me towards the bedroom.
"David, I'll let you get back to organising your business and I'll tend to her. Don't you worry about it—I'll make sure she has an outfit for everything that you asked for."
David smiled at me in encouragement. I couldn't blame him, he was being so kind and generous, so how was he to know that the woman leading me into the room wanted my guts for garters.
Once the door was closed behind us she dropped her facade entirely. "So you're the new one? My, but he does have some strange tastes sometimes."
"What is that supposed to mean?" My voice had gone icy. I was tired of being treated like I was a lesser human. I didn't deserve it. If David didn't want me then he could tell me, the last thing I needed was someone else telling me I wasn't worthy.
She smiled at me but it didn't reach her eyes, it was more a baring of teeth and it reminded me of Robert and the way he had smiled. "Shall we get down to business? We don't want to waste any more of David's time."
I nodded and let her get to work. She pulled out outfit after outfit and I was shocked to discover how many of them fit. There was nothing that she had brought with her that was too small. In fact it was as though everything was tailor made for me and fitted the curves of my body perfectly.
When we had finally settled on several outfits she held her hand out to me. "Nice working with you, Miss?"
"Grant," I replied keeping my voice as aloof as possible.
"Well Miss Grant, enjoy it while it lasts." She smiled once more before turning on her heel and flouncing from the room. The rest of her minions didn't even look at me as they followed her out. I sat on the edge of the bed. The skirt I wore was expensive linen and I knew it would crease but I just didn't care. Being with David was complicated enough without everything else on top of it all.