“I probably shouldn’t have asked him to surprise me,” I told Ivy. While Matteo went to the office, my friend and I decided to meet at the Wus’ luxury boutique in the Meatpacking District. Donateka was their new shop that just opened this year. It was a cross between classy and hip, form and function.
I stared at the clothes Ivy laid out in front of me.
“Definitely black.” Ivy looked at me critically. “You want to dress like a New Yorker with basic stuff by not trying too hard. You’ve got boobs. Our functional bustier just came in.”
“I’m not going for sex kitten,” I reminded her dryly.
Ivy laughed. “No, dummy. A sheer topper edged with flirty ruffles will finish the look.”
Ooh, I liked where this idea was going. “Edgy yet romantic.”
“Exactly.”
She led me to the dressing rooms.
Forty-five minutes later, we put together a perfect ensemble for the evening that would be at home in a pub or dinner at a three-star Michelin restaurant.
Completing the bustier and blouse were stretchy editor-cut trousers and black ankle boots. I had a bedazzled black clutch I thankfully packed in the suitcase back at Matteo’s loft.
We were in the lounge room in front of the dressing room when one of the sales assistants came in.
“Your brother is here,” she told Ivy.
“What?”
“He has something important to tell you.”
Daniel was here? My heart did a somersault which bothered me. I needed to bury my crush for my best friend’s brother out of respect for my agreement with Matteo.
He was standing by the accessory section, casually flicking the scarves that were on display.
“What are you doing here?” my friend asked.
Ivy and Daniel were not affectionate with each other. Unlike Italians, they didn’t hug or kiss. Ivy was more liberal with her American friends, but one thing that made a good entrepreneur when doing international commerce was to study the culture of your business partners.
“Daniel,” I breathed.
“Hi, Sera. Doing a bit of shopping?”
“A whole wardrobe.”
“She has a date with Matteo.”
A frown creased his forehead. “A date.”
“Yes,” I said as I studied his face for a reaction. “Our first official one.”
The frown disappeared to be replaced by a secretive smile that touched the corners of his mouth. It was a puzzling reaction that annoyed me. Was he jealous or not? Was he going to stop me from dating Matteo or not?
“So, what are you doing here?” Ivy repeated. Something must not have been going right between them because my best friend seemed unusually clipped. I hoped I wasn’t the reason. It couldn’t be Matteo because Ivy appeared eager to help me with my date. If this was Daniel blowing hot and cold on me again, I was fraying at the edge of my patience. He was on the verge of becoming a disappointment.
Besides, I didn’t want their relationship to take a hit because of me and I certainly could look after myself.
“I want to personally tell you that K-Cee Yee is not renewing our contract for Donateka. Even for our Asian stores.”
“What?” Ivy asked. “Why?”
“It’s not representative of the demographic she appeals to,” Daniel said. “She said something about the optics of her wearing our clothes, clashing with her colorful songs and the message of her latest album.”
“She needs some class if you ask me,” Ivy retorted. “She’s what? Twenty-eight, and she thinks she’s still seventeen?”
“She’s been a long-lasting pop sensation,” her brother said.
“We don’t need her,” Ivy said. “We should change the direction of our advertising and leverage more of our customer base.”
I was offended for my friends. They’d worked so hard to build their brand. Sure, they were pricey, but their customers were assured of the quality of their clothes down to the sourcing of raw material. All fair trade. No child labor or sweatshops. They had workrooms in Hong Kong, Singapore, Milan, and they just opened one in Brooklyn to service their North American market.
“Look, I’m wearing your stuff tonight. If I freaking know where Matteo is taking me, you can sic the tabloid that’s so fond of making news of the De Luccis on us.”
But maybe I should ask Matteo first.
Both brother and sister eyed me critically. I knew they weren’t looking at me as their friend but as a marketing tool.
If Ivy could pull off the front page on the Holy Tattler, it was a win-win. Matteo could thank me later. The news of our fake dating would spread like wildfire not only on Wall Street, but I could also promote my friend’s store. A big fuck-you to the pop princess. How dare she snub my friends?
“That’s not a bad idea.” Daniel leaned against the counter and drummed his fingers on the shelf.
“I can make that happen,” Ivy said. “I shot off a text to my assistant to find that reporter who loves following the New York Five Families. And then when they ask you what you’re wearing?”
“Irina by Donateka.” With a coy expression, I fluttered my lashes.
Ivy and I burst out laughing.
Daniel tipped his chin toward the clothes draped on our arms. “Which one did you pick?”
He touched the fabric of the pants. “Is this our new stretchy blend?”
Ivy rolled her eyes and told him the proper brand name which had a patent pending.
“Anything you need…” Daniel looked around. “Shoes, accessories…”
A weight of responsibility descended on my shoulders. This simply shopping for a date with Matteo had morphed into something else.
“Charge it to your expense account,” Daniel told his sister.
“I’m paying for this,” I protested, my eyes frantic on my friend. “We had a pact.” I patronized their shop as long as I was paying like any other customer. No special treatment.
“We let our models keep their clothes,” Ivy said. “And I’ve been wanting to dress you up in forever without you balking at the cost.”
“Now, you all have me second-guessing.”
“Too late.” Ivy tucked her arm in my elbow and led me to the shoe section. “I love your ankle boots, but I have a better option. And let’s not forget the purse.”
Matteo
“Good afternoon, Mr. De Lucci.”
I nodded to the guard and strode past the reception area of Daniel’s building. The building had advanced security. An app for the elevator was used exclusively by the top floors.
Daniel had given me access.
I got into the elevator and watched the floor numbers zoom up with growing impatience.
I’d been in a bad mood ever since Trevor told me that the siblings had dragged Sera back to their penthouse. This wasn’t how I envisioned our date at all. Granted I had given her leeway to move around the city as long as she had Trevor with her, I expected her back at the apartment where I would be picking her up for our date.
She wasn’t answering her phone either.
When the doors slid open, I beat back a growl at the scene that greeted me.
Daniel was in the act of putting a necklace around Sera’s neck.
And what the hell was she wearing? Underwear?
Her shoulders and chest were exposed and the fucker was staring right into her cleavage, which seemed more abundant given how it was shaped presumably by the tightness of her top.
My eyes scanned the area, my gaze momentarily locking with Trevor’s before noticing what Ivy was doing. She was pointing her phone in their direction and I suspected it was for social media.
“You’re too stiff, Daniel,” Ivy protested before finally noticing I’d arrived. “Oh, hi, Matteo.”
“What’s going on here?” I growled.
Daniel’s self-satisfied smile made me want to break his nose. I’d deal with him later.
Sera’s eyes widened upon seeing me. The awkward smile she plastered on her face conveyed she’d known I wouldn’t be pleased with this scene.
I’d deal with her later too.
I had no claim to Sera in the real sense. Daniel was aware of this. This grated on me. I didn’t want him anywhere around her, especially knowing how Sera felt about him. The fact that it would make me look like the chump to the public was not even the problem here. I didn’t know when my feelings started to change. Probably when I was feeling more sympathetic to Sera than Daniel.
She was honest. Growing up a Moretti, she had a good but sometimes misguided heart. It was common with people who grew up half in and half out of the family. I could relate.
But most of all she intrigued me.
“Can I have my girlfriend back?” I bared my teeth.
Daniel’s smirk faltered at the seriousness of my tone. Good. The sooner he quit fucking with me, the better. He’d gone pussy over her. He didn’t get to jab me from the cheap seats.
“The clasp of the necklace was too slippery,” Sera explained.
I held out my hand to Daniel. He reluctantly surrendered the piece of jewelry.
“That needs a redesign, Ivy,” he told his sister.
“The design is fine. You’re just all thumbs when it comes to these things.”
“Turn around,” I told Sera. “Lift your hair.”
Vanilla and coconut wafted under my nose, and my olfactory senses couldn’t help but follow the source of the scent. It was addictive.
I leaned in closer, the warmth of our bodies mingling.
“What are you doing?” She cocked her head to the side.
Our mouths were almost touching. “Putting a necklace around my girlfriend.”
I easily mated the links, but I wasn’t done. All the exposed skin before me was too smooth, too tempting, too…ah fuck it. I kissed the top of her shoulder. An audible gasp escaped her lips.
“Oh my God,” Ivy shrieked. “That was perfect! You are so worthy of main character billing, Sera!”
I turned her toward me. “Do you have a top to put over that?”
“Of course.” A frown marred her face. “Why? Is it too revealing?”
Yes, my mind growled. “No.” Since when have I been that possessive asshole. Baffled at how I reacted, I scrambled for an excuse. “It’s cold outside.”
“The cover-up is still sheer.” Sera chewed on her lower lip. “We’re not walking to the place, right? I’m from Chicago. I can tolerate cold weather.”
“Here’s the blouse.” Ivy handed me a black see-through top. I helped Sera into it and buttoned the three hooks that held the ruffled flaps together, leaving a deep v-neckline.
She was sexy as fuck.
“Trevor will drop us off at the restaurant.”
“Where are we going?”
I grinned. “You’ll see.”
Ivy’s eyes were glued to the phone. “Holy crap, people, that’s six thousand views in five minutes. Plus, six hundred likes. People are going gaga over that shoulder kiss and that smoldering look.” She glanced up. “I think you two should open a joint social media account.”
“Hell no,” I muttered.
Sera laughed.
