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V A U G H N
Leaning against the wall, I observe Claire as she struggles to pull the zipper of her dress up. Both of her hands are on her back in an awkward manner as she tries to find the zipper she lost midway. She groans when she doesn't find it for the fifth time. For someone who was born flexible, Claire Jackson surely needs a pair of eyes behind her head.
The midnight blue dress reaches just above her knees and the material sticks to her curves like a second skin. I can't help but trail my eyes up her long legs and wonder for a second what she would look like with nothing on.
"You sure you don't need any help with that?" I ask.
"I'm fine. I can manage," she replies, turning to a side as she studies herself in the mirror.
"You've been saying that for the past fifteen minutes." I glance at my watch. "I'm standing right here. You can ask me."
"I'm not taking your help, Jackson," she scowls at herself in the mirror attached to the interior of the cupboard. "I'm not stupid. I can do it myself."
Sighing, I stride towards her. If we go on this way then we will probably be standing here for another hour. She gets alerted of my movements and instantly turns to press herself against the mirror.
"Let me help, Claire," I say. "I promise I won't move my hand to other...territories."
I move my eyes down her legs again, involuntarily.
Bad timing, dickhead!
"I don't trust that after the stunt you pulled moments ago," she huffs.
"That was just to annoy you." I shrug. "And if I remember correctly, you seemed very interested to flirt with me too."
"No, I didn't!" Her mouth opens and without seeing any other option, I grab her elbow and turn her around so that her back is facing me.
My fingers move to her zip and I give a tug but it doesn't move. Taking a closer look, I notice that it is stuck to a thread of the dress.
"Hmm...Claire?"
"What? What did you do?" she asks in a panicky voice. "Did you ruin my dress? See, that's the reason I didn't want your help. It's my favorite dress!"
Women have strange priorities.
"No, it's stuck." I give a little pull at the zipper to prove my point. "I can help you but I want you to promise you won't slap me."
"What are you going to do?"
"I can't tell you. Just promise me you won't freak out."
Silence follows my words until Claire chooses to break it. "Hm...okay."
Hesitantly, I lean down and grab the zipper between my teeth, my lips brushing against her back.
Holy Hell she smells good!
I feel her muscles tense under my touch and have to close my eyes to prevent an oncoming boner to get the best of me. I pull at the tiny zipper with my teeth, placing a hand over Claire's shoulder to stop her from trembling. The zipper releases itself from the thread.
I pull away quickly and slide the zipper all the way up.
"It's done," I pronounce, my voice unnecessarily raspy and Claire turns quickly.
Another bad move because her body collides with mine and I have to hold her by her hips for balance. I suck in a breath while she looks at me and does the same. Our eyes don't leave each other as I look at her red lips. I recall the way she tasted at the wedding and the feeling irritates me.
"Thank you," she says suddenly, breaking my thoughts.
I leave her, taking a step back as I run my fingers through my hair.
"C'mon, we're late," I murmur as I walk towards the door in hurried steps and pull it open.
"In a minute!"
She takes her time to put on her heels and when she stands up, fully dressed, I regret even looking at her in the first place.
The sexy dress with the sexy neckline, the minimal makeup, the pearl necklace around her neck, the bracelet, and the wedding ring which marks her as mine — all speak death for me.
Screw six months. At this rate, I won't even survive six days around her.
I withdraw my eyes from her as she picks up her purse and walks towards me. I keep the door open and allow her to step out first.
"Such a gentleman, Jackson." She gives me a smile as she steps out with me following behind.
If she had any idea about how we are looking in my head right now — with her on the floor with nothing but the necklace on as I fuck her hard — she would know that gentleman is not the term for me.
***
"I love this place!" Claire squeals as she looks at the menu of the restaurant which consists mostly of her favorite dishes.
"What would you like to order, madame?" the young waiter asks, grinning from ear to ear at Claire.
I have seen him staring at her ever since we stepped inside the place. He has eye-fucked her a hundred times already even though he can clearly see that she is with me.
Look all you want, buddy. She is still exclusive to me.
I take a sip of my wine as Claire's eyes scan the menu. She looks happy and I am the one who feels satisfied. Michael Hill would have been so pissed if he saw us right now. I bet he is waiting for the day when Claire and I have a little fight and he gets to tell his daughter that he was right about me.
"I'll have the Cassoulet," Claire orders, returning the menu to the waiter. "And another bottle of wine for sure."
"One Cassoulet." The waiter writes in his notepad before turning to me. The smile on his face quickly drops. "And you, monsieur?"
"Same as the missus," I tell him and he nods before walking off briskly to bring our orders.
"This hotel is the best one I have been in," Claire exclaims, taking in her surroundings. "When I'm married, I'll come here with my—"
She stops, aware of what she just said, and looks at me as I watch amusedly.
"With your?" I urge her to continue.
She flushes red. "I...I meant...when I'm married for real."
"You are married for real."
"No, I'm not." She takes a sip of her wine as a disappointed look crosses her eyes.
"The million-dollar ring on your finger says otherwise," I chirp, making her snap her eyes at me.
"You like to piss me, don't you, Jackson?" She scrunches her nose in disgust and then looks at the ring. "It's a million dollars?"
"It is, Claire. You don't like it?"
"No," she answers quickly. "I mean...yes. I do like it but isn't it too expensive? I mean, why would you spend so much on this ring? It's only for six months."
"If I don't come cheap, you don't come cheap either," I say, tearing my eyes away from her and looking at the couples dancing across from us.
"Oh!" she lets out as I study the view ahead.
The place is indeed warm and cozy with light music playing and people dancing and being merry. I rarely pick a favorite place but this hotel is quickly climbing the charts in my head. The interior design is fabulous, even though I can make a few adjustments for sure if I get a chance.
We stare in silence at the couples dancing. The music playing above our heads is soothing and they all look like they are in love.
"I wanna dance too," Claire sighs dreamily, putting her hands on her cheeks.
I flick my gaze at her and see her pouting her lips at the other couples. Hauling myself up from the seat, I forward a hand to her.
"May I have this dance, my lady?"
She blinks incredulously, looking at my hand and then at me for seconds as if trying to understand the situation. After a minute of staring, she puts her hand in mine.
I walk us to the dance floor and twirl her around when we reach before pulling her to me. One hand on the small of her back and one grabbing her hand, I lock eyes with her as we match steps.
"I didn't know you could dance so well, Jackson," she comments when I twirl her again and bring her back to me. She looks at our feet moving together as she tries to match my steps.
"I'm incredibly good when it comes to women." I make her do a right turn and she almost trips but I catch her by her waist, turning the trip into a dip.
She laughs heartily as the spotlight suddenly falls on us.
"Woah! Look, we're famous, Jackson." Claire grins when our bodies collide and she loops her arms around my neck, balancing herself. "I can't wait to see what the next six months with you bring."
"Step by step, baby," I smirk, seizing her up by her waist and lifting her off the floor.
She giggles as she looks down at me.
Step by step, I will keep you perfectly tied to me.