different…
She cut off the thought with a sigh,
knowing she would have to accept things would never be the same again. There
could be no naïve delight in the gift, or tonight’s outing, because both served
another purpose, having little to do with her. Phoebe had spent the afternoon
thinking about why Luca might drag her to a dinner party hosted by his father,
concluding he could only be doing it to torture her and annoy Salvatore. He
could torture her without the fancy accoutrements, but by dressing her up to
fit a high-society standard, he was throwing it in Salvatore’s face that she
was trash, strewn in the midst of the beautiful people. For the evening, it was
her job to clean up nicely.
“Aren’t you going to open it?”
He seemed eager for her reaction, making
Phoebe’s stomach churn with apprehension. What if she had misjudged his
intentions? If she opened the box to find a revealing, tasteless dress, it
would mean he intended to parade her in front of his friends the way he saw
her. What other reason could there be for his anxiousness?
With reluctant fingers, she opened the
white bow on the black box, telling herself she wouldn’t allow any trace of
emotion to cross her face regardless of what she found inside. Despite her
determination to remain stoic, she thought she might have smiled briefly upon
tracing her fingers over the name embossed on the box with real gold thread.
A gasp of delight escaped her when she
lifted out the red dress. It was long, designed to fall to her feet, with a
single shoulder strap. Strategically placed sequins gave it a sparkle
appropriate for evening wear, but it was a basically a simple design. She knew
it would be lovely, giving her an elegant appearance.
Her face fell when she remembered she was
to be a tool used to irk Salvatore and nothing more. What pleasure she’d felt
at seeing the dress faded, leaving a bitter taste in her mouth. She looked up
at Luca. “May I have privacy to prepare, or do you insist on hovering beside me
every minute of the day?”
For a second, his expression reflected
disappointment. “I will leave you to it.” He set a box on the dresser with a
hard thump. “The salesclerk must have included this with the order. I assume it
will accent the dress in some manner.”
Phoebe had the urge to apologize, sensing
she might have hurt his feelings. Before she could act on the impulse, he had
left the room. She debated about following him and issuing an apology, but
ultimately decided she must have been mistaken. What she had interpreted as
disappointment had probably been because she had dashed any hopes he might have
had of a pre-party tumble in the massive bed.
A smaller box revealed a pair of red
stilettos that made her gulp at contemplating walking in them. They were higher
than any she’d worn before.
Remembering the box he’d dropped on the
dresser, she walked over to open it. Her mouth opened in an O of surprise. The
salesclerk had excellent taste. He or she had included a pendant on a white
gold chain. A large ruby dominated the pendant, while small diamonds around the
diameter emphasized the ruby’s sparkle.
With a shake of her head, she returned the
necklace to the dresser, aware that time was ticking away. After a quick
shower, she applied makeup, wound her hair into an elegant chignon and slipped
on undergarments. With a shiver of anticipation, she imagined Luca removing the
garter belt and stockings later that night.
The shoes and dress were a perfect fit. To
her surprise, the shoes were more comfortable than they’d appeared in the box,
though the height was challenging. Upon examining herself in the full-length
mirror in his walk-in closet, she decided her original assessment had been
correct. The dress was sophisticated, not tawdry, and it made her look suitable
for high society.
Phoebe returned to the bedroom and removed
the necklace from the jeweler’s box. Her hands shook so badly that she couldn’t
fasten the clasp,
She cut off the thought with a sigh,
knowing she would have to accept things would never be the same again. There
could be no naïve delight in the gift, or tonight’s outing, because both served
another purpose, having little to do with her. Phoebe had spent the afternoon
thinking about why Luca might drag her to a dinner party hosted by his father,
concluding he could only be doing it to torture her and annoy Salvatore. He
could torture her without the fancy accoutrements, but by dressing her up to
fit a high-society standard, he was throwing it in Salvatore’s face that she
was trash, strewn in the midst of the beautiful people. For the evening, it was
her job to clean up nicely.
“Aren’t you going to open it?”
He seemed eager for her reaction, making
Phoebe’s stomach churn with apprehension. What if she had misjudged his
intentions? If she opened the box to find a revealing, tasteless dress, it
would mean he intended to parade her in front of his friends the way he saw
her. What other reason could there be for his anxiousness?
With reluctant fingers, she opened the
white bow on the black box, telling herself she wouldn’t allow any trace of
emotion to cross her face regardless of what she found inside. Despite her
determination to remain stoic, she thought she might have smiled briefly upon
tracing her fingers over the name embossed on the box with real gold thread.
A gasp of delight escaped her when she
lifted out the red dress. It was long, designed to fall to her feet, with a
single shoulder strap. Strategically placed sequins gave it a sparkle
appropriate for evening wear, but it was a basically a simple design. She knew
it would be lovely, giving her an elegant appearance.
Her face fell when she remembered she was
to be a tool used to irk Salvatore and nothing more. What pleasure she’d felt
at seeing the dress faded, leaving a bitter taste in her mouth. She looked up
at Luca. “May I have privacy to prepare, or do you insist on hovering beside me
every minute of the day?”
For a second, his expression reflected
disappointment. “I will leave you to it.” He set a box on the dresser with a
hard thump. “The salesclerk must have included this with the order. I assume it
will accent the dress in some manner.”
Phoebe had the urge to apologize, sensing
she might have hurt his feelings. Before she could act on the impulse, he had
left the room. She debated about following him and issuing an apology, but
ultimately decided she must have been mistaken. What she had interpreted as
disappointment had probably been because she had dashed any hopes he might have
had of a pre-party tumble in the massive bed.
A smaller box revealed a pair of red
stilettos that made her gulp at contemplating walking in them. They were higher
than any she’d worn before.
Remembering the box he’d dropped on the
dresser, she walked over to open it. Her mouth opened in an O of surprise. The
salesclerk had excellent taste. He or she had included a pendant on a white
gold chain. A large ruby dominated the pendant, while small diamonds around the
diameter emphasized the ruby’s sparkle.
With a shake of her head, she returned the
necklace to the dresser, aware that time was ticking away. After a quick
shower, she applied makeup, wound her hair into an elegant chignon and slipped
on undergarments. With a shiver of anticipation, she imagined Luca removing the
garter belt and stockings later that night.
The shoes and dress were a perfect fit. To
her surprise, the shoes were more comfortable than they’d appeared in the box,
though the height was challenging. Upon examining herself in the full-length
mirror in his walk-in closet, she decided her original assessment had been
correct. The dress was sophisticated, not tawdry, and it made her look suitable
for high society.
Phoebe returned to the bedroom and removed
the necklace from the jeweler’s box. Her hands shook so badly that she couldn’t
fasten the clasp,
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