Page 108 of Serenity
“What you doin buying me an AP woman?”
Up and down, my shoulders fell. My lips stretched back, and my cheeks hiked upward, revealing my pearly whites. “I wanted to get you something nice.”
“A cake or t-shirt would have sufficed.”
“No, it wouldn’t have,” I argued. “That doesn’t quite hit the mark to convey the depth of what I feel for you. Nothing does… But I had to try.”
“Baby, I hear you, but I don’t need to be showered with expensive shit, which takes up a third of your income for you to prove that. You’re about to have a substantial portion of your money tied up with the spa. No big-ticket purchases, remember?”
Weeks ago, he’d made me swear not to buy anything. An agreement was made that if I needed it, he’d supply it because he could afford it. All was done in consideration of the spa expansion project. But I couldn’t allow him to buy his own birthday gift.
Still, he had a point. Audemars weren’t cheap, but the way he made me feel for trying to do something nice for him had me slightly vexed. My chest rose, gradually falling as I released a stream of aggravated air.
“It wasn’t a third, by the way. It was like… twenty percent.”
A frowning Duke averted his eyes to the box before him. I watched as he pulled the self-winding yellow-gold chronograph from its container. Clean lines, satin finishing, and eighteen carats worth of stunning gold craftsmanship made up the timepiece. For several minutes, he studied the watch, not uttering a single word.
“Goddamn, Bee,” broke the silence as his face softened.
The once tame wind we were exposed to on the restaurant’s patio had become vicious. Palm trees swayed to and fro, warning of a pending deposit from the clouds looming above. That passionate tango of atmosphere caused my hair to blow across my face. Using a single hand, I dragged the feral hair out of my line of vision.
Duke’s thumb brushed across the watch band, and his eyes fastened to the dial in a stupor.
“I was wondering why the hell you wanted to bring that big ass bag to dinner,” Lowly, he spoke with his eyes still transfixed on the watch.
He liked it.
He fucking loved it.
I’d done good. And doing so made me feel good.
“Come ‘ere.”
Rising from my seat, I moved to where Duke was stationed across the table and sat sidesaddle across his lap.
“Nobody ever buys me shit. Between my grandpa and dad, I can expect that to be a rare or nonexistent occurrence. My grandfather would say, “Gifts are for women,” and the last thing my father ever purchased was for my mother before she passed… Thank you. It’s a beautiful watch.”
While he was unaccustomed to the generosity of others, it was evident that my thoughtfulness yielded its intended effect. The possessive yet tender kiss he awarded my lips left me breathless, heated, and dripping wet.
“You’re welcome.”
KNOW THY ENEMY, SWEDEN
Upon reaching the milestone of thirty came a new revelation of how I wanted to present myself to the world. Crop tops and skimpy dresses were okay on occasion, but I was a successful business owner of a gallery and spa with many more spas soon to come. My appearance when I walked into a room needed to reflect that.
The feminine urge to get dolled up. The feminine urge to wear pearls. The feminine urge to dress up. It was all pervasive and influential on how I presented to the world.
Taking a thorough inventory of the clothing in my closet, I started freeing several articles from their hangers and tossing them into a plastic bin. My hands were generous, tugging away at the parts of me that no longer resonated with my present self. While total modesty wasn’t the objective, I wasn’t opposed to covering up and dressing more like the boss I was.
Duke is rubbing off on me.
The third incarnate of Stepford man entered every room as his authentic self. Heads turned—mostly in acknowledgment of the man they knew him to be. Those who didn’t know him wished to know him or probed into his significance. His impression wasn’t solely confined to Paramour. I’d witnessed his effect worldwide. I sought that level of respect, of recognition, of power.
Formidable and laudable, Duke was a force. It wasn’t enough to love him. I admired him. It wasn’t enough to fuck him. I revered him. When he spoke, I took notes. A master, and I was the pupil. I’d learned a great deal in the brief time we’d been together. So maybe he was rubbing off on me, but only in the best ways.
Finalizing the task of ridding my closet of overly revealing pieces, I took my discarded clothes to a local shelter. Afterward, I spent the early afternoon in Demure’s downtown showroom. Replacing the donated clothes was the objective. Armed with a complimentary bottle of Dom, the mission was executed to a tee.
New Year’s and Christmas were swiftly approaching. With that knowledge, it was time I found a dress for both occasions. As I dragged a knee-length flapper dress across my chest by hanger, Tori’s voice rang through the showroom.