“Deal.”
***
A half hour later Sarah stood in front of her closet wondering if she could go back on her word. Falon could find something in her four-story brownstone to keep himself busy for the night. Looking at the poor selection of clothing hanging in her closet she wondered if she could find the collection of old board games that were stashed in the attic.
“Need any help up there?” Falon yelled from the foot of the stairs. After finishing his own tea, he had rushed her through hers and herded her up the stairs to get changed. That was when she discovered her rather bland options. Remembering back to the things she had seen Marcy wear when going out, Sarah figured she had nothing to wear. That was as good excuse as any to stay in wasn’t it? Shaking her head and pushing the clothes back across the rod, she was sure that if she mentioned her lack of attire Falon would do something extravagant like arrange a hand delivered number from Neiman’s. She decided to save herself the embarrassment and kept digging.
“Need any …” Sarah whipped around at the sound of Falon’s voice in the doorway of her room. She clutched the plush towel she had wrapped around herself after her quick shower to her chest.
“What the …”
“I knocked,” he said in his defense. She watched him visibly swallow as his gaze raked her exposed body. “I just came to see if you needed any input on what to wear. My vote’s for this one.”
Sarah harrumphed and spun back to face her closet and its dismal offerings. Throwing a pencil skirt and a sequined top on the bed, she made to move to her dresser.
“Is that the best you’ve got?” His voice came from directly behind her this time and she had to fight down the shiver of awareness that rocketed up her spine. His warm breath on her shoulder had her wanting to forget about going out for a completely different reason than her not having anything to wear.
“Sorry to disappoint, but I don’t exactly think of night clubs when I go shopping.”
“That much is obvious.” He leaned closer, causing his dark scent to swirl around her. Crowding her so he could shuffle through her closet himself, Falon made quick work of her daily work attire. Obviously unsatisfied he kept digging until he came across a nearly forgotten garment bag hanging in the back of the closet.
Finally, he stepped around her only to pull the item from the closet and unzip it quickly exposing a relic from a shopping trip Marcy forced her to take a few months ago. She had tried the electric blue dress on and felt simultaneously sexy and uncomfortable. She had never worn anything like it. The short, skintight dress appeared to have a modest neckline until she had turned around revealing the entirety of her exposed back. She watched in muted horror as Falon’s eyes lit up and he thrust the garment into her hands.
“This one.”
Great. She looked down at the scrap of blue then back up at the infuriating man in front of her.
“Can I have a minute to get dressed or would you like to supervise my underwear selection too?” As soon as the words were out she realized her mistake. What she hadn’t expected was the flare of heat that blazed in his eyes. When he took a step toward her, she felt her mouth go dry and retreated a step.
“Door’s that way.” She nodded its direction. Her voice sounded husky to her own ears, and she was under no illusion that Falon had missed its harsh tones. After a tense moment, Falon seemed to pull himself together. With a barely discernible nod, he was out the door before she could react.
Glaring down at the dress, Sarah momentarily thought about throwing on the rattiest pair of sweats she owned and teasing a few knots into her hair for good measure. Wouldn’t Falon flip his lid if she came sauntering down the stairs looking like a bag lady? Just as she was reaching for her holey Northwestern sweats another thought struck. While she was sure he would be upset about sweats, he would probably force her to play hostess all night. Looking back down at the dress, she had a better punishment in mind for the man who thought he could control her.
Twenty minutes later she was standing in front of the full-length mirror she kept in the corner of her room, examining her handy work. While she didn’t normally dress for sex appeal, it didn’t mean that she didn’t know how to make the most of her petite, curvy frame. Turning to the side once more, she took satisfaction in the way the tight dress molded to the curve of her hip and displayed the trimness of her waist. The smoky shadow and freshly tousled hair rounded out the sex kitten look she was going for.
All she needed now were those do-me heels Marcy talked her into buying along with the dress. If she remembered right, she stashed them under the bed. Finding them still in the bag from the store, she nearly let out a yelp of joy. Slipping the patent leather peep-toe stilettos on her feet Sarah felt more powerful than she had in a very long time. Looking back in the mirror she thought maybe there was something to Marcy’s theory of sexual politics. Heading out of the room with one last look at her reflection, Sarah reveled in her newly awakened sexual power. She planned to use it to her advantage that night.
Falon was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs. She paused on the landing to watch him pace. His powerful legs carried him with a grace that shouldn’t have been possible for a man his size. She couldn’t help but follow the line of his broad shoulders under the black dress shirt and down the muscular arms encased in the form-fitting sleeves he had rolled up to the elbow. Her eyes landed on the sleek line of the leather belt that circled his trim waist when she realized he had stopped moving. Her eyes shot to his and she stood frozen as her heart beat wildly in her chest and her insides melted under the onslaught of heat simmering in the Earl Gray depths of his eyes.
She only took a moment to second-guess her plan before squaring her shoulders and pasting what she hoped was a seductive smile on her lips. She was going to get Falon to loosen his control if it was the last thing she did.
“Does this meet your approval?” she asked, doing a quick turn on the landing.
Stopping with her exposed back to him she peeked over her shoulder and raised a brow. She nearly lost her composure at the slack-jawed look on his face at her display. After a moment, he pulled himself together and cleared his throat.
“It’ll do.” Was it her imagination or was his voice rougher than usual?
Smiling to herself, Sarah continued down the stairs to stop directly in front of him. Even with the four-inch heels she still had to crane her neck to look into his eyes. He seemed to have banked the fire to a low smolder that Sarah felt the sudden urge to unleash. Wouldn’t it do him some good to be denied something he wanted so badly? She wouldn’t like that the idea of driving him crazy held its own appeal. She wanted to give him a taste of what she had been experiencing the past nine years.
“Ready?” she whispered, maintaining eye contact. Her tongue reflexively licked her dry lips as her stomach leaped into her throat. She was determined she wouldn’t be the first to back down. The air seemed to change as he looked down at her. She could nearly feel the tension simmering between them and thought that if either of them moved, just a fraction of an inch in the direction of the other, all bets were off. She was sure they would never make it out of the house.
“Right.” Falon took a step back and the overwhelming feelings were gone in a flash. For the first time, Sarah was grateful for his control. While she wanted to see him crazy with desire, she wanted to be in control when it happened. He extended an arm for her to precede him out the door and she was careful to brush by him close enough yet not touch him. The whole point of this night was to tease him mercilessly, not to end up in bed with him. At least that’s what she kept telling herself.