It felt as if I had always been his. My heart belonged to him for as long as he wanted to keep it.
17
HAYDEN
I pulled into the Tiffany’s parking lot. I hadn’t bought Tenley a real Christmas present and I was running out of time. I’d picked up a few small things, but nothing that told her how I felt about her without actually saying it. Lisa had sent me here to rectify that. I had no idea what I was supposed to buy, but according to Lisa, I couldn’t go wrong with Tiffany’s, so here I was. Forty-five minutes before my next client’s appointment.
I should have planned the trip out better. I was in work wear: jeans, my Inked Armor button-down, and worn-in boots. At least my jacket wasn’t too bad because it was black. I hoped it was unremarkable enough that I didn’t stick out like a sore thumb.
Normally I didn’t care, but this was important and I didn’t want to fuck up Tenley’s present. It was our first Christmas together and I wanted to create new memories. Good ones that might help ease the pain of her loss. After all these years I still had a hard time around the holidays, and I was hoping now that I had Tenley, things would be better.
Locking up my car, I headed for the front entrance. Several of the cars I passed were of the luxury variety. Lots of douche mobiles, a sweet Lexus, and one very sleek Audi. I opened the door of the elegant store, prepared to be tossed out, but the place was so busy my arrival went almost unnoticed. The store was full of well-dressed businessmen on the same mission as me.
One of the girls behind the counter glanced my way, gave me a quick once-over, and smiled. Her attention was drawn away as a balding man approached. Her smile widened as he addressed her, and she unlocked a small window behind the counter to retrieve a tray of diamond bracelets. Judging by his attire, he was ready to drop a boatload of money.
I shoved my hands in my pockets, wishing I’d had the fore-thought to change. Even dress pants instead of jeans would have helped give me a better chance at decent service. I tried not to draw attention to myself as I browsed. All I wanted to do was buy something and get the hell out of here.
I stopped in front of a case of engagement rings. I’d seen Tenley’s in pictures, and the rock was a behemoth. I couldn’t imagine her picking something like that out. She was more subtle than that. Not that I should be thinking about it; her first experience with the whole engagement thing had been pretty fucking traumatic. There was no way either of us wanted that—not now. Maybe not ever.
I hadn’t even told Tenley I was in love with her. I almost had yesterday morning, when I finally got inside her again. Talk about a revelation. It had been the most intense sex I’d ever had in my life, and not just because of the physical release. It went way deeper than that. Tenley and I connected on a different level and I wanted to be with her like that again.
Waiting that long had been stupid, though. Last night she was so sore afterward that I ended up soaking in the tub with her for an hour. We had a naked make-out session that got a little messy on my end. I shook my head, pushing away thoughts of Tenley naked. My dick was already responding, and I had to will it to retreat with mental threats of castration.
I checked out the next case and grinned as I spotted the perfect gift, sparkling in its plush little box. I noted movement in my peripheral vision and looked over to see the girl who’d smiled at me standing about three feet away.
“Hi, I’m Francine. Can I help you find something?”
Even her name made me feel inferior, which was absurd. I could afford to shop in a store like Tiffany’s. It was others’ automatic assumption that I couldn’t, based on my appearance, that made me avoid places like this.
I looked around the store. All the other sales reps, most of whom were female, were waiting on suits. One man stood behind the counter, interacting with no one. He was dressed differently from those working the floor. He had to be her boss. His hands were clasped behind his back and he stared at her intently. What a douche. She must have drawn the short straw and been told to wait on me. I smiled.
“I’d like to get this for my girlfriend.” I pointed at the little cupcake pendant. “I love cupcakes, and, uh . . . she makes the best cupcakes ever, so I figure it’s fitting, yeah?”
I hoped if I kept talking, she’d start to look more comfortable.
Francine smiled. “That sounds perfect, and quite thoughtful. Would you like her to wear it as a necklace or a bracelet?”
“Uhhhh—”
I ran a hand through my hair, flustered. I had an affinity for Tenley’s neck; I spent a lot of time with my face buried in it. Most nights my lips were pressed against it, and sometimes I liked to nibble. Would a necklace interfere with my ability to nuzzle? I was being ridiculous. I could take it off if it bothered me.
“Can we look at chains and bracelets before I make a decision?”
“Of course.” She unlocked the case and lifted out the pendant. “This retails at just under eleven hundred dollars,” she said softly. “We have other options if you’d like to have a look at those, as well.”
She was trying to save me embarrassment in case I couldn’t afford it. I was amazed something so small could cost that much money, but it wasn’t going to stop me from buying it.
“That’s fine.”
She looked relieved that I wasn’t pissed off or offended. She led me to the counter where the bracelets and chains were and pulled out two trays with a plethora of options. I shrugged and she gave me a sympathetic smile.
“May I suggest a necklace? It’s typically how this pendant is worn.”
“That sounds good.” I nodded enthusiastically, glad she knew what she was doing.
“Would you prefer something delicate, or something more like this?” She held up a heavy linked chain.
Decisions about jewelry should be a lot simpler. Apparently I was wrong. I shed my coat and shoved my sleeves up, because I was starting to sweat. Her eyes gravitated to my wrists and up my forearms. I almost pushed my sleeves back down to cover the ink, but figured it was pointless. I shouldn’t care.
“She’s petite.” I sized up Francine. They were about the same height, but Tenley was narrower, with more curves. “Kind of like you? And she’s not into flash.”
“Ah, so delicate would more appropriate?”
“That sounds good, yeah.”
We settled on a platinum chain that seemed too thin to withstand any manhandling. Francine threaded the pendant on the chain and put it into a black necklace box, which fit perfectly into one of those little, blue Tiffany & Co. boxes. Then she wrapped it in blue paper, finishing it off with a white ribbon tied into a little bow. She put it in one of those froufrou bags and tied that with more white ribbon.
I was dropping a bundle, but I didn’t care. Money hadn’t been an issue since my parents’ deaths, and Tenley deserved something pretty. Plus I felt good about having gone out and got it for her myself, without any help apart from Lisa’s advice on where to go.
Francine rang me up and I handed over my credit card. The transaction went through and I signed for it, putting the receipt in my wallet.
“If you have any problems, please don’t hesitate to bring it back in,” she said as she passed the dainty blue bag over.
“Right. Thanks.” I nodded dumbly, not sure what could go wrong with a necklace. “I just hope she likes it.”
“I’m sure she’ll love it. She’s a lucky girl.”
“I don’t know about that, but thanks for all the help.”
Francine smiled warmly. “It was my pleasure.”
It was a standard response, but for some reason, I believed she meant it.
I was late getting back to work and my client was there. Being late usually stressed me out, but things were laid-back at the shop this afternoon because after today, we closed for the holidays. My waiting client was my last.