Distraction (Club Destiny #8)(32)

That had been fifteen minutes ago.

The woman had been more than happy to help her find just the right dress. With a quick perusal of Sarah from head to toe—twice—she’d apparently decided what she thought would work for her.

“Now, if you’ll jot down your sizes, I’ll get to work.”

Sarah took the small pad from the woman and scribbled down her sizes. Dress, panties, bra, shoes. Hell, at this point, the woman now knew every intimate detail about her.

After guiding Sarah to a dressing room, the woman headed back to the “salon,” as she called it, then returned a few minutes later with several dresses for her to choose from.

The first had been way too short.

The second had a neckline that should’ve been labeled indecent.

The third one had been a rather unusual shade of lime green that no one over the age of twelve should ever be seen in.

The fourth… As she spun around, looking at her butt and the backs of her legs, Sarah had to admit, it wasn’t bad. A short, shimmery gold dress that didn’t show too much but was still short enough to be sexy. No, it wasn’t something she would’ve picked out for herself, but she liked it.

“Have you found one, sweetie?” the woman called from the other side of the door.

“I think so,” she admitted, eyeing the tag on the back of the dress.

Sarah hadn’t bothered to look at the price, but before she could move closer to see it, the woman opened the door and stepped into the room with her as though she’d been invited.

“Gorgeous,” the woman said excitedly. “You’re gonna need a bra to go with that. That one positively won’t work.”

No, Sarah hadn’t figured it would. The single-shoulder dress would require a strapless bra, for sure. Which meant Sarah would have to fork over more money for that. Not that the woman seemed to mind.

“What size were you again?”

Sarah rattled off her size, her cheeks heating with embarrassment. She had no idea if Bill was close by, but for some reason, she didn’t want him to know something quite that personal.

The woman disappeared but returned almost instantly, holding out a sheer gold bra and a matching gold thong.

Sarah stared at her as though she were crazy.

“Come on, sweetie. Don’t wanna keep that man of yours waiting.”

Sure she did.

First of all, he wasn’t her man. And secondly, Sarah didn’t mind if Bill waited forever because there was no way this night was going to get any better. For either of them.

“If you’d like, you can change here and we’ll have your other clothes sent back up to your room.”

“No,” Sarah said, peering in the mirror again. “That’s okay. I’ll change up in my room.” It would give her time to weigh the risks of rappelling down the side of the building and disappearing into the night.

The woman got the hint, leaving Sarah alone so that she could get dressed in her own clothes once again. Once she was decent, she took the opportunity to look at the tag on the dress and her heart nearly leapt right out of her chest.

Holy crap.

There was no way she could afford that dress without putting a sizeable dent in her credit card. And she certainly wasn’t letting Bill pay for it. Not when she fully intended to end their relationship tonight. Then again, what she should’ve done was march right out of the store and tell Bill that it wouldn’t work but thanks again.

Only she had been the one to call him and agree to his offer, so the guilt ate at her.

With the dress, bra, and panties in hand, Sarah returned to the front of the store, greeted once again by the smiling saleswoman. Before she could say a word, the items were snatched from her hand, put into a fancy clothing bag, and then handed back.

“All taken care of, sweetie. Even have shoes in there for you. Have a fantastic night.” The woman winked at her, and Sarah was tempted to toss the clothes back on the counter and run.

“I didn’t pay for them,” Sarah said, her voice low.

“Your man did.”

“I can’t allow him to do that,” she countered, digging in her purse for her wallet.

When Sarah held out her card, the woman frowned.

“Please,” Sarah pleaded. “Return the money to his card and charge mine.” Or better yet, just return it all and let me leave.

Unfortunately, she didn’t have the nerve to say the last part aloud, so Sarah stood there, gripping her purse straps tightly while the woman did something on the register. A few minutes later, her credit card was thrust back at her, and Sarah was regretting every second of the past two days.

“Anything else?” the woman asked curtly.

Never one for confrontation, Sarah shook her head in disbelief and then walked out of the store.

Bill was waiting for her just outside.

“Did you find something?”

She nodded.

“Perfect. How long will it take you to change?” he asked.

She shrugged her shoulders. “Half an hour?”

“Fantastic. I’ll be in the bar. Meet you there?”

Sarah offered another nod.

Bill kissed her cheek and then left her standing there, staring after him.

She had to end this. Now. Before it was too late and she got herself in a predicament she couldn’t get out of.