She combed through pages of absolute eye candy, ogling ladylike silk Oscar de la Renta gowns and racy Herve Leger bandage dresses. She loved the look of everything, the supreme creativity it took to render a simple dress unique and memorable. At last, squinting at the price and chewing her lip, Marj zoomed in on the latest from Burberry Prorsum, a label she’d admired on the red carpet when her favorite daring starlets wore it. This was a delicate slip dress with panels of sumptuous satin, lace, and ruching creating a bodice that was both intricate and somehow edgy. It appealed to her on every level—it was tough and feminine, lush and yet pure in its perfect creamy whiteness.
She took out her tape measure and figured her size according to their charts. Then she ordered it, overnight express, and a pair of sky-high nude Jimmy Choos to go with it. She felt a giddy rush as she charged the dress, picturing how thrilled and aroused Brandon would be to see her in it, how she’d take his breath away in more ways than one. Then she located the perfect sheer blush bra and suspender set from Agent Provocateur, that perfect mix of saucy minx and sophisticated lace. She flirted with the idea of high black boots and a riding crop, but she decided that it wasn’t Halloween, and she didn’t want to frighten him. Laughing, she ordered the lingerie and looked forward to the treat she’d give him after dinner together.
Marj spent the rest of the evening imagining the wonderful night they’d have together. She texted him to make sure his schedule was clear because they had dinner reservations for a very special occasion. Then she lay back and just thought about how far they’d come and how wonderfully, ecstatically happy they were. Lena might try to sow discord between them or make them look bad in the public eye, but all that really mattered was what they meant to each other and that they knew their truth. She felt profoundly lucky to have found such a man, to have managed to convince him to fall in love with her as well.
Their life together would be nothing short of magical, she knew. All the media furor would eventually dissipate, and someone else would have a scandal instead. Then she and Brandon could relax and enjoy the fantastic way things had worked out for them. Sighing, she went to sleep with a smile on her face.
Chapter 9
Friday afternoon, Marj went to a day spa Lena had recommended. She asked Lena’s advice in a keep-your-enemies-closer strategy and got a forty-five-minute diatribe about which spa facilities had health code violations and which put disgusting slices of cucumber in the spring water and which had a ‘funky aroma’ in the sauna.
Grateful for the recommendations, if not for the lengthy rant, Marj had reserved treatments for herself on the day of her big night out with Brandon. After a long workout, she’d gone to the spa. She had a facial and a massage and a blowout, her hair gleaming, her pores clear. She’d lain in the sauna, which smelled perfectly fine and more like cedar than anything else, and felt the toxins and stress just melting out of her body.
Her manicure and pedicure were fierce—a sheer blush pink with a sparkly champagne gilt at the tips. It would look killer romantic with her stunning lingerie. Everything had arrived and looked like an absolute dream when she tried it on. The entire ensemble came together easily, was surprisingly comfortable and showed off Marj’s long, muscular legs and her ample cleavage without looking vulgar or sleazy in any way. Proof, she assumed, that you could actually buy class and sophistication.
If that dress had been polyester and cost forty bucks at the mall, it would damn sure look trashy and revealing. This designer label somehow transformed it into a work of art, a deconstructed, lacy ultra feminine masterpiece that flattered without debasing. She wore her hair down to show off that glistening blowout and silicone shine treatment. Her eye makeup was dark and mysterious, her earrings long and expensive. Even the skyscraper stilettos were comfortable. Everything was perfect. All the potions and serums from the photo shoot were still in active rotation, so her skin was luminous, her makeup flawless from meticulous practice.
When he arrived home, she had been waiting expectantly, holding herself still to keep from mussing her appearance, for nearly twenty minutes and was ready to jump up and down in excitement when she heard him open the door. She leapt to her feet, beaming.
“You’re positively beaming today, Marj,” he said, hooking an arm around her waist.
“I’m a little excited, what can I say? And beaming was not what I was going for with this dress,” she protested. Brandon drew back to admire her lace and ruched white confection and the long legs that led up to it.
“I admire your choice. It looks fantastic. Sexy as hell. Almost as good as it would look on the bedroom floor. Alas…”