Chapter 8: In Which They Went Shopping

Aurora stared into Theo's dark brown eyes and muttered under her breath.

“I don’t have a dress.”

Theo was dumbfounded. He thought that his little temptress had changed her mind about the deal and got a little worried. She looked distraught when she left his place. Was that all because of a styling issue? He chuckled silently in relief.

You’re all talk, Theo mocked silently. 'A little worried' was an understatement - he hardly slept a wink last night, coming up with a few hundred plans, in case she backed out. A replacement is definitely not an issue - there are plenty of women out there, pretty and eager. But he only wants Aurora.

“I have a solution.” He tugged at her hand and pulled her out of the shop.

“Wait, Theo! I need to get out of these first!” Aurora was referring to her costume and tried fruitlessly to pull out of his strong grasp. Her belongings were still in the changing room and there was no one in the shop! But her protests were ignored. She was frantically pushed into the front seat of a black sports car.

Theo got in beside her and immediately Aurora fired at him. “You, you dumb bear! My things are still in there!”

Those charming eyes shone with amusement. “A dumb bear? You can’t come up with a better name?”

“I said, my things are in there!”

She was glaring at him when he leaned over, his broad chest sweeping over the ruffles at her breasts. Startled, Aurora sucked in a deep breath and flattened against the leather seat. What the f*ck is he… ?

Then, he pulled the seat belt over her and buckled it with a clipping sound.

“Madame Zoya will take care of it.” He relaxed in his seat, buckled up and turned on the engine. The car sped off into the streets with a smooth, deep roar.

Aurora scoffed and turned to glare at him. “Then we should’ve waited for her! There’s no one attending the shop, Theo.”

Theo grinned at the road. “She entered the shop while you were getting into the car.”

Those green eyes widened in surprise. Her pretty mouth opened and then closed. Finally, she slumped against the seat in a grumpy silence.

“You have any other concerns?” He finally looked at her with his impish grin. When she said nothing, he nodded with a victorious smile and returned to the road. “I thought so.”


******


“She needs to be ready by six-thirty, zia.” Theo had both hands in the pockets of his midnight blue, tuxedo pants as he gave his request to the fashion designer.

"I know. For der wedd-ing," a polished voice murmured absent-mindedly. A pair of stern eyes scanned Aurora thoughtfully from head to toe.

Aurora stared speechless at the white hair in a neat, bob cut and the black, high-collar shirt tucked into a white pencil skirt. It is Liv Accardi, one of the top designers in the world behind her favorite high-end luxury label - and Theo just called her ‘aunt’.

Breathe, Aurora. You have to get used to this, starting now. You’re dating a f*cking billionaire, you can’t expect to meet any Tom, Dick or Harry. She inhaled carefully, then raised her chin slightly and looked sharply at the famous designer.

With a firm nod, she uttered a few Italian phrases and her assistants scattered off and then returned with racks of clothes and heels.

"Tak-eh your pick, den we do your hair." The designer waved her hand in a royal dismissal and strutted off in her striking green heels.

Theo noted Aurora's hesitance. "You don't like these?"

"I love them," she breathed in awe, running her fingers across the gorgeous designs. Then, she sighed and stepped back. "I can't wear them."

Theo grinned. Is she playing hard to get? He could tell that she was dying to try them. He exhaled lightly and said quietly, "My girlfriend will not wear anything less than the best." He picked out a large, white fluffy gown that resembled a cloud. "Here, try this."

Aurora pushed it back to her boyfriend, then turned to an assistant nearest to them and smiled politely. "I'll take that champagne pink sheath gown from the last spring collection."

The uniformed girl with a tight, braided ponytail gave a look of surprise before scurrying off for the dress.

"The designer will be upset that you rejected her choices."

"I’d rather not upset Gill Slate."

Theo was suddenly alert. Is that pretty little brain of hers working a way out of the deal? He felt jealousy surged inside him. "Why wouldn't you want to upset him? What are you planning?”

Aurora's eyes grew with shock. "What the hell!” She glowered at his frowning face.

Realizing that they had drawn curious glances from the assistants, she leaned closer and hissed in a low voice.

“What do you take me for? I'm not one of those blood-sucking bimbos you went out with. I was thinking on your behalf, you a*shole!"

His frown was instantly replaced with a proud grin. "You were thinking for me?"

"Of course!" She growled. "Didn't we have a deal? You reminded me very well earlier on."

Theo cleared his throat at the memory. He got desperate at that moment and had blurted the first thing in his mind. He didn’t regret it - Aurora followed him, didn’t she? He looked over her head and muttered, "I was rude. I apologize.” Then, he looked meaningfully at her face again. “I get it, you want to stay low."

"Kate probably dislikes me, since Audrey's her best friend. I don't want to make things worse between us. If she's upset, Gill will be upset with you."

Theo took her hands into his and kissed her fingertips. "I appreciate your thoughtfulness."

She snatched her hands away, cast a half-serious scowl and strode off with the assistant who just returned with the dress.

When Aurora emerged from the VIP room, Theo groaned inwardly.

The dress was a killer. The velvety fabric snuggled perfectly to her body, revealing in all the right places, hinting at her sexy curves, driving his imagination wild. He swallowed hard at the top swell of her breast, peering gracefully from the flattering square neckline.

D*mn, he swallowed hard and gripped his hands tightly until his knuckles turned white. He would have a hard time fighting the strong urge to tear that f*king dress off and roamed his hands all over her soft skin.

“Is it bad? You looked like you wanted to strangle someone.”

Theo dropped his head and chuckled lightly at the floor. He then looked back at her and smiled.

“You look exquisite.”

She stared directly into his eyes as he walked towards her, his gaze darkening with each step. He lifted his hand and she waited with a halted breath as he tucked her orange-red hair behind her ear. Goosebumps trailed down her neck from where his fingers had lightly brushed.

“Shall we?” He whispered in a rough voice.

Aurora nodded and took his arm.


******


The sports car swerved into a reserved space. The engine was turned off and Theo slid suavely out of the car and gave his jacket a cool tug before closing his door. Habitually, he went over to the passenger's side to get the door for Aurora when he saw her standing there, waiting patiently for him.

“What?” She gave him a puzzled look.

"Nothing." He offered his arm and she gladly took it.

“Are you okay?” He glanced at her then back ahead.

She shot at him. “Why? Do I look not okay?”

“You look nervous.” He noticed her shallow breathing and shortened his stride. “You look absolutely stunning, so you don’t have to worry.”

She scoffed. “Well, I don’t talk with my looks, do I? You’re a hot topic these days, God knows what they’ll ask.” Her emerald eyes twinkled at him. “If I embarrass the both of us, Audrey will know and expose us, and I’ll lose my job. We don’t want that, do we?”

Theo threw his head back and laughed, pulling her closer to him.

“I thought so,” Aurora whispered triumphantly under her breath as she smiled ahead at the incoming wave of reporters and their blinding flashlights.

Her lips drew in a deep, steady breath. Let's do this.