Repaying the Debt

Chapter7

Chapter Seven

I guess when you had the kind of money and fame that he had, store hours didn’t matter. His hand moved to my lower back. Guiding me to the closed store. The display windows were dark, but it didn’t matter. I could tell just from looking at the clothing that I wouldn’t be able to afford to shop somewhere like this.

The front door swung open and an older woman stepped out. Her silver-blonde hair was in a sleek bob. The blouse she had on was a bright shade of teal that matched her eyes. The cream-colored skirt she wore was simple but looked expensive.

“Welcome, Leo. It’s been such a long time.” Her musical voice held the hint of a smile. Her eyes moved up and down my body with a critical eye. “Such a pretty lady friend you have.”

“That she is,” Leo said, his hand moving up my back, almost as if he could sense how nervous I felt and was trying to soothe me. “My friend needs a new wardrobe.”

“No, I don’t,” I said, my eyes widening as we entered the store. “My clothes are fine.”

Glenda looked back over her shoulder at me and I could tell that she didn’t agree. “Everything?”

“Yes, everything. Dresses, something formal. The works.”

I stumbled, trying not to gag at the thought of how much that was going to cost. He had to be out of his mind.

“I’ll pick some things out for her.” Glenda said, not giving me a chance to say anything.

“Leo.” I hissed as he stopped in front of a rack of short silk wrap dresses. He sifted through the rack before grabbing one of the dresses and handing it to me.

“For dinner with my family.”

“Leo.” I said his name again and he ignored me, walking forward.

“Isobel, I’d like you to try on that dress. Glenda will be bringing you more. I suggest that you get started.” He ordered as he pulled out his phone, undoing the top button of his dress shirt. He sat down on one of the white leather seats. “We don’t have all night.”

Turning away from him, I walked over to the dressing room. Opening the door, I looked at the navy and lavender striped wallpaper. How much was this going to end up costing me? Was it going to add to what I already owed?

I slipped off my dress and slid the shimmery black silk dress off the hanger. The material was soft, but I knew that it would be too short. Maybe if I were shorter, it would work? There was no way that at five foot seven inches, this would be anything other than a tunic that I could wear with a dark pair of tights. I pulled the dress on, tying it into place before turning back to the mirror. I couldn’t have dinner with his parents looking like this. Pulling at the hem, I let out a long sigh at the knock at the door.

“Come in.”

Glenda came in, her arms loaded down with outfits. All different types of satins and silks. They looked like they cost more than my groceries for the entire month. There was no way I was going to be able to afford all of this. She hung up the clothing before looking over at me. “Wow, you’re a knockout. Prettier than the last one even.”

“The last one? Is this something that he does-”

“Forget I said that. He gets upset when anyone brings her up. Why don’t you go show him the dress?” She said, coming closer to me. She tightened the knot beneath my breasts before straightening the seams around the collar. “Perfect.”

“It’s too short,” I said, mulling over her words. How long had he been single? Was she the one who was supposed to meet his family?

“Nonsense. If I had legs like yours, I’d be showing them off.” She patted my arm before leading me out of the room. I didn’t say anything as I followed her. Glenda’s heels clicked on the marble floor as she moved away from the two of us.

Leo pressed a button on the side of his phone before sitting it on the armrest of the chair. “That will make a good impression.”

“I disagree.” I said, crossing my arms beneath my breasts.

His eyes flickered down and I looked down, realizing that I’d shifted the dress, making my breasts look bigger. “I suppose if I let you pick, you would choose something like the dress you had on.”

“Well, yeah.” I answered. There was nothing wrong with my dress. I bought it on sale from Macy's when I worked at the mall.

“It’s out of season.” He deadpanned before pushing himself to stand. “This, this suits you perfectly.”

His hands moved to my shoulders and he turned me towards the big mirror. “This looks like something my fiance would wear for me.”

He grabbed my hand, placing it in the crook of his arm. I hated to admit that standing next to him, we did look like a real couple. The dress hugged my every curve and the low sparkles of blue made my skin all but glow. “Perfect.”

“I guess it isn’t so bad. It’s just very short.”

“You’ve got long legs.” He rumbled, unhooking his arm from mine and walking away.

“Is that bad?”

“No, they’re very sexy legs.”

I gulped, watching him in the mirror as he sat down in the chair. Picking up his phone, my cheeks felt warm. I turned away, looking back into the mirror.

I could do this.

“I don’t think you need to try on the rest.” He said, pulling me out of my thoughts.

“What?” I asked. Had I done something wrong by speaking out to him about the length of the dress? Was he going to change his mind and now I was going to have to pay him back somehow?

“Glenda, we’ll take all the outfits you picked out.”