Free Undressed by Avery Aster Page B

more than a shadow by his father’s own doing. His childhood memories were few, but his mother he’d worked hard to remember. He’d journaled his dreams over the years to keep her memory fresh.
    Her grip on the Easton brochure tightened more than she may have realized. “When Dad died, we sorta became society outcasts, bankrupt. People turn on you when you lose your money. A few friends stayed close. But Mom and I realized we were it, us two, together.”
    “I’m sorry for your loss, Lex.” He didn’t know what else to say. He didn’t know anything about her family. “I knew your father’s songs and your mother’s too. I never connected them to Easton Essentials. No one at Girasoli did.”
    “We’ve worked hard to make sure the brand sells itself without any celebrity BS.”
    “How did you come up with the concept?”
    “Thrift shopping at La Boutique Resale, we didn’t fit into the European cuts. So we picked up the Girasoli elastic fabric in the garment district and started stitching it with the clothing we wanted to wear but couldn’t. You know, due to our physical imperfections.” She put her hands on her hips.
    “I don’t see any flaws.” He noted Lex’s hips resembled Jennifer Lopez’s signature physique. Holding onto Lex’s body excited him.
    “Hello!” Lex snapped her fingers.
    “Scusi,” he offered.
    “Easton stemmed not from commerce, but a new friendship and need for better garments.”
    Lex gave him a glare to say she was the real deal.
    He realized his objectives for launching his line were quite different from hers. Her story spoke authentic. His did not.
    “ Grazie for sharing with me.” He reckoned her journey was much more than he’d expected. “I did not know this about Easton. All we tracked were your sales numbers.”
    “I came to Italy for Easton’s betterment”—she smiled, looking up at him—“and for my own livelihood.”
    Lex was smarter than he’d given her credit for. He’d been uncomfortable with Jemma’s designs since he first laid eyes on them. Something about Jemma’s work never quite settled right with him. But he’d overlooked it. He was never one to micromanage and he trusted his design team. Now he needed to go with his instincts, which told him Lex knew fashion.
    “We have much work ahead.”
    She put the catalog in her bag. “Yes, your girlfriend has tons to do prior to production. These samples will need to be redone.”
    “Jemma isn’t my girlfriend.” He’d been single for a year. His cock’s hiatus extended out past six months. “Let me show you the other offices.” He turned and headed to the next building.
    * * * * *
     
    Lex thought back to the pool orgy yesterday. “You guys flocked lovebird style out by your garden,” she accused.
    “I am single, Lex. I do not have a girlfriend to speak of.”
    “If she’s not something more official, then she’s your lover.” As they headed down what appeared to be a connecting walkway from building to building, she wondered, why would he bother to lie to her?
    “ Sì , we dated a while back,” he confirmed. “But we are not an item, not an exclusive one, anyway.”
    “I get it. You’re not monogamous.” It made sense to her now. The prince made love to the women in the summer and then put them to work in the factories in the winter. He had a real racket going. Pig!
    “No. If you must know, we are not even sleeping together. She has turned her energy toward Luigi and the girls. They have an open relationship going.” He kept walking toward the passageway’s narrow ending.
    “You guys are a tight group?”
    He stopped and glared at her. “ Milano runs in a piccolo social circle. We see the same people over and over again.”
    A small circle . His response sounded familiar. The singles scene in Manhattan worked in a similar fashion, which was why she never slept with the men she met unless she dated them. Dating for Lex was ages ago.
    “Tell me.” She pulled on her purse