Free Trust Me by D. T. Jones

as he took the receipt and signed his name.
    “Don’t argue,” he said in a tone that told her the subject was finished. She watched as he touched the soft material of the blue blouse. “I figure I’m going to benefit more from these than you will. Are you going to wear this today?” She stared at him unable to move. She was trying to make her mind function, trying to find the right thing to say. How was she supposed to accept such an expensive gift from a man she barely knew? What would Cathy say?
    “I can’t accept these,” she finally found herself saying in a soft tone, blinking at the frown on Creighton’s handsome face.
    “You can’t return a gift; its rude and refusing would only insult me. That’s not exactly the best way to start off a relationship, now is it?” Her mouth dropped open and she stared at the man, blinking. Relationship? She thought they were just going…where were they going?
    “I…what I mean is…” Creighton chuckled softly then reached for her hand and squeezed it gently.
    “Once you can figure out the words to refuse, maybe I’ll listen. Until then, I think you need to get dressed so we can go. We have reservations and I don’t want to be late.” He handed her the bag and led her out the door of the shop to the staircase before pausing.
    “Are you alright with my coming up to your room, or would you rather I wait here?” She blinked again, blushing as his eyes darken.
    “You can come up if you’d like.” He tipped her chin up with his forefinger and thumb and smiled down at her.
    “I promise not to ravish you,” he whispered before he leaned closer to her. “If we didn’t have plans, I would definitely consider it though.” He kissed her briefly before slipping the bag from her arm onto his and taking her hand, began walking up the stairs beside her. Strange, she thought with a nervous quiver in her limbs, she never realized how many steps there were, or how difficult it was to walk them.
    Sandra slid the key card through the device on the door with a shaky hand. The sensation of Creighton was there, present in every nerve ending as he stepped across the threshold and shut the door behind them. She blushed deeply; she had never had a man in her room before and her inexperienced made her heart begin a wild dance within her chest. She glanced back to him and found him watching her, a small grin on his full lips, his eyes dark with hidden emotion. She cleared her throat softly and looked around the room. At least it had been cleaned, so she didn’t have to worry about clothes strung all over the place.
    “You need to get dressed,” he said, his tone deep and husky. “We have reservations for two o’clock.”
    “Two?” she asked in surprise. “Then we have plenty of time.” Instantly she regretted saying this, watching an unnamed look cross his eyes; he closed them briefly and when he opened them again, he appeared to be contemplating his response.
    “Get dressed and let’s get some lunch. I have a very full day planned for us and pack your bathing suit, you’ll need it too.” She took the bag he handed her and hurried toward the bathroom. Just before she could cross into the tiled room, she felt his arm on her elbow causing her to turn back to him. “Wear that blue shirt, please?” His voice was more of a demand then a request, but she nodded regardless, closing the door behind her.
    Sandra pulled the dress off over her head and tossed it carelessly on the counter, leaving her lacy bra and matching panties on. She kicked her sandals across the bathroom floor, scarcely noticing as they landed under the vanity and with shaking hands, she pulled her new blue blouse across her shoulders. She pulled out the pants from the bag and frowned again; she didn’t know which pair she should wear, since she still didn’t know where they were going. A small voice in the back of her mind asked which pair she wanted to be found in, should she wake up dead tomorrow. She