Free Sinful Too by Victor McGlothin Page A

question.
    “Dior’s tied up in the back, but I remember you. Tell me your name again.” While she awaited an answer, Richard held his lips together defiantly. He had gone through so many mental gymnastics planning for this meeting to have it stall before ever really getting started. If Suza retrieved his alterations instead of Dior, he’d have no viable reason to hang around. Returning later in the day occurred to him but he’d cleared his calendar so there was no other particular place to be. “I can’t pull your tag without a name,” Suza said, teasing him. She’d seen too many men strutting into the store with all kinds of gifts for Dior, and not once did they want her to gum up the works for them.
    When it appeared he’d wasted a lot of energy and effort, the office door opened. Dior came out, showering the room with her infectious laugh. “Richard, what are you doing here?” she asked innocently. Suza exhibited her displeasure in the way of a smirk, because her mini-torture session had come to an abrupt ending. She cleared her throat and immediately made herself scarce.
    “Hey, Dior,” Richard answered gleefully, as she drew nearer. Seeing her legs for the first time, he enjoyed watching how her short sundress showed them off. “Oh, uh, I came to get my suit and to bring you this.” His smile waned when Dior’s evaporated. “What, did I say something wrong?”
    “Come over here,” she instructed. Richard followed her as ordered to a section of the store where tall displays helped to camouflage their conversation. “Why didn’t you listen to me? You’re not supposed to be here today.”
All I need is for Giorgio to come busting through that door and catch me up in this man’s face
, she thought. “I was going to drop this on you later but you just had to deviate.”
    “I don’t understand. You told me to come by
today
because my monogrammed suit would be ready
today.
”
    Dior placed her freshly painted nails on her hips. “I told you to call before you came too.” Richard couldn’t quite read her demeanor. He leaned in to question it then decided to come out and ask.
    “You might want to tell me what’s going on,” he blurted out in a way she understood. “I didn’t think it was necessary to commit our last discussion to memory but it sounds like you’re reprimanding me.” Dior’s eyes widened with surprise. The tone in his voice thoroughly exhibited his frustration. It turned her on. Suddenly, she softened her expression to put him at ease.
    “Don’t be silly, I’m smart enough to know you can’t raise a grown man, no matter how hard you try. I asked you to call first because I didn’t know if I’d have a chance to get it wrapped in a special box,” she lied. “You did say it was for a special occasion.” She relaxed when it seemed that Richard fell for it hook, line, and sinker.
    “Now I do feel bad about
deviating.
” Laughter danced with his words. “Speaking of gifts, I stopped by Neiman’s to get a little token of thanks.” When he raised the bag, Dior put on a manufactured smile.
    “Ohhh, how sweet,” she sang, cutting her eyes at the closed office door.
I’ve got to get this idiot out of here.
“Thank you, Richard. That’s very thoughtful.” She continued propping up the fake cheesy grin although she hadn’t lifted a finger to accept the bag from his outstretched hands. Actually, she would have been surprised had he shown up empty-handed. What she hadn’t anticipated was his unheralded arrival with her lover less than a comfortable distance away. “Okay, this might sound kinda funny but I was going to tell you that it probably isn’t a good idea for you to come by the shop. My boss was clocking you the last time you came through and he’s real particular. He thinks you’re up to something.”
Aren’t you up to something?
she wanted to say, for the pure satisfaction of seeing his face when it rolled off her tongue. However, it was only a matter of