Three of Spades (11 page)

“Reggie, Dylan is a . . .” Natalie started to explain before she was cut off by Dylan.

“Natalie and I are seeing each other.”

Reggie Parker was pissed that Dylan Cross was not only in his house, but still acting as if Reggie was scared of him. He could not help but find it hysterical that Dylan “Fuck Anything” Cross admitted to being in a relationship with plain, uninteresting Natalie. Reggie bellowed out a laugh causing his head to tip back in glee. When he finally stopped the remaining rumbles of hysteria and could catch his breath, he said, “That’s a good one. No seriously, what do you want Cross?”

“You got a problem with me and Natalie dating, Reggie? Because, let’s face it, I’d be more than happy to knock some respect and manners into your still useless skull,” Dylan said, as he pushed Natalie’s slight frame behind him and crowded the shorter smaller man into the still open door.

“Back off Cross and get out of my house. She’s all yours, but honestly, I thought you had better taste in women. But we are not sixteen and I’m not afraid of you. So unless you want me to call the cops, I suggest you get off my property now!” Reggie spoke, praying his voice would not quiver from the fear he was so intent on denying.

Before Dylan could show Natalie’s brother what he thought of someone that speaks so maliciously toward family, Natalie interrupted with a stern voice.

“Reggie, that’s enough. This is my home, not yours. You are the one that isn’t welcome, so please just leave,” Natalie said, as she tried to position herself between the two men, but Dylan just kept manually insisting she stand behind him.

With a final huff and multiple slanderous comments in Natalie’s direction, Reggie stomped out the door and into his BMW.

Embarrassed from the altercation, Natalie was sure Dylan would be in no mood to put up with her or her delusional imagery of companionship. Just as she was about to say her thoughts out loud, Dylan once again surprised her.

“Well good morning, Natalie. All ready to go?” he asked, as he leaned in and without asking permission claimed her lips in a quick, yet promising, kiss.

“You still want to spend the day with me?” Natalie asked, wondering if there may be something mentally unsound with Dylan.

Dylan chuckled and said, “Why wouldn’t I?” After confirming she had everything she needed, Dylan took her house keys out of her hand, closed, and locked the door himself. Telling himself he would replace this door as soon as possible, for Natalie’s safety.

Once Natalie was situated in the passenger seat of the Challenger, Dylan pulled out and off toward the start of their day. Dylan was still unhappy with Reggie’s attitude toward Natalie, but he would not let Natalie know it. This day was going to be all about her and from what Dylan gathered, those days were far between and few.

Natalie looked at Dylan out of the corner of her eye. He seemed perfectly at ease in his light gray pullover and dark denim. Even in his position behind the wheel, his veins corded and his muscles flexed throughout his arms. He was a strong man but still could be gentle. Natalie wanted so badly to turn around and look in the back seat, almost expecting to see their bodies embraced in the intimacy of last night. Even her own thoughts made her blush. Natalie rubbed her now clammy palms on her denim-clad thighs and tried to calm down her raging erotic thoughts.

“What would you like to do today?” Dylan asked, as he turned onto Main Street. The power of the Challenger rumbled as he accelerated down the main drag. Dylan loved feeling control of such a mighty beast, yet his mind kept moving toward Natalie. Those jeans fit her form like shrink wrap and Dylan’s hands still twitched from feeling her softness within his grasp.

“Uh, I don’t know. Anything you would like to do would be fine. I have some errands to do, but I would not want to bore you with them,” Natalie said, as the sun broke out from behind the clouds and gave light to all the vivid colors of fall in Vermont.

“Nothing with you could be boring,” Dylan answered, knowing he meant it.

Blushing from his exaggerated comment, Natalie tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and pushed her glasses up on her nose. “Well, I’d like to go shopping for some new clothes. But I was thinking of going to Appleton.”

“Appleton it is . . .” Dylan said, as he drove off toward their newfound destination.

“Really, Dylan, I can do it later when I’m by myself.”

Pulling on his dark tinted sunglasses he turned toward his passenger and huskily answered, “That’s just it; you will not be by yourself later. I’ve decided that you’ll be with me all weekend.”

Natalie’s eyes opened wide and she gasped at his voiced intentions. Dylan smiled and inwardly cheered. As he turned back toward the road and headed off to the first of many stops today, he mentally rubbed his hands together in anticipation of fulfilling all that Natalie asked of him. TODAY!

They drove in silence as Natalie mulled over Dylan’s last statement. This was it. Ready or not, but she was more than ready. She was ready to move on from being dull Natalie to . . . to . . . what? Even in her own head, the thought of spending the weekend alone with Dylan seemed so alien. Just as she was getting used to the feeling of the constant butterflies in her stomach, Dylan pulled into a parking spot near a number of shops and once again, Natalie felt out of place. Through the windshield, she could see confident in their own skin, women in nicer clothes. Natalie was feeling incompetent at how to go about picking out more feminine and sexy clothes. Not to mention that Dylan would be there making her hormones go crazy, as well as her nerves.

Dylan opened her car door and with that sexy as sin grin, he asked, “Ready?”

Was
she
ready
to
make
more
of
a
fool
out
of
herself?
Sure
why
not.

As if the action occurred every day of their lives, Dylan held out his hand. Once her smaller one was nestled in his palm, he wrapped his long fingers around and squeezed twice in a wordless way of saying, no worries.

Natalie looked at all the different shops and boutiques and didn’t know where to start. Dylan noticed her lack of definitive direction and asked what she was looking for.

“Clothes that will make me not me anymore,” Natalie answered back sincerely, as she looked from one store to the next. Natalie was envious, Dylan always looked so calm and in control. Perhaps some of that confidence could and would be passed to her through their connected hands.

“First of all, you shouldn’t want to not be you anymore. There is nothing wrong with you. Besides, I’m quite fond of you as you are. Second, if you are looking for
enhancements
to the already wonderful you, I would recommend CeCe’s over there.” Dylan hoped Natalie understood that he meant what he said. He didn’t like how she thought so little of herself. If anything, he hoped she would get a much needed ego boost from their time together.

Still hand in hand, they walked over to the far end of the shops where CeCe’s was nestled. Dylan had known CeCe for a very long time. They met under extreme circumstances but out of those flames came a friendship that Dylan was sure would span the remainder of his life. As he opened the door to allow Natalie to enter first, he was happy to note that there weren’t any other customers currently in the store. Natalie looked at all the rich color fabrics hung neatly around the parameter of the store. Each side housed a different style of clothing, formal, business, and casual. As Natalie drifted over to a display of lovely soft cashmere, her attention was brought to the woman who called out to Dylan. Walking toward them was a woman with a smile that showed beautiful white teeth as well as full Jagger lips. Her olive skin was enhanced by hazel eyes and caramel colored hair that flowed down in waves reaching her mid back. The mystery woman wore thick black hoops in her ears and a black knit dress that cinched in at the waist with a broad patent leather belt and knee high boots. Natalie watched as the obviously acquainted twosome exchanged a light kiss and a long hug as well as familiar pleasantries. Natalie looked at the woman from head to toe, at her womanly curves and obvious poise. She watched as she laughed at every other sentence that left Dylan’s lips and kept touching him, here and there, as if she had a right to. Natalie decided she wasn’t a fan of this new person.

“CeCe, this is Natalie. She’s looking for some new clothes and I brought her here to see you because she deserves the best,” Dylan said, as he pulled Natalie into his side.

The
best?
Natalie
deserves
the
best
or
Miss
Thing
here
is
the
best?

“Hello Natalie, I’m Cecille, but everyone calls me CeCe. I hope I can help you with what you’re looking for and that we can get to know each other as well,” CeCe smiled.

“Pleasure to meet you, CeCe. As you can see, I need all the help I can get,” Natalie said coolly, as she indicated her current attire with her hand.

“Nonsense! Clothes only can do so much. It is one’s physical beauty which does the rest. You, my dear, have already got that in spades,” CeCe said, as she already started envisioning which outfits she would give Natalie to try on. Admiring her slim little body, CeCe thought of some great pieces that many people would kill to pull off, as Natalie’s figure would naturally.

Not wanting to react to CeCe’s over exaggeration, Natalie only smiled and walked back over to the cashmere display.

“Beautiful pieces and so universal, that is a great place to start Natalie. Dylan will you be staying or going?” CeCe asked, as she looked at Dylan and confirmed without words that her job was to help Natalie see the obvious, specifically about her beauty.

Dylan looked toward Natalie trying to get a read on whether she wanted him to stay or leave. Natalie would not look up from the same sweater she had gripped since CeCe asked her thoughts.

“I have some things to do, I’ll leave you ladies to it and I’ll check back in a little bit. Natalie, babe, take your time, no rush.” And with that, Dylan turned around and headed out into the sunshine.

Now that they were alone, CeCe thought she would have better luck with Natalie if she were upfront and honest. “You know Natalie, Dylan is like a big brother to me, nothing more. He helped me out at a very low point in my earlier screwed up life. So you don’t need to worry that I’m trying to get my hooks in him or that I had already had my hooks in him. Besides he never looked at me the way I saw him look at you, and he has never called me babe.” Now that CeCe thought of it, the few females that Dylan had introduced her to, she had never heard him refer to any with that intimate endearment.

Natalie’s brown eyes gazed at the blue soft fabric, but she did not see it. She was too embarrassed that she was guilty of what CeCe had said. Natalie was jealous. And yet, she believed this woman, not because she wanted to, but because she felt her words were genuinely pure and honest, right down to her bones.

“That obvious?” Natalie turned toward her and hoped she would not die from mortification of having a jealous snit.

CeCe winked at Natalie and started showing her some ideas and pieces. Before Natalie knew it, CeCe was carrying a huge stack of clothing toward a back fitting area. Behind the plum colored velour curtain was a large room that housed a small vanity area as well as an oversized wing chair in the same purple fabric as the curtain. There was an antique changing screen with opaque silk that reminded Natalie of what a 1920’s or 1930’s Hollywood dressing room would look like. CeCe asked Natalie to strip down and told her to put on the silk robe that was located behind the screen. Once Natalie was bared and had the lavender color robe covering her and tied at the waist, she stepped out to find CeCe holding the most beautiful bra and panties sets that Natalie had ever seen. The colors and embroidery were so gorgeous that Natalie almost thought it was a shame to cover them with clothes. One in particular caught Natalie’s eye, it was a chocolate and caramel set that reminded Natalie of Dylan’s coloring. The caramel color mesh push up was deeper than her skin tone but still gave the impression that the wearer was nude. The edging was wrapped in a thin chocolate ribbon that just begged to have a fingertip follow its path. The small embroidered chocolate brown strategically placed rose buds gave the finishing touch to the luxurious lingerie. Putting the pieces on to wear as she tried on the new fashions, Natalie observed how the matching bikini bottoms laid against her body. As she looked at her reflection in the antique floor mirror, she was amazed at how different she felt in just this and she wondered what Dylan would think of them.

While Natalie was changing, CeCe had told her she had hung some outfits on the rack and wanted Natalie to try them out. She had tried on more outfits than she could count and Natalie had to admit, CeCe knew what she was talking about. Everything fit her perfectly and Natalie decided she was just going to take everything, regardless of what her credit card bill would be. She decided to leave the beautiful bra and panty ensemble on. She stood there looking, once again, at the reflection of her transforming body, thanks to the new wardrobe. She was lost in thought. Deciding to check over the growing pile of to be purchased clothes, Natalie walked out from behind the screen in just the bra and panties and came to a sudden halt. Dylan was sitting in the wing chair. Their eyes locked and Natalie froze, not out of embarrassment but because of Dylan’s wide-eyed stare and noticeable bob of his Adam’s apple.

Seeing Natalie dressed in just the seductive bra and panties, which only enhanced an already delectable almost naked body, made Dylan want to pull her down right there and find out the exact color of those responsive nipples. Was she light or dark behind the scant material of the bikinis?