by Kitty French
"But I love my dress."
He cleared his throat as his eyes swept down her body.
"There's too much of it."
Whoa. As dresses went, it was hardly chaste. Lucien's eyes slid to the boutique windows, and understanding pole-danced around the periphery of Sophie's mind.
"You don't mean..."
"Yes." He propelled her towards the boutique doorway, which opened miraculously for them as they approached. Sophie faltered, but Lucien's arm around her waist left her with no option but to step inside, and the door closed behind them with a small, antiquated tinkle.
If the windows were a prelude, the interior of the shop was very much the main event. Stunning creations in silk and lace lined the blush pink walls, some frilled and polka dotted in a Bardot pin-up style, others sleek and sensual, and more again designed purely to seduce the wearer and their lovers. Body-skimming silks, sculpted lace corsets and ribbons that begged to be untied. Lucien eyed them all with a practised eye while Sophie moved from garment to garment with appreciative delight. She suddenly wished she could call Kara just to hear her say 'what happens in Paris stays in Paris.'
Looking around the shop at the stunning underwear and hyper-aware of the glorious man accompanying her, Sophie had a reprise of her 'luckiest girl in the world' moment.
Thankful for the vodka in her veins, she turned at the touch of Lucien's hand on her waist.
"This way," he murmured.
Sophie looked at Lucien, and then noticed a petite girl in a tiny black dress who appeared next to him holding an armful of garments he'd picked out. He had been busy all the while she had been looking and marvelling.
"Trust me," he said, and took her hand as he followed the shapely assistant through a doorway Sophie hadn't previously noticed. She found herself in a boudoir style changing room, all padded grey suede walls and mood lighting. A large central chaise longue dominated the space, clearly a resting perch for Lucien to observe from if he wished.
He wished.
The assistant hung Lucien's selections in the mirrored changing space behind a screen for Sophie and then left the room, clicking the door with a quiet but definite thud.
"Do you need me to unzip your dress?"
Sophie stepped behind the changing screen, hot, bothered and glad of her side zip. The realisation dawned on her that Lucien needed to stay right over there on the chaise if she were to have a hope of getting through this surreal experience with any degree of poise. "I'm good, thanks." She was impressed at her own casual tone.
"You can say that again, princess."
Sophie's fingers shook as she stood in her own suddenly woeful underwear and considered the three confections before her. So, which to try first? He'd selected three very different styles, all of which were far more risqué than anything she'd ever owned.
She stripped off. Quickly overcome with giddy panic at being completely nude, she opted for the relative familiarity of a standard bra and knickers combination first - or so they appeared on first glance, anyway. As she stepped into the knickers, it became obvious that they weren't your average daywear. High cut over her hips, silk-lined black lace covered the barest of essentials. Somehow, they seemed to make her legs magically longer and her waist smaller. Mesmerised, Sophie stepped into her high heels for the full effect. When she hooked the matching bra over her arms and into place, she gasped out loud at the realisation that the demi-cups weren't designed to cover her nipples. The bra supported her breasts perfectly yet exposed them completely.
"Let me see."
Christ. She'd almost forgotten Lucien was out there, which was ridiculous given their situation. She couldn't go out there in this.
"Either you come out here or I'll come behind there, Sophie. Which would you rather?"
"Lucien..."
She heard him move to get up, and placed her hands over her breasts in panic. "Stay there. I'll come out."
She knew her cheeks were burning as she stepped out into Lucien's sightline with her hands crossed over her breasts. "You seem to have chosen a bra with bits missing," she said, trying to keep her voice light.
"Put your hands down."
Sophie closed her eyes for a second. Could she? It was ridiculous. He had seen everything. Why did she feel so much more exposed wearing these beautiful fragments of lingerie?
Lucien reclined back on the chaise, one knee raised and his hands behind his head.
"Hands down, princess."
Sophie counted to three in her head then dropped her hands, acutely aware of her reflection in the huge gilt mirror leaning against the wall, and of the way Lucien’s demeanour had changed as she revealed herself. He certainly didn't look quite so relaxed any more.
He stood slowly and stalked around her, appraising her from every angle before coming to a standstill behind her. There was a silence. Then he spoke.
"You look utterly fuckable."
His hands slipped around her body to tease her jutting nipples as he kissed her neck. "Utterly. Fucking. Fuckable."
His fingers skimmed around and down to cup the cheeks of her bottom.
"Let me see the corset next."
He kissed her shoulder and nudged her towards the screen.
Sophie moved back behind it and laid her head against the cool mirror for a second. This was one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences, so far beyond the everyday that she needed to commit it to memory because it would never happen again.
The corset Lucien had picked was outrageously gorgeous. With matching high waisted, aubergine satin knickers that hugged her curves, every hook and eye Sophie fastened down the centre of the heavy silk corset made her figure more statuesque. She barely recognised the fifties starlet she glimpsed in the mirror. Lucien's low whistle of appreciation told her that he liked what he saw too when she stepped around the screen.
"Look at you," he breathed as he ran his hands over the taut silk, making her shiver. He circled her cinched-in waist, and Sophie licked her lips, impossibly turned on by the clear lust radiating from his blue gaze.
She ran a teasing hand down his chest. "You like it?"
He yanked her against him, letting his body show her exactly what he thought. His kiss was thoroughly X-rated as his hands moved restlessly over her silk clad body.
"I'd like to take this off you," he muttered, breaking their kiss.
Sophie was beginning to revel in her power. She skimmed her hand over his erection, letting her grasp linger for a second. Now, her composed tone was easier to summon.
"I'll be right back."
The third outfit Lucien had selected appeared on the hanger to be the most demure.
A dress, of sorts. Sheer, form-fitting black cobweb lace, short anyway, but slit to the top of one thigh for fuller exposure. Slender bones encased in velvet seams ran the length of the dress for structure, and underwired balconette cups and lingerie straps placed the outfit definitely in the bedroom rather than the nightclub department.
The lace-up back was a two-man job… and Lucien was the only man to hand.
Sophie stepped from behind the screen and turned her back to him at once.
"Help me with this?"
"To put it on or take it off?"
Sophie tried not to jump when his fingers touched the ties, tugging them until the already clinging dress moulded to her body like a second skin. She closed her eyes with each little pull, aware of the way her waist cinched in and her breasts curved out. Lucien tied the slim velvet ribbons at the base of her spine and then turned her in his arms to survey the results of his handiwork.
The dress felt amazing. Its clever, intricate design covered her body in an almost respectable fashion, whilst still being sexy with a capital 'S'.
Lucien reached out and trailed a slow finger down her throat, all the way between the rounded curves of her breasts.
"Perfect."
He drew her close against his body, and his hand slipped into her hair as he lowered his head to hers. She'd expected hard and s
exy, and she got slow, delicious and sexier still. Lucien's mouth touched her cheek, her jaw, before finally settling over hers.
His lips were warm and yielding and his thumb stroked her cheekbone as his tongue touched against hers. It was a kiss designed to make her feel adored, and Sophie's whole body tingled with anticipation of more.
"Keep this on."
Sophie didn't argue. She'd felt sexy in her beautiful dress, but she felt sinful in this one. She wanted to keep it on only because she anticipated how Lucien would take it off her later.
"Can we go back to the apartment?" Sophie's fingers toyed with the top button of Lucien's black shirt.
He lowered his head to her shoulder and hooked his finger under the dress strap, moving it aside to make way for his mouth. "Not yet. We need to check out the competition."
"Competition?"
Lucien repositioned her strap and took her chin in his fingers.
"We're going next door."
Sophie frowned, trying to make sense of his words as the assistant appeared in the doorway. Lucien instructed her in rapid French, then placed his hand on Sophie's elbow to guide her towards a different door at the back of the changing area. Sophie glanced worriedly back at her favourite dress.
"Don't worry. Everything will be tissue wrapped, boxed and back at the apartment before we are."
Lucien pressed a buzzer beside the door.
"Stay close."
"Lucien, what is this?" Sophie had a feeling that whatever his answer was going to be, it wouldn't be comforting.
"I've told you. My competition. This is one of the best adult clubs in Paris, and I want the Gateway to be better."
Sophie glanced down at her barely-there lace dress with mounting panic. "Couldn't you have just looked it up on the internet?"
He smiled, wolfish. "It's the kind of place you need to experience personally."
"I can't go in there in this," Sophie said, unsuccessfully tugging at the short lace skirt to try and find an extra inch or two.
"Trust me. You'll be wearing more than most of the women in there."
The notion didn't make Sophie feel any calmer.
"I don't want to go in there, honestly I don't. Please, let's just go back."
Lucien turned to her then, his fingers curled lightly around her upper arms.
"Sophie, you're with me. Nothing will happen in there that you don't want to."
"I don't go to sex clubs." She re-assessed. "Not… like this. Not as a… a customer."
"You can still think of it as work if it makes you feel better. Make mental notes."
Sophie was trembling inwardly. Was she doing it outwardly too?
Lucien drew his thumb across her lips. "You look like a goddess."
Any further negotiation was stolen from Sophie's throat by panic, because at that moment the door swung open from the other side.
Chapter Fifteen
Sophie glanced cautiously around and held onto Lucien's hand as he conversed easily with the suited doorman. They appeared to be in some kind of boudoir; wall to wall cerise velvet and gold brocade decor lent the place an old-school air of theatrical glamour. It was smaller than she'd anticipated, but then her only direct experience of an adult club was The Gateway back in London, an edifice of black glass and urban glitz. This place was much more intimate.
The reception area appeared to be an extension of the lingerie boutique on the other side of the door. Sophie scanned the glass cabinets and shelves. They were lined with jewel-coloured objects that on closer inspection turned out to be an alluring assortment of beautifully displayed sex toys. She identified some of them: gobstopper-sized jiggle balls, tubs of freshly churned chocolate spread available in white, milk or dark, elegantly sculptural phalluses... it was an adults-only treasure trove that delighted Sophie's senses and calmed her tightly wound nerves. She paused to look more closely at an exquisite display of candy-coloured eggs piled high in filigree baskets. Lucien lifted a pale pink egg from the display and eyed it critically.
"Pretty," Sophie said, uncertain exactly what it was for.
Lucien caught the assistant's eye and handed over a couple of notes in return for the egg, then turned back to Sophie and presented it to her with a smile.
"Happy Easter."
"It isn't Easter." Sophie turned it over in her hands. "I'm guessing I shouldn't eat it?"
Lucien flicked his eyes to the ceiling and pocketed the egg, then pulled her by the hand towards a curtained archway.
A beautiful girl dressed in a minuscule red velvet dress stepped forward to draw the drape aside, all scarlet-painted lips and glossy black hair set in vintage waves.
"Have a good evening," she murmured in heavily accented English as she inclined her head for them to pass. Sophie couldn't miss the fact that the girl's eyes lingered on Lucien for a second longer than she judged professional, but then who knew what professional even meant in circumstances like these? Besides, who could blame her? Sophie was growing accustomed to the fact that Lucien drew female eyes wherever he went. It wasn't just his height, or his Viking beauty, or his broad shoulders. The man exuded lust from his very bones: he emitted sexual charisma on a frequency that no woman could be expected to ignore. The attendant's gaze settled on the hand Lucien placed casually on Sophie's backside, and then flicked up to give Sophie an unmistakable look of pure envy as they passed her.
Sophie appreciated Lucien's proprietary arm around her waist as they stepped down into the club. If the lingerie and toy store had seemed alluring, their effect was nothing compared with the thoroughly kitsch glamour of the club itself. Crystal chandeliers dripped from the midnight ceilings and the deep cerise studded velvet walls ensured that even wallflowers could lounge in comfort. And there were a few wallflowers, but these girls looked totally at ease in their silk and satin lingerie, champagne flutes adorning their manicured hands.
The whole place had the air of a lavish vintage theatre with its sweeping gilt staircases and intimate seating areas, the curved, padded love seats scattered with jewel bright silk cushions surrounding the dance floor. Fat, creamy candles flickered in wall sconces, casting sensual shadows around the room. It was a beautiful place inhabited by beautiful people. There were couples having late-night dinners in secluded booths, Sophie observed, with surprise. She absorbed it all, fascinated. It was impossible not to feel seduced, at ease, even: Lucien had ensured that she'd blend in perfectly with his choice of her attire.
"Well?" he asked as he led her towards the bar.
"I never knew places like this existed," Sophie breathed with a tiny shake of her head. "It's fabulous."
Lucien handed her a glass of champagne and lounged against a high stool.
"I'd call it stiff competition."
Sophie raised her eyebrows, unsure how to express that she felt more comfortable here than in the Knight Inc. club she’d visited in London. Was she being disloyal? "It's very different from the Gateway," she ventured.
"It's Paris, Sophie. People look for something different here."
"I like it."
Lucien lifted an eyebrow at her. "Says the girl who didn't even want to come in here ten minutes ago."
Sophie couldn't argue. "Having that boutique attached is a really clever idea. It must attract more women, don't you think?"
Lucien nodded. "This place is run by women, for women. Men are not the top priority."
Now that Lucien had said it, Sophie understood why she felt more at ease here. It exuded femininity, and had a sensual ambience rather than a sexual one.
"It's much more relaxed than I expected," Sophie acknowledged.
The champagne was chilled and delicious, and Lucien's fingers warmed hers when he took her hand and tugged her forwards.
"Then let's go and relax, shall we?"
Lucien headed for a tucked away love seat and pulled Sophie down into it next to him, nodding brief thanks to the black-clad waiter who delivered their ice bucket to the table a second or two later.
Sophie glanced around at their closest neighbours as Lucien topped up their glasses. A curvy brunette in stockings and suspenders had curled herself into her companion’s lap, her arms around his neck as she whispered in his ear. Sophie noticed how the man casually stroked her full, bra-clad breasts as he listened to her, his other hand massaging her thigh. The woman looked utterly relaxed, as if she were fully clothed rather than dressed in stunning black and ruby red underwear that wouldn't have looked out of place at The Crazy Horse. A further glance around showed that the other couples scattered around the room were equally at ease. Some kissed. Some touched a little. Some touched a lot. There seemed to be no rules, no constraints and no pressure. Unadulterated, unhurried pleasure in whatever form anyone chose.
A smoky-voiced redhead who'd have given Jessica Rabbit a run for her money was perched on the closed lid of a grand piano, her vocals providing a sultry accompaniment to the dinner suited pianist. Here and there on the dance floor, couples twined around each other as they danced sinuously.
Lucien's arm curved along the back of the seat, his fingers a warm, gentle pressure on Sophie's neck.
It had been a long, long time since Sophie had last danced with a man.
"Shall we?" she said, tilting her head towards the sprung wooden floor.
Lucien looked mildly startled. "Are you asking me to dance?"
Sophie's mouth curved into a smile at his reaction. "Yes."
He frowned, tapping his fingers thoughtfully on the table, then stood and held out his hand formally.
"May I have this dance, Ms. Black?"
Chapter Sixteen
Lucien drew Sophie into his arms. He wasn't by nature a man for slow dancing. Although he’d never thought consciously about it, the passivity and languor didn’t appeal to him. He was a man of action. Where should he put his hands? He knew where he wanted to put them, and given their surroundings, he knew that it wouldn't be frowned on, but he had the distinct impression that Sophie herself might frown upon it. So she wanted to slow-dance? All right. He held her, one arm around her lace-clad waist, the other crooked between their torsos, laced with Sophie's slender fingers over his heart.
