William cleared his throat, and Malice looked over my head at his brother. "Is there something you'd like to say?" Malice asked.
"I'm just curious how long you'll play with her before you decide that you are bored again."
Malice finally let go of me, and I fought the urge to rub the spot where he had gripped me so hard. "Oh, William," Malice began. "You know as well as anyone that I play with my toys until they break. And then, I play with them harder."
And with that ominous statement, William and I left.
9
After Malice sent us off to collect my work uniform, I couldn’t help but think of his army of bodyguards and the way they dressed, spoke, and moved as one unit. I pictured his men, all dressed in their suits, with guns and knives strapped to their chests and a deadly expression on their faces.
"What are we doing here?" I asked. The storefront was painted all black, as if it were an escape or a devious secret hidden on the corner of Gwendolyn Drive and Mulberry Street. It was called Bloom Apothecary. There were no shop windows. The main logo was minimalistic and gold.
William had been silent the entire car ride here, which was unsurprising for me. If anything, I was thankful for the quiet. It felt surprisingly normal for my secret stranger, and lately there hadn’t been enough normal. "Nick wants you to look like an Eden's Girl," he replied in a gruff tone after a lingering pause.
I stared at the storefront some more. "And what exactly is an Eden’s Girl?" I asked, suddenly feeling anxious about my new role.
William looked at me with hunger in his eyes. I almost wished for his sunglasses again, hiding those heated orbs from my vision. His mask was more approachable. He reached out to stroke the top of my hand, and it made a warm tingling sensation kiss at my skin.
"An Eden’s Girl is every man’s deepest, darkest fantasy. She’s soft and beautiful and unique. She’s real, with real flaws, scars, and curves. An Eden’s Girl creates her own definition of beautiful. She’s not defined by her femininity, she defines it. Strong. Independent. Entertaining. Intelligent. Secretive. She embodies her namesake, a free, plentiful garden prone to sin."
I’d never heard William speak so poetically.
"And you think I’m capable of being an Eden’s Girl? That sounds like a very high standard to live up to," I replied nervously.
William licked his lips. "I think you could be Eve herself, Juliet."
I’d never been good at accepting the attention of others, and William was looking at me like I hung the moon. I averted my eyes. "So what is Bloom Apothecary?" I asked.
William turned off the car. "A lingerie shop."
I had a pretty good idea of what kind of establishment Eden's Place was, but knowing that I would be wearing as little as possible made me nervous. I was fairly confident with my body. I had a few stretch marks and curves, but I looked healthy and womanly. I’d never shied away from wearing a bikini to the local swimming pool, and I guess in some ways, it was the same thing as lingerie.
At least I was just the hostess. Malice made it very clear that I wasn’t to be touched. It was a relief but also felt like one of his twisted games.
"I don’t know how I’ll explain this to Grams," I said, mostly to myself.
William softened. "You can keep the clothes at our house. If you need me to talk to the diner, I can have them keep you on the books for your Grams. Also, I really want to get you a car. I’m sure it’s not easy relying on public transportation with her condition."
I was so stunned that I didn’t know what to say. It made sense, William knew all my problems and had been paying attention. I just wasn’t expecting him to be so thoughtful.
But also, I couldn’t help but think...why now?
Not that I would have accepted his help sooner, but we could have been building a friendship all this time. What changed to make him go from my secret stranger to...well...he was still a secret stranger, just with more secrets and a soothing voice.
My stranger used to avert his gaze, but now he was staring affectionately at me. I wanted to understand the source of the shift.
"Thank you," I squeaked. "But I don’t want one of the Civellas’ unmarked cars. I’ve seen how Anthony scrubs DNA, and if I got pulled over, there’s no telling what cops would find in that trunk."
William chuckled, and it was such a foreign look on him that I suddenly felt this strange urge to take a picture of the crooked smile on his handsome face.
"Come on," William said before getting out. I quickly followed after him, a blush rising to my cheeks. Unexpectedly, William held out his arm for me to take. The gesture wasn't really familiar, but since I was already stepping out of my comfort zone here, I figured when in Rome. I grabbed his arm, curling my fingers around the defined muscles in his bicep. A shopkeeper opened the door for us, letting us inside with a warm smile.
"William!" the shopkeeper exclaimed. Oh, so they were on a first-name basis? Her bright voice intruded on the intimacy of our moment. "It's so good to see you, dear," she said before leaning forward and kissing William on the cheek. She was a beautiful woman with bright red hair, brown eyes, and fair but freckled skin. She wore a tight black dress and Louis Vuitton heels.
"It's good to see you, Brittany," William replied. "I've got a new employee for you to dress. But she won't be like our other girls."
Brittany arched her brow at me. I felt her speculative gaze travel down my body, likely judging me. "I see," she began. "Is she special?" There was something nasally and intrusive about her question. However, William was not deterred.
"I guess you could say that. Nicholas wants her to be the face of Eden's Place. She needs to be classic and timeless. Suggestive. Addictive. She looks great in red. I'd prefer something a bit more conservative than what we usually select for our girls. Juliet is the kind of woman men dream about having. She's untouchable. Untouched. Think you can find something that will work?" William asked.
Against my better judgment, I preened at William’s reverent words about me.
Brittany snorted, the sound like a car trying to start. "Well, of course I can find something for her," she exclaimed. Brittany was definitely getting on my nerves. "And her name is Juliet? What a romantic namesake! I think I have a collection that will perfectly fit your needs."
Didn’t she know that Juliet died at the end of the play?
"If you'll just come with me," Brittany said. My arm was still hooked around William. I moved to detach myself from him, but he patted my hand instead.
"I'd like to see everything you pick out for her. It's of the utmost importance that we get this just right," William purred.
It was one thing to try on lingerie with Brittany, but something else entirely to do it in front of William. I guess I needed to get used to this, considering I was going to be a hostess at a sex club.
"Of course," Brittany gritted. Something told me she didn't like the amount of attention he was giving me.
Brittany guided me to the back of the store where collections with designer labels appeared to be. After taking my measurements, she quickly started piling garments up on her arm. William and I simply followed her with our eyes, only providing input when she held up a hanger for us to look at.