"It's not like bathrooms where only one sex is allowed," Jackson said, looking amused.
"But...but, I need my privacy," I sputtered. "I don't want you watching me dress."
Jackson raised a quizzical eyebrow. "I'd say we're beyond modesty at this point. There's not an inch of your body I'm not intimately acquainted with."
"That's different."
Jackson sighed but he pointed to a curtain that was tucked away in a crevice in the wall. I hadn't noticed the curtain and saw that there was a curving rod that would give me complete privacy if pulled across, a sofa on the other side where Jackson could wait. I wondered how Jackson knew that curtain was even there. It would be easy to miss unless you were looking for it. My thoughts drifted to how many women Jackson had waited on while they tried on clothes for him, but I pushed those thoughts away. Jackson was with me now and that's all that mattered.
Corinne came back with the dresses I had chosen in my size. She pointed to a button next to the mirror after she had hung them on a rod. "Just press this if you need me." She discreetly left the dressing room and I wondered if she thought we were going to get hot and heavy in here. It was an intriguing thought, but I had more pressing matters to attend to.
"No peeking," I warned ominously as I pulled the curtain across the room. Jackson sighed dramatically but nodded his head.
I had chosen five dresses, including the black one I had seen first, but I decided to save that one for last. I was relieved when I slipped easily into the first dress I tried on and was able to zip up the back with some finagling. I studied myself in the mirror, a little scandalized that I looked almost naked. The dress was made out of white lace with a nude sheath underneath, giving the illusion that I was showing bare skin through the eyelets of the lace. The neckline plunged down low and wide so that the edges of my areolas were nearly showing. I tried in vain to pull the edges of the neckline up, but the dress fit me snugly and wouldn't budge. I pulled the curtain open a bit and peeked my head out at Jackson.
"I can't wear this dress in public! I look naked!"
Jackson shot up at my description, pulling the curtain aside, his eyes smoldering as he looked down at me. "Christ, I can see your tits." He hooked one finger over the edge of the neckline, pulling it down so that one of my nipples popped out. I felt goose bumps rising as he brushed the back of his finger that was still hooked over my neckline across my tight bud that had hardened beneath his perusal.
"Behave!" I said laughing, slapping his hand away. "I don't think Corinne would appreciate us humping like animals in here. Especially in this dress. They probably have a 'you stain it, you buy it' policy here."
Jackson raised his hands in innocence. "I was just helping you out. You wouldn't want to wear a dress where your nipples popped out for everyone to see." His gaze darkened. "Maybe you should get that dress to wear in private. For my enjoyment."
"That means no to this dress," I said lightly, stepping back and closing the curtain. I had looked at the price tag before trying it on, and there was no way I was letting Jackson spend $3,000 on a dress that would never see the light of the day.
I liked the next three dresses I tried on, Jackson weighing in his enthusiastic approval as well, but the minute I slipped on the black dress, I knew it was the one. It fit me like a second skin, the soft black fabric clinging to my hips, the belt emphasizing my narrow waist. But what really made the dress was the neckline. The smooth expanse of my skin between my breasts and halfway down my stomach was provocatively bare, the deep but narrow vee making my neck look even longer and my collarbone more pronounced. I was wearing my diamond pendant and it glittered against my chest, a simple accessory for a deceptively simple yet complex dress. I looked like a different woman in this dress. Dangerous and sensual, a woman who had no problems showing off her sexuality.
I slid the curtain open, turning around in the dress for Jackson. "Is it too much?"
Jackson gazed at me from the sofa, his bland expression turning intense. "Yes, in every good way possible. Too beautiful. Too sexy. Too damned irresistible. You're lucky we're in public, otherwise I'd be peeling that dress off you right now."
I felt pleasure flooding through me at Jackson's open approval, but I frowned when I lifted the price tag hanging off the belt. I had been too excited to try on the dress to look at the price tag beforehand, but now I was dismayed at the price.
"What's wrong?"
"This dress is over $5,000! I mean, as much as I like this dress, how can they charge that much! Was it handmade by a group of monks in a monastery in the Netherlands? Even that wouldn't justify the price. It's highway robbery!"
Jackson grinned at my outraged expression. He walked over to me, kissing me lightly on the forehead. His gaze became tender as he touched the diamond pendant against my chest. "It's well worth the price if it makes you happy. Actually, it's well worth the price because it makes me happy."
"Are you sure?" I asked uncertainly. "Even though it's not my money, it doesn't feel right spending so much on one dress."
"You have no choice in the matter," Jackson said simply. "I know you like the dress so I'm going to buy it. The only thing worse than buying a $5,000 dress is buying a $5,000 dress and not wearing it."
I told myself I would wear this dress every chance I got to justify the expense. I had the ridiculous image of myself going grocery shopping in this dress.
Jackson pressed the button to summon Corinne and she appeared in a matter of seconds. I couldn't help wondering if she had been standing outside the door with her ear pressed up against it. She beamed when she saw me in the dress.
"You look amazing in that dress. It looks like it was made for you."
"We'll take it," Jackson said.
"How about shoes?"
Jackson turned to me at Corinne's question. "Do you have shoes to wear with the dress?"
I nodded vigorously, not wanting Jackson to spend even more money. I was still recovering from the $5,000 dress. Jackson gazed at me speculatively and then turned back to Corinne. "Can you bring in some shoes that you think would go with the dress?"
Corinne nodded eagerly and I saw the dollar signs of a fat commission floating above her head. "How about a clutch? And jewelry?"
"Is a clutch one of those little purses?" Corinne nodded enthusiastically at Jackson's question. "Bring a couple of those too. But no jewelry." Jackson glanced at the diamond pendant.