"It was my pleasure," he said, meaning it. Usually, shopping bored him. And usually, he avoided calling on his Hollywood pedigree.
But for this, he'd decided to take the leap. He'd felt like Richard Gere in Pretty Woman, after she'd been snubbed by the snooty women on Rodeo Drive. Only in the movie--which he'd seen far too many times on far too many bland dates--they didn't play the scene right. At least not as far as he was concerned.
No, the point wasn't that Julia Roberts got her outfits. The point was what Gere could do for her. What Wyatt could do for Kelsey.
And he'd felt like Santa on Christmas morning as the sales team from one of Beverly Hills' most elite clothing stores brought rack after rack of cocktail dresses, shoes, and accessories to his studio for her to try on.
In the end, he'd picked out two, but when she said she'd only accept one, he insisted it be the black one with the look of a dancer. "It's you," he'd told her. And she'd slid into his arms and kissed him, right there with the store manager looking on.
It had been a sweet moment, but now, as he maneuvered the Navigator toward his grandmother's Holmby Hills mansion, he felt a growing heat. She looked wildly, deliciously sexy next to him, in the stunning dress and black heels and her hair piled high, so that loose tendrils curled at her neck.
But it was when he noticed the bracelet that he really felt that pang of desire. The infinity bracelet that he'd given to her in Santa Barbara. That was the second time he'd seen her wear it, and that simple connection between them tugged at his heart.
"You're staring," she said, smiling.
"You're beautiful."
Her smile widened. "I think it's the dress."
"I know it's the woman."
She sighed happily and leaned back in the seat. They'd worked all morning in the studio, and now, on their second full day of shooting, he already had an excellent collection to choose from. Three more days, and he truly believed he'd be able to curate the perfect show.
She'd left around three so that she could teach one dance class before heading home to change for the party. And when he'd picked her up, he'd been delighted by her tiny but tidy Valencia condo.
Still, they had a way to go until they reached his grandmother's. And beside him, Kelsey tilted her head back and took off her shoes. "Usually I'm the one making this horrible drive. It's nice to be able to relax."
"You could move closer in."
"Most of the classes I teach are around Valencia," she pointed out. "And so's the school once we're back in session. But more practically, I can't afford it."
He nodded. He understood, of course, but he hated that once their five days were over, she'd be so far away.
Beside him, she closed her eyes. "Can I put my foot on the dash?"
He chuckled, liking the image of a woman in such an elegant outfit sitting like that. "Go ahead," he said, then about drove off the road when he glanced over and saw how stunningly sensual she looked with her right foot up and that thin skirt draped over her uplifted leg, providing just a bit of modesty and hiding the La Perla panties from his view.
He knew they were there, though, and he clenched the steering wheel tighter and wished that they were heading to his studio and not a party.
Then again . . .
"Take off the panties," he said.
She turned to him, opening her eyes as an impudent smile played at her lips. "Deja vu, Mr. Segel?"
"Something like that. But I believe you were very clear that you wanted me to be in charge. Panties," he repeated. "I want them in my pocket during the party. Not under that skirt."
"Oh." She licked her lips. "I kind of like that. But we can't do it."
"Do you want to tell me why?"
"Because we don't have time to backtrack to my condo. I left the panties on my bed."
She spoke casually, but her words cut a hot path through him, right down to his cock, and he had to fight the very real desire not to pull over and drag her into the back. It was a hell of a big vehicle, after all, and the seats did fold down.
That, however, was impractical. Better to suffer in delicious silence.
But he didn't intend to suffer alone.