"Your mother can handle this," Julius said with amusement as Marguerite moved back to adjust Carolyn's dress again. "And why can't she go like that?"
"Because those heels are too damned high. She'll fall over in her state." He figured that would carry more weight than admitting that he didn't want other men looking at her in the dress.
"I probably will," Carolyn admitted on a laugh. "I'm not very graceful."
Christian stared at her with amazement. He'd seen her dance. How the hell could she think she wasn't graceful?"
"Robert always called me Clumsy Car," she announced, rolling her eyes. "It was his idea of an endearment."
"Robert sounds like a very nasty man," Marguerite said.
Carolyn nodded as they both tugged at the top of her dress, and said conversationally, "You know, Marguerite, he really was... and he had a vile temper too. Very unpredictable. He was kind of scary, actually. I was so glad to leave him. Life's much nicer without him around insulting me all the time. He didn't think I could do anything right."
"I found my tape," Gia announced, returning to the room and moving to join Marguerite in front of Carolyn.
Christian frowned and craned his head, trying to see what they were doing.
"There," Marguerite said with satisfaction as she stepped back.
"Perfect," Gia pronounced.
"Then we should go," Zanipolo said. "The van arrived just as I found the shoe. I-"
He hesitated, his gaze sliding to Carolyn before he said carefully,. "I convinced him to wait for us."
Controlled his mind, Christian translated in his head, moving to take Carolyn's arm to lead her to the door.
"Oh good, I'm starved," Carolyn said cheerfully, and then glanced at Gia. "Don't let me forget and bend over or anything."
"Why can't she bend over?" Zanipolo asked, trailing them out of the kitchen.
"Because her panties would show," Christian guessed in a growl, imagining that in his mind and wondering what color they were.
"No they wouldn't," Carolyn said cheerfully. "I'm not wearing any. Gia wouldn't let me."
"What?" He turned to his cousin in horror.
"They were ripped," Gia said defensively. "She couldn't wear ripped panties with that getup."
"And you thought none at all would be better?" he asked with disbelief. They couldn't go. He should take her to his room now.
"Gee, Christian, you're hurting me," Carolyn muttered, trying to free herself of his suddenly clenched fingers.
He released her at once, shocked that he'd squeezed so hard, but peered at his father questioningly when he caught his arm and pulled him aside. "What?"
"I have to tell you something," he said. "Santo, escort Carolyn to the van."
Santo immediately took Carolyn's arm to lead her out, and she tipped her head back to peer up at him with awe.
"Wow. You're really tall, huh, Santa?"
"She kept calling him Santa upstairs too. It was making him crazy," Gia said on a chuckle as she followed.
"What did you want to say?" Christian asked his father impatiently as the others trooped out.
"Flesh colored," Julius announced, and took Marguerite's arm to walk her out.
Christian stared after him blankly, slow to realize what he was talking about. But then he recalled that he'd wondered what color Carolyn's panties were before he'd known she wasn't wearing any. Flesh colored was the answer. But he'd already known that. His father had just held him back to keep him from dragging Carolyn off to his room.