getting pampered at a health spa, so we had lots of time to transform the apartment into party central. Or at least, Iggy did. I went to bed as instructed and woke up only half an hour before the guests were supposed to arrive. I couldn’t believe I’d slept most of the day.
Walking out of my bedroom still in my pyjamas, I found Iggy sharing a glass of wine with Farrah, who must have arrived while I was sleeping.
“So, how’s the patient feeling?” Iggy asked as he took me in.
“Much better,” I answered, mustering a smile. “Thank you so much for doing all this. The place looks amazing.”
“It was no trouble at all,” said Iggy, waving away my thanks as I looked around the apartment. He’d decked the place out in the gold and silver decorations I’d bought, and in the kitchen there were trays upon trays of finger foods, alongside at least two dozen bottles of wine and champagne. A second later he was at my side, ushering me back to my bedroom.
“Go shower and doll yourself up a bit. You look like crap,” he said, and I had to laugh at his honesty.
Inside my en-suite I turned on the water, waiting for it to heat up before stepping under the spray. The hot water warmed my bones, and I spent extra time exfoliating and shaving my legs. When I got out, I could hear the party guests already starting to arrive. I felt so much better than I had that morning, so even though I was late, I took my time getting ready. After all, I knew Julian wouldn’t make an appearance until an hour that could be considered fashionably late.
I wrapped myself in a towel before going to pick out something to wear. Settling on a dark blue dress that brought out the colour of my eyes, I laid it out on the bed with some underwear and hold-up stockings before going to blow-dry my hair. It was after my makeup was done that I pulled off the towel and began to put on my underwear.
I’d barely gotten the stockings on and was just about to pick up the bra when my bedroom door opened and I heard a masculine intake of breath.
Turning almost in slow motion, I found Damon standing frozen in my doorway, his eyes dark as he took me in. Tiny tendrils of awareness pricked at my skin, and I began to feel my nipples tighten from his stare alone.
My voice was barely a whisper. “What are you doing?”
He cleared his throat, his eyes still glued to me, before starting to apologise. “Fuck, sorry….” His voice trailed off, and I realised I hadn’t made a single move to cover myself. I hurried over to my closet and grabbed a black robe before shrugging into it.
When I looked at Damon again, he seemed to be struggling, his gaze levelled intently on the floor.
“You can look now,” I said, and he glanced up, exhaling.
“Sorry.”
“You already said that.”
“I should go.” He turned to leave, but my voice stopped him.
“If you were going to go, you should have done it while I was still naked,” I said quietly. “I’m covered now, so why don’t you just come in and tell me what you wanted. And please, shut the door.”
My voice was shaky and my stomach tight with nervous tension. It was arousing that he’d seen me half dressed, but at the same time incredibly embarrassing. Had he liked what he’d seen?
Damon went and closed the door, sealing us in privacy. The tension thickened, and I suddenly realised it was probably a bad idea asking him to stay.
“I’ve barely seen you all week,” he said on a deep exhalation, still standing several feet away from me. Right then, I was thankful for the distance.
I tightened my robe and tipped my chin up. “You’ve been busy,” I replied simply. The rest of the sentence was implied: You’ve been busy – with your costar.
As though echoing my thoughts, he went on, “I came here tonight with Alicia.”
“Okay….”
“She showed up at the house, and I couldn’t get rid of her.”
I tried to play it cool. “Why are you telling me all this, Damon?”
He swallowed thickly before laying his dark eyes on me. So much was communicated in the silence, but then all he said was, “I didn’t invite her. I don’t even know how she got my address.”
I turned away and picked up a bottle of perfume from my dresser, shakily spraying