Now if you'll excuse me - " She pivoted to leave.
"Non." He took hold of her arm. "I saw you copying the white gown. It is twenty thousand dollars. Since you are so interested in it, you should buy it."
She snorted. "I wouldn't be caught dead in that gown."
"What?" His eyebrows shot up. "There's nothing wrong with that design."
"Are you kidding?" She pulled away from his grasp. "What was Echarpe thinking? The neckline plunges past the navel. The skirt slits up to North Dakota. No woman in her right mind would wear that thing in public."
His jaw shifted as he ground his teeth. "The models are happy to wear it."
"My point, exactly. Those poor women are so malnourished, they can't think straight. Take my friend Sasha. Her idea of a three-course meal is a celery stick, a cherry tomato, and a laxative. She's killing herself to fit into these clothes. Women like me can't dress like that."
His gaze drifted over her again. "I think you could. You would look...superbe."
"My breasts would fall out."
"Exactly." The corner of his mouth tilted up.
She huffed. "I'm not showing my breasts in public."
His eyes twinkled. "Would you do it in private?"
Damn him and his pretty blue eyes. She had to think a moment to remember the gist of the conversation. "Are you going to arrest me or drool on me?"
He smiled. "Can I do both?"
What a confusing man. "I haven't done anything wrong. I mean, other than the crab cake. But I wouldn't have taken it if I could actually afford anything in this place."
His smile faded. "You are in need of money? You plan to sell the designs you copied to another house?"
"No. I just wanted to make one for myself."
"You are lying. You said you would not be caught dead in one of these gowns."
Lying? This guy was full of rotten accusations. "Look, I would never wear one of these gowns the way Echarpe designed them. I tell you, the guy is completely detached from reality. Does he even know any real people?"
"Not like you," he muttered, then held out his hand. "Let me see your sketchings."
"All right. If it'll help clear things up." She showed him her notepad. "The first one is the white gown, but I fixed it."
"Fixed it? I can hardly recognize it."
"I know. It looks so much better now. I could actually wear it without getting arrested for indecent exposure."
He gritted his teeth. "It's not that bad."
"If a young boy saw me in it, I'd be listed on a web-site as a sex offender. But the point is moot, since I could never afford the dress in the first place. I can't even buy a pair of socks here without getting my truck repossessed."
"This merchandise is designed for an elite few."
"Oh, pardon me. I'll just have Cheeves bring around the Rolls-Royce, so I can putter over to the airport and take my private jet back to my villa in Tuscany."
His mouth twitched as he turned to the next page. "And this is the red gown?"
"Yes, but much better after I fixed it. There are four more designs there. I was coming up with so many ideas all at once, I just had to get them down before they were lost. If you know what I mean."
"Actually, I do." He gave her an odd look.
It was odd. He didn't look like the type to understand the whimsical creative process. He looked more like an athlete, but with the build of a swimmer, not a weightlifter.
Could he actually have her arrested? His strange accusations combined with his handsome looks had confounded her to the point that she'd babbled like a nervous idiot. She needed to relax and be nicer. "I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to steal anything. Am I in trouble?"
He glanced at her with a hint of a smile. "Do you want to be?"
She stopped herself from saying yes. Good Lord, this guy was sexy. And much too gorgeous for his own good. No doubt he had trouble finding clothes that fit those broad shoulders and long legs. He probably had problems with women, too. They took one look at him and their clothes accidentally fell off.
Aha! That's what she'd do if he arrested her. She'd offer herself to him as a sacrifice. How noble. How ridiculous. She would never have the nerve.
He finished studying her drawings. "These are actually quite good. I can see how they would be more flattering for a woman with a...more luscious figure."
He really