Caitlin
When I wake up, I have a terrifying feeling of not knowing where I am. What is this place? Where am I? Is Fiona about to burst into the room?
It takes me a few seconds to remember what happened yesterday, and I sit up straight. Oh my god! It wasn’t a dream.
Yet I’m confused because last night, I wanted Travis so badly, and he knew too. My nipples were hard and pink, and oh god, but there was a wet spot on the cushion from my female essences. Why didn’t he make a move beyond a kiss on the cheek? Is there something wrong with me? When he asked me to come nude and lush to his study, I expected to be ravished. I looked forward to it, even. So why didn’t it happen?
Suddenly, my door opens and Travis steps into the room, his huge figure dark and imposing.
“Oh my god!” I squeal, clutching the covers to my chest. But it’s too late because he’s already gotten a glimpse of my big breasts. I always sleep naked and last night was no exception. He merely grins, his gaze roving over my mussed hair and sleep-flushed cheeks.
“Sweetheart, it’s time to get dressed. I’m taking you shopping.”
“Oh my god, don’t you knock first?” I demand, my heart racing.
He merely smirks.
“Why? This is my house. Besides, you look lovely, like a fairy just arisen from her bed. Now get dressed, baby girl. We have some serious shopping to do.”
Then he exits, closing the door behind him and I stare at the white wall. What the hell? Travis Simpson clearly does whatever he wants, whenever he wants. I slip on a pair of raggedy jeans and a t-shirt I threw into my bag before I fled Fiona’s home. It’s not much, but then again, I don’t have a choice. Slowly, I make my way downstairs where Travis waits in the foyer.
“Petra, my chef, prepared us breakfast sandwiches to eat on the go. You ready to go, sweetheart?”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
Buster runs up and waits for me to pet him, his tail thumping on the wooden floor. I scratch his head for a few seconds, smiling. At least there’s something normal in this house. Then, Travis leads me outside to an attached garage and ushers me into a fancy sports car. It’s so low to the ground that I practically have to kneel to get in, but it’s gorgeous once I’m inside. The seats are sumptuous black leather and there are all sorts of complicated dials and switches, almost as if we’re in a plane’s cockpit.
“You like the McLaren?” he asks with a grin, sliding into the driver’s seat.
“I do,” I breathe. “It’s exquisite.”
We arrive downtown just ten minutes later. It’s amazing how fast things happen with this vehicle, and before I know it, I’m being ushered into a luxurious ladies’ boutique.
“Welcome to Chantecaille!” a young woman sings when we enter. “Please let me know if you need any assistance.”
“We will, thank you,” I murmur.
Travis and I walk further into the store and I’m immediately overwhelmed by the racks of clothing. It’s not that they’re everywhere, it’s that the items are so fancy. There’s lace, tassels, ornate brocade, as well as embroidery and an abundance of fabric flowers. I’ve never seen clothes like this because my wardrobe generally comes from thrift shops and tag sales. I buy at Kmart, and only on sale most of the time.
“I’ll wait over here, sweetheart. Pick out some things, and don’t forget the lingerie,” the billionaire calls.
With that, Travis sits in a guest chair and leaves me to my own devices. Taking a deep breath, I start with the jeans rack, since I already know my size. I pick one pair and check the price tag. The jeans are over three hundred dollars! Are they insane? Who pays that?
With a frown, I put them back on the rack and pick out another pair. These jeans are cheaper, but not by much. They’re a mere $285. Great.
But I have to find something to buy, so I grit my teeth, and pull out a few things. To be honest, I’m not even looking at sizes now. I’m just looking at price tags, and trying to find the cheapest jeans, sweaters, and tops that this store carries.
But once I get to the lingerie section, I feel like I’m going to throw up all over again. However, seeing that this is what I’ll be wearing in my day-to-day life, I choose a red set, a black set, and a blue set. Each one is more money than I’ve ever seen in my life, and again, my jaw clenches. Travis will likely tell me to put one away because these prices are too exorbitant. Even if he has the money, he shouldn’t spend it on these bits of lace.
Yet all the salespeople look so sophisticated. What must they think of this raggedy girl with clothes she clearly can’t afford in her arms? I bet they pity me, guessing that I’m Julia Roberts to Richard Gere’s billionaire in Pretty Woman. And the truth is they wouldn’t be wrong.
I grit my teeth again and my cheeks feel hot. I need to get out of here because this is a travesty. I’m living a farce and feel like I’m going to choke if I don’t get some fresh air.
I return to Travis and flash him a quick smile.
“Okay, I’m ready.”
He looks up from his phone and frowns, looking at the items clutched in my arms. “So soon? Is that all you have? Or did you leave the rest at the counter?”
“What do you mean?”
He squints, looking a bit confused himself.
“It looks like you only have three things. That isn’t nearly enough.”
“Oh no, it’s plenty. I can make do. I always have.”
Travis shakes his head again, those blue eyes filling with realization. “No Caitlin, you don’t have to do that anymore. Money is no object and I want you to pick out a few more items of clothing. Not to mention hats, shoes, and accessories too.”
I gnaw on my lip, shaking my head.
“I promise this is plenty. I don’t need much, I swear.”
Travis merely frowns.
“Remember our agreement? Lingerie only in the house? This isn’t going to be enough because I want to see you decked out, honey, and not re-wearing the same two sets every other day.”
“I’ll do laundry regularly. It’ll be fine, I promise.”
He lets out a huge sigh, running one hand through his black hair, leaving it delightfully rumpled. “Caitlin, do not argue this with me. You are going to pick out more clothing, even if I have to do it myself. Not only that, but I enjoy tearing the lingerie right off of the woman I’m with, so the two snippets of lace you have in your hands are nowhere near enough. Go pick out more things now. And I expect you to select some formalwear too, in addition to the lingerie.”
“Travis…” I protest.
But he ignores me. “And what about a sports bra? Didn’t you say that was on your list for all the jogging you want to do? I don’t see one in your arms.”
Oh shit. I wonder how much athletic wear costs here. It’s probably more than I’ve ever had in my entire life.
“Perhaps we can go somewhere else,” I say quickly. “Somewhere less expensive? There’s no need to spend a fortune on sportswear because you know that stuff gets sweaty and gross in no time.”
Travis stares at me again as if I’ve grown a third head.
“Sweetheart, it is not about the money. I’m not sure how many times I have to say it. You know what I do for a living. You’ve seen my home, and as a result, finances are not something that concern me. I have plenty of cash, and I want to spend it on you.”
I gulp.
“But you said that the problem with the other women was that they expected too much. They wanted expensive gifts, and trinkets, and baubles.”
Travis shakes his head.
“You know, I never thought I’d be in this position, trying to force a girl to buy things for herself. Please spend my money, Caitlin. I want to do this. Please. For me.”
My stomach churns. Does he really mean what he’s saying? Why is he being so generous? A saleswoman swans over at that instant with a bright smile on her face.
“Don’t make me embarrass you,” Travis mock threatens me under his breath as she approaches. The mood broken, I giggle.
“Okay, if that’s what you want me to do, then I’ll do it,” I say. “But I’m not really sure where to start. This isn’t the kind of shop I’m used to.”
“Perfect,” Travis says. The he turns to the saleslady and reads the name-tag on the woman’s chest. “Tessa, would you mind helping Caitlin here? It seems that she doesn’t know how to spend money.”
The girl smiles brightly, her blonde bouffant reminding me a bit of a poodle. “Of course, I’d be more than happy!” Then she looks over at me with a friendly smile. “What are we looking for today?”
Before I can say anything, Travis interrupts. “The full Monty. Caitlin needs a whole new wardrobe, including indoor clothes, outdoor clothes, clothes for the week, for the weekend, et cetera.”
Tessa practically claps her hands with glee. “Well, I can certainly help with that. Come with me, Caitlin.”
I follow the blonde woman towards the back of the store, shooting daggers over my shoulder at Travis. He merely smirks at me and goes back to his phone.
“I like to go from back to front in Chantecaille,” sings Tessa. “Our formalwear is back here. How many outfits are you looking for?”
I’m stumped. How many gowns could I possibly need? “I’m not sure. I guess three or four formal things and five or six casual outfits? I also need lingerie. Now that, I have to get a lot of.”
Tessa clucks. “Lingerie happens to be my specialty. We’ll do that last, though. I always like to match lingerie to outerwear because it gives a woman such a sassy feeling. You know what I’m talking about, right?”
In fact, I don’t, but I smile weakly.
“Sure. I appreciate your help, by the way. As you can tell, I don’t really know what I’m doing.”
“No worries!” Tessa sings. “Shopping can be overwhelming and I’m here to help. So, what kind of formalwear do you prefer? Dresses? Suits?”
Oh shit. Are there actually formal suits?
“I think I’ll be more comfortable in dresses,” I mumble. “But maybe one suit just in case?”
Tessa nods knowingly. “I like how you think. How about colors? Are you a vibrant person or do you keep it subtle?”
“I’m definitely subtle.”
“Perfect.”
The blonde woman flits from rack to rack, throwing various gowns over her arm. There are far more than “a few” outfits here. I’m starting to get worried we’ll be buying the entire boutique.
“Alright, let’s see how these look on you,” Tessa sings, leading me to a private dressing room. “Let’s take a peek, shall we? Then we’ll narrow it down from these.”
I try on a few things and feel oddly pretty, actually. Standing in front of the mirror, the saleslady surveys my figure and clucks with approval.
“Now you do have a nice form, don’t you?” she asks. “Proportioned so well and generous too. These look beautiful on you, darling.”
We end up with four dresses, two formal suits, and a bunch of jeans, sweaters, tops and skirts. I’m happy with the selection and even happier to be nearing the end of this shopping excursion. But oh right. There’s still the lingerie. It’s a little awkward to be looking at such lace fripperies with another woman, but Tessa picks out a dozen sets in various colors of the rainbow, and we’re set. This time when I approach Travis, I’m empty handed, and his eyebrows rise again.
“I’m ready to check out now.”
“Good,” he nods. “Let’s go see what you have.”
I gesture to the heaps of clothing lying next to the cash register, and to my consternation, Travis actually gets up and begins looking through them. The lingerie sets are on top, and he holds up a particularly racy pair of panties.
“No crotch, honey?” he asks, one eyebrow raised at me. “I didn’t know you were into that.”
Immediately, I go cherry red. “Well, um, um …”
He merely chuckles, although there’s a bulge forming at his crotch. Not only that, but I’m getting moist too. OMG, what was Tessa thinking? But I can’t blame her because I know I slipped that pair into the pile myself.
The handsome billionaire merely puts down the panties with another knowing grin and takes out his credit card.
“We’ll take it all,” he announces, and just like that, it’s done. The numerous bags are loaded into the car, and there are so many that a few packages will have to be directly delivered to the mansion. As I get into the McLaren, I cast a sideways glance at Travis.
“Thank you for everything,” I murmur.
He smiles, but then shoots me a look so hot that I gasp.
“Don’t mention it. Just remember, darling, that everything has a price. These pretty clothes? They’re nothing compared to what you’ll be giving me.”
I blush because Travis’s words leave no doubt. He wants my body, and the truth is that now, I want to share my curves with him.