Page 28 of Shattered Oath
"It's too much."
"It's exactly enough." He crossed the room and pulled me into his arms. "Ready to go?"
"Where's my car?"
"I sent it away. I'm driving you to the airport myself." He grabbed my suitcase—already packed, probably Xavier's doing. "Come on. Your empire awaits."
The drive was quiet. His hand rested possessively on my knee. At the jet, he kissed me—long, slow, thorough.
"There's a surprise waiting at your hotel," he murmured against my lips. "Don't argue. Just enjoy it."
"You're too much."
"I'm exactly enough." He smiled. "Call me when you land, yeah?"
The Milan Centrale Hotel gleamed in the evening light.
I checked into the penthouse suite. The door opened onto luxury—floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Duomo, marble floors, fresh flowers in terracotta pots.
And on the bed, a garment bag.
I unzipped it slowly.
Inside was a dress. Pink satin, cut in a style I recognized immediately—one of my designs from two seasons ago. A piece I'd mentioned once, casually, wishing I'd kept it for myself.
A note was pinned to the hanger.
I remembered you saying you wished you'd kept this one. Good luck with the opening. —F
He'd tracked down one of my own dresses. Found a buyer willing to part with it. Had it delivered here.
I hung the dress carefully in the closet and stood there for a moment, overwhelmed.
Then I texted him:How did you know?
His response came immediately:I have my ways.
The boutique was in crisis.
Meg met me at the door the next morning, her usual composure cracked around the edges.
"We have a problem."
"What kind of problem?"
"The mannequins. They're not here."
I stared at her. "What do you mean? They were supposed to arrive three days ago."
"I know. I called the vendor this morning to confirm delivery, and they said the order was never finalized. Something about a missing signature."
The missing signature. Mine, probably. Some form buried in the chaos of the past two weeks.
"Did you send me the form?"
Meg hesitated. "Before the New York trip. I thought you'd signed it."
I closed my eyes. There had been so many documents. So many details. The form was probably buried in paperwork while I was distracted by Femi.
