dressed

Ask and you shall receive! I've had tons of readers requesting more of Virginia's journey, so here we go! More to come, but here is a teaser for you!!

I stumbled into the penthouse amid a rustle of shopping bags and tissue paper, barely keeping my balance as I shoved my shopping haul through the elevator doors. I had spent the better part of the day putting another dent in the new credit card Derrick had given me, filling out my wardrobe as well as decorating the penthouse to reflect my personality, and I was finally ready to kick my heels off and settle in with dinner and a glass of wine.

Just as soon as I could swim my way out from among all the bags. I let loose a string of curses as my foot got tangled in the handle of a bag and I dropped my purse as I struggled to get free.

"Need a hand, Virginia?"

The cool, smooth voice trickled down my spine as fear registered for a split second, freezing me to the core while simultaneously lighting a fire between my thighs and making me gasp in alarm at the sensations.

My head shot up to find the intruder in my house, although my body was already humming with recognition. Luc was leaning against the sofa table, watching me struggle unceremoniously through my self-inflicted labyrinth of bags, his face passive as he made no move to extend the hand he had just offered.

I noticed he was swirling a glass of red wine around in his hand as he spoke as well, and my eyes darted to the kitchen counter where I spotted the open bottle. I huffed out a sigh, shaking my head.

How long has he been here?

"I got it, thanks." I replied flippantly, extracting myself from the mess and stepping aside to take off my shoes. I leaned against the wall by the elevators as I hooked a finger in one strappy sandal, then the other, pulling them from my feet slowly as I watched Luc watching me and we seemed to size each other up in the dim light filtering from the kitchen.

"Have you been here long?" I asked, my voice sounding breathier than I intended, probably from the physical altercation against a dozen boutique bags, definitely not from the proximity of this gorgeous, mysterious, powerful man.

Luc shook his head slowly, his gaze never leaving mine as he took a long sip of wine and licked his lips.

I watched, mesmerized, imagining the feel of those luscious lips as I groped for something else to say, but he beat me to it.

"I need your services tonight, Virginia," Luc said softly, his emphasis on the word services making my legs tremble with anticipation, my feet rooting to the spot as he pushed himself off the sofa table he had been leaning against and started stalking towards me across the room.

I swallowed thickly, trying to maintain professionalism as I searched for my voice.

Why does this man make me so nervous?

Luc stopped right in front of me, his left hand in his pocket, right hand still swirling that glass of red wine. His emerald green eyes bored into my soul as he considered me for a moment, my dark hair falling free around my shoulders, chest rising and falling frantically as I fought to keep my breathing steady. He lifted the glass to his lips again and drank deeply, finishing the glass and lowering it again as I watched the deep red liquid clinging to his lips before his tongue swept out to smooth it away.

"What do you need from me?" I asked, my voice still a breathy, sultry thing as I tried to keep it sounding casual and failed.

Luc leaned closer, his head cocking to one side thoughtfully as he reached out to grasp a lock of my hair between his fingers, twirling it for a moment before tugging lightly, his lips quirking in a half smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Your company," he said simply, his words washing over me with so much promise I almost panted with need, before he promptly stepped back and sauntered towards the kitchen, where I saw his sleek black suit jacket draped over the back of one of the lucite bar stools. I fell into step behind him, curiously searching his features for any trace of a hint as to what "my company" would mean to him.

"Where are we going?" I asked, mentally taking inventory of my closet and the things I had bought today, wondering if I would get to wear one of my new outfits so soon. "What should I wear?"

Luc was pouring himself another glass of wine, having already poured a glass I presumed was for me. He held it out to me, gesturing to his right as he did so, and my eyes followed the gesture to land on the garment bag hanging in the door frame of my bedroom down the hall.

"I took the liberty of choosing an ensemble for you," Luc explained. "I didn't know if you'd have any thing appropriate."

I arched an eyebrow at his tone. I might be young, but fashion is one thing I don't struggle with. I could dress for anything from a picnic to a movie premiere and everything in between.

"I'm sure I could manage," I quipped, taking the wine and swigging some down.

Luc inclined his head minutely, his face a blank mask as he studied me.

"Maybe so. I couldn't risk it." He looked at the sleek watch on his wrist, then looked at me again. "You'd better get dressed. We need to leave soon."

I nodded, finishing my glass of wine in a couple more gulps and leaving the glass on the counter as I turned to head down the hall. As I plucked the garment bag off the door, I noticed a shoebox on the floor as well.

He thought of everything.

Turning into the room with the bag, I vaguely thought of the pile of bags I had left by the elevators. I guess they'll have to wait; duty calls.

As I carried the garment bag into my room and carefully spread it on the bed, I wondered mildly about Luc's tastes. Would it be an elegant evening gown with a sweeping train? A sleek black cocktail dress? God forbid a pant suit?

But as I lowered the zipper and let the outfit be revealed to me, my heart jumped into my throat and a startled gasp left me as I realized just how far off I had been about Luc... and this job.

Cherry red leather crisscrossed down the length of what could loosely be described as a dress, although with the entire thing on I still wouldn't feel the least bit dressed.

There were delicate silver buckles placed strategically all over, and the leather crossed the chest in an increasingly intricate pattern to create the tiniest cups I had ever seen, which I assumed would be covering my nipples. There was a similar crisscross at the apex of the thighs. Longer pieces trailed like a skirt, and it looked like it would actually be quite pretty. But I couldn't help wondering if this was a test.

Either way, I wasn't one to back down.

I glanced at the closed bedroom door and then back to the outfit on the bed. With a deep breath I shrugged out of my clothes and underwear and started working the leather straps over my head.

After a good bit of wiggling in front of the floor length mirror, I had it in place and all the buckles adjusted to my frame, and I was fastening the six inch stiletto heels onto my feet when Luc called to me from the hallway.

"Almost ready!" I called through the closed door, straightening up and examining the finished product in the mirror and adding in a murmur, "Although ready for what, I don't know..."

The dress hugged my curves like artwork painted solely for my body. The leather straps had warmed against my skin until they felt like a part of me where they swirled across my stomach and met in braided, twisted points to conceal my most private bits from sight, but even with the small points of coverage I wasn't able to wear anything beneath it.

I felt like a combination of a porn star and a warrior Princess as I grabbed my black leather clutch and stuffed my phone inside, then pulled open the bedroom door. Peeking into the hallway I didn't see any sign of Luc, so I took a steadying breath and started down the hall toward the living room where I could hear his voice. It sounded like he had just requested a car to be pulled around for us.

I rounded the corner just as he was putting his phone away and he froze as I came into view. I held my breath as his deep emerald gaze swept over me from head to toe and back again, and I watched his throat bob seductively as he swallowed hard. He schooled his expression in an instant, nodding once as his eyes lingered on the exposed skin of my thighs complemented perfectly by the deep red shade of the leather I wore.

"Luc, are you sure this is appropriate—" I began cautiously, but Luc cut me off immediately.

"It's perfect," he said simply, reaching behind him to pick up a floor length, velvet wrap dress that perfectly matched the leather I wore, and holding it open for me. "But it's also cold, so here."

I stepped into it gratefully, glad to have a bit more coverage, at least until we reached our destination, and I shivered as Luc's fingers brushed my exposed skin.

I took a step back to fasten the sash on the dress, watching Luc from under my eyelashes as he shrugged into his coat and adjusted it perfectly. When we were both ready he hit the elevator button and glanced my way with a mischievous smirk which I answered with a questioning look of my own.

"I hope you're really up for everything this job requires, Virginia," Luc said lightly as we stepped into the elevator. "Because you're about to see the kind of work I do for Galloway, Inc., and it's a little different than Derrick and the others."

My brow furrowed at that announcement, and I was just about to ask what he meant, when the elevator started moving up, instead of down, and before I could even process anything else we were stepping out into the wind of the rooftop where a chopper with Galloway, Inc. branding was waiting for us.

"Woah," I breathed, freezing for a moment.

Luc's hand found my elbow and he steered me forward, gesturing for me to climb in before him, but I hesitated at the door, turning to search his face for a moment. I felt crazy, dressed like this, and about to get in a chopper with a man I had barely even met, to go god knows where. I knew agreeing to this job would be a challenge, but this seemed downright reckless.

But as I turned to say something to Luc about my apprehension, his emerald green eyes found mine with a devilish grin and they spoke of a dare that awakened my inner adrenaline junkie.

"Where are we going?" I breathed as he leaned close to buckle me in.

Luc didn't answer right away as he concentrated on my seat harness and then his own, but when he finished and grabbed his headset, he shot me another mischievous look before shrugging and saying, "Vegas."

My eyebrows disappeared behind my bangs as my response froze on my lips and the chopper started to lift off.

I didn't know much about Vegas, but I knew the ultra prestigious Galloway gentleman's club had a Vegas location... and judging by my outfit, we were headed that way.