Love Thy Neighbor (7 page)

“Anything to help a lovely lady in need.” He smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling up.

God, everything about him made her think of sex. In her mind she was already running her hands over his hard body, kissing his neck, her tongue teasing his earlobe and—
Stop it.
She kept her eyes on him and her head out of the gutter. “You’re serious about making my ex jealous?”

“If that would make you happy, I’d be happy to oblige.”

She thought about Lori and Ned’s wedding coming up. If she walked in there with Dallas, Matthew’s jaw would hit the floor. It wouldn’t matter who his date was, he’d be completely focused on Nikki and Dallas. It was kind of perfect.

“Well,” Nikki said, hesitantly, “if you’re really serious about helping, I do have something coming up. It’s a wedding. Two of our closest friends, and, well—”

“Great. When is it?”

She bit down on her lip. “Saturday night. I know it’s really short notice and you probably already have plans, but…”

He placed two fingers over her lips to quiet her. Her entire body tingled at his touch.

“Nikki, would you like me to be your date?”

“Oh, would you?” Everything inside her filled with anticipation. “Matthew’s bringing someone and it’s killing me.”

“Saturday night, huh?”

“I know—I know, you probably have a date or something.”

He held up a finger again and reached for his cell, punching in a set of numbers. “Hey, mate, yeah it’s me… Listen, I have to take a pass on Saturday. Yeah, everything’s cool. Something came up…” He looked at Nikki and winked. “No worries. We’re good. Catch you later.” He clicked off his phone and set it on the counter. “So Nikki Norris, it looks like I’m taking you to a wedding Saturday night.”

Chapter Seven

Dallas wrapped his shoot for the day and signed a slew of release forms for his crew and the models to take back to their agencies. One of the girls wanted to stay and hang out, but he told her he had plans. And he did. Nikki was coming by to do her walk-through with him. He was excited about the prospect of having a real home, where he could turn a corner and turn off all the work crap from the day. But in truth, he was more excited about seeing Nikki again. Ridiculously excited.

There was something about her that put him at ease, made him feel comfortable. She wasn’t like the other women he knew. Those women were aggressive, always angling for their next gig, their next rescue, their next fuck. They saw what they wanted and they pounced. He could never quite get why they were so sure they wanted him when they didn’t even know him. Didn’t know a damn thing about him. Beyond a quick shag here and there, he wanted nothing to do with those types. They saw him as a means to boost their careers, boost their egos. Those types of women were a real turn-off.

But not Nikki. She was refreshing, different. Reserved, even a little self-deprecating, which he didn’t fully understand. Why would a woman as accomplished and stunning as Nikki Norris be so consumed with self-doubt? All he could think was that her ex-fiancé was to blame, and that pissed him off. Made him want to reverse all the damage that little arse had done to her.

Nikki was a nice, sweet girl, and despite what she said about wanting Matthew to realize what he gave up, Dallas knew she was helplessly in love with the little wanker, who didn’t deserve her in the first place. It was easy for him to say that she’d dodged a bullet by not marrying the guy, but still, he knew it would be hard for her to walk into a wedding and watch her friends get married while her ex-fiancé was there with another woman. Just the thought of that insensitive, inconsiderate fuck doing that to her made Dallas’s blood boil. So if Nikki wanted to make her ex jealous, he’d be only too glad to make that happen.

It killed him that Matthew had actually made Nikki believe she was boring. Not only was she the furthest thing from being a boring woman, she had no idea how beautiful and sexy she was. How sensual she could be.

Now that he’d met the great Matthew, he doubted Nikki had ever been with a man who knew how to satisfy her. If she weren’t so blindly in love with her ex, and if he thought she could handle it, he would love to be the man to show her what she was made of.

When she came over the other morning, he noticed her eyes light up as she roamed from room to room, her head spinning with ideas and inspiration. She was passionate about her work. That was obvious. But he could also tell that there was a whole lot of untapped passion lodged inside her. She had no idea how much power she packed in that tight, curvy body of hers that she always kept covered up. Thinking about her like that got him going, his jeans growing tighter by the minute, his balls giving off that ache, that need.

He knew he had to shake it off before she showed up, so he went into his office and tried to shift gears. He sorted through his emails, responded to a few clients, and ignored half a dozen notes from women he’d met here and there. There was a new email from his brother:

Troy—Don’t know if you got my messages but I’ve been trying to reach you for the past two weeks. I really need to talk to you. It’s about mom. It’s important. Call me or email me back. Cliff.

Dallas deleted the email and began studying some photographs of glaciers in McMurdo. Black-and-whites, taken in 1934. The ice shelf was massive back then, and sadly he knew that the majority of it was gone now.

Glancing at the clock, he noted it was almost half past seven. Nikki had said she’d come by half an hour ago. He studied a few more photographs, made some notes, and finally at a quarter to eight, he went across the hall and knocked on her door to make sure she was okay.

“Oh no,” she said, answering the door, “I’m so sorry. I lost all track of time.” She wore a sack-like dress that looked two sizes too big on her.

“What’s going on? What’s the problem?”

Nikki slapped her hands to her sides. “Jenna was supposed to come over and help me pick out something to wear to the wedding, only she has to work late and so I’ve been trying to find something—”

“Whose dress is that?”

“What do you mean
whose
dress? It’s mine.”

“Yours? It’s huge on you. You can’t wear that.”

She pushed her hair up off her forehead. “It is? Maybe if I belt it?” She gathered the excess fabric at her waist.

“No. Not a good look.” He shook his head. “Listen, do you want to really knock this guy’s socks off Saturday night? You really want to show him what he’s missing?”

She nodded earnestly, her big brown eyes pulling him in.

He reached for his mobile and punched out a number. “Hey, babe, yeah it’s me… Listen, would you mind keeping the shop open a bit later tonight… Yeah, I’m coming by with a special customer… Thanks, Lana. I owe you one.” He turned off his phone and tucked it back in his pocket. “Put on some clothes that fit and come with me.”

“Where are we going?”

“Shopping.”

…

Twenty minutes later, Nikki walked down Oak Street with Dallas at her side. She never shopped on Oak Street. All the designer shops and froufrou boutiques were too rich for her blood. Not that she wouldn’t spend that kind of money on linens and fluffy bath towels, or the right picture frame or throw pillow—now that was a different story. She suspected that they’d turn onto a side street soon, hitting one of the discount stores like Marshalls or T.J.Maxx.

When she saw that Dallas was taking her into a chic boutique whose name she couldn’t quite pronounce, she stopped on the sidewalk, a ball of panic forming in her gut. “You don’t understand, Dallas. I can’t shop in there. I’m broke right now. I can’t afford clothes in a place like this.”

He studied her for a moment, then his handsome mouth broke into a broad smile. “Don’t worry about it. If you’re good, I’ll let you work it off in trade.” He held the door for her and gestured her inside with a sweep of his arm.

A rail-thin woman with bony cheeks and silver hair pulled back in a severe bun greeted them at the door. She threw her arms around Dallas, then turned to Nikki and held out her hand like she had water dripping off her fingertips.

“Lana, this is Nikki Norris. Lana here has got impeccable taste.”

“Oh, no. No,” Lana said pointing a lacquered finger at Dallas’s chest. “He’s the one. He has the impeccable taste here, not me.”

Nikki stood there, unsure of what to do. But Dallas clapped his hands once and rubbed them together. “Okay, Lana, show us what you’ve got for a Saturday night wedding.” He turned and looked at Nikki, squinting one eye as if sizing her up. “We need something elegant, tasteful but still sexy. I’m thinking something along the lines of a classic little black dress.”

Lana smiled. “What size are you, dear?”

Nikki shook her head. “I don’t know if you’d even have anything in here to fit me. I’m a big girl.”

“Trust me, you’re not a big girl.” Lana disappeared and came back out a few minutes later pushing a rack of black dresses. She held them up one at a time while Dallas assessed each one.

“Too long… Too bulky… Too much beading…” He turned to Nikki and shrugged. “What can I tell you, I’m a fashion shooter. This is what
I
do. You know how to dress a room, I know how to dress a woman.”

And no doubt undress them, too.

He sorted through the rack and weeded out about six or seven dresses for Nikki to try on, and Lana showed her to a fitting room that was all chrome and mirrors.

Nikki held one of the quilted-hangered dresses beneath her chin. There was no way this was going to fit her. She was certain of it. She sat in the chair with her elbows on her knees and gazed at herself in the three-way mirror through a splay of fingers until she heard a knock on the door.

“Hey, what’s going on in there?” Dallas’s accent still caught in her chest, making her swoon each time he spoke. “Let’s have a look at you,” he said.

“I’m sorry.” She opened the door a crack. “These dresses, they’re gorgeous and you’re so sweet to bring me here, but these aren’t me.”

“Are you sure about that?” He raised an eyebrow and dipped his strong chin. “You’re absolutely positive?”

“I’ve never worn something like this. Like any of these.”

“Maybe it’s about time you did.” He stepped inside the fitting room. With two fingers he reached over and raised her chin, making her eyes meet his. “Do you think I’d try to make you look foolish? Trust me. I know what I’m doing here. Okay?”

Something in the way he said that made her nod, though she had no real basis for trusting him. She’d known him for what, about a minute?

“Just try one of those dresses on,” he said again, moving his fingers from beneath her chin to the side of her face.

Nikki’s heart about sprang from her chest.

Ever so slightly, he leaned in like he wanted to kiss her when suddenly Lana knocked on the door. “How are you doing in here?”

“We’re fine, Lana,” Dallas said.

Nikki’s pulse raced as she tried to recover from their near kiss.
What was that all about?
Had she imagined it? He was still looking at her, and she was lusting for him with every fiber of her being.

“Trust me. Try one of those on,” he said, stepping out of the fitting room, closing the door behind him.

Reluctantly, Nikki wiggled out of her baggy jeans and blouse before slipping on one of the slinky black numbers. At first she didn’t think it would close, but then she got the zipper up and saw that it hugged every inch of her body. She turned to the left and to the right, placing one hand over her flat stomach and smoothing the other one over her hips. She was sure it looked terrible, but she was just grateful she got the damn thing zipped.

Timidly she stepped out of the dressing room. “Well? I told you, this isn’t me.”

Lana’s stern face broke into a smile.

Dallas stepped to Nikki’s side, twirled her around. “You’re kidding me,” he said. “Look at yourself.” He pointed toward the mirror. “You have to stop hiding that amazing body of yours.”

“Please don’t make fun of me.”

“Nikki.” He turned her by the shoulders, making her look him in the eye. “I’m not making fun of you. I’m dead serious. Look at your legs, woman. You’d bring any man to his knees.”

She wanted to believe that she was attractive and enchanting, but everything inside her sagged. It was like Matthew was standing there in front of her rattling off all her shortcomings: You can’t tell a joke. You can’t carry a tune. You can’t dance. You can’t stick to your diet.
You can’t, you can’t, you can’t.

Dallas placed his hands on her waist and this time turned her toward the mirror. “Look at yourself, Nikki. Just look…”

Nikki gazed at the length of her body in the mirror. It honestly wasn’t as awful as she thought it would be. Maybe all that running had made a difference, but still, she felt like she’d been stuffed into a sausage casing. And even though she’d managed to fit into that tiny dress, she still felt supersize.

“Lana, what do have in the way of shoes?”

Lana pulled out a dozen boxes of stilettos, platforms, and strappy sandals, and when Nikki saw the price on one of the boxes, she almost choked.
$675.

Six dress changes later, the three of them agreed that the second Ted Baker dress was the way to go, along with the Stuart Weitzman pumps. Dallas plunked down an American Express card like it was nothing and when Nikki began to protest, he said, “I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t want to.”

Nikki thanked him, thinking that was the end of their excursion, but after Lana’s boutique, Dallas made another cell call.

“Hey, babe, yeah it’s me…”

Babe?
Was every woman “babe” to him?

“Listen, can you squeeze in a last-minute cut? Yes, tonight… I know it’s getting late, babe, but I’ll make it up to you…” He hung up and flexed his index finger motioning her over. “Come with me, Nikki Norris.”

They headed up to Old Town to a posh condo on Goethe and Wells. Another chic-looking woman with very short auburn hair answered the door. “Come. Come. I haf been vaiting for you.”

Dallas introduced her to Ivana, who spoke with an accent Nikki couldn’t place. Her apartment was spacious, with a very industrial feel to it. She practically had an entire salon inside.