A knock on her open office door made her jump and jarred her out of her troubling thoughts. She turned around to find Mona sauntering into the room, her eyes alight with curiosity as she glanced from the box on her desk to the still unopened garment bag behind Liz.
"Hey, what's with the special delivery?" Mona asked unabashedly.
It figured that Mona had witnessed the courier's arrival and had shamelessly come over to snoop, Liz thought with amusement. "It's from Steve." Tucking the card back into the envelope, she slipped the private, intimate note into the top drawer of her desk. "Tonight's the big night."
Mona's gaze widened in understanding. "The two of you are going to one of the fantasy parties?"
"Yes." Liz gave her friend a brief rundown of the events of the past few days in terms of the case, and her finally inviting Steve to the private party. "I'm pretty sure Steve sent me over an outfit to wear for tonight."
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Mona said with an encouraging grin. "Let's see what kind of taste Steve has when it comes to dressing a woman."
"Yes, let's," Liz agreed, just as anxious to see what the garment bag hid.
Unzipping the front closure, she pushed the sides apart. She and Mona gasped in unison as she revealed a beautiful, dazzling red dress unlike anything she had ever owned before.
"Oh, wow," Liz murmured, and grinned, recalling Steve's preference to the color red on a woman, over classic black.
" 'Wow' is right. You have to try this on so I can see it on you," Mona insisted.
And Liz supposed she ought to make sure that the dress actually fit. "I'll be right back," she said, and took the outfit to the employee restroom located in the back of the storage area.
Minutes later, she was staring at her transformed reflection in the small mirror above the sink, which only allowed her to see to where the hemline of the dress ended, just above the knee. But it was enough to confirm that the little red dress did indeed fit, from the deep, V-halter neckline that shaped her breasts and left her entire back bare, to the flattering empire waist that hinted at her curves but didn't blatantly display them. The hemline was flared, and swirled around her hips and thighs when she walked or turned.
She'd planned to wear something from Valerie's closet but was secretly thrilled at what Steve had chosen for her. She'd never worn anything so decadent and sensual, never had any reason to, and couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so sexy and confident in an outfit. It was a novel sensation, one she couldn't help but like and enjoy despite the circumstances.
With one last look in the mirror, she headed back to her office, where Mona was anxiously awaiting her return.
A huge grin lit up her face when she saw Liz. "You look amazing, and I'm so impressed. Steve Wilde certainly has great taste."
Liz twirled around so Mona could see the outfit from all angles. "And apparently, a good eye for my size," she added with a light laugh, though it helped that the dress wasn't a form-fitting sheath but loose and flirty from the waist down. The only thing that was snug was the halter-top-style bodice, which displayed a fair amount of cleavage.
"He's obviously seen enough of you in the buff to make a fairly close judgment call on what would fit your shape." Mona waggled her brows teasingly. "Shall we take a look at what's in box number two?"
Liz slipped off the ribbon and bow, feeling giddy, like a young girl who was being spoiled with such lavish birthday presents. Except it wasn't her birthday, and that made this unexpected surprise, and Steve's attention, so much more special and memorable.
Tossing the box top aside, Liz parted the pale pink tissue paper and felt her body flash hot at the all-red, provocative ensemble she discovered. She fingered the edge of a satin-and-lace garter belt that came with nude silk stockings, and felt her body stir with desire when she caught sight of the sheer, barely there panties with convenient side ties-the only thing that held the scrap of fabric together. There was no bra, but the dress he'd bought for her didn't require one.
"Oh, my," Mona said, and lifted her gaze from the sexy lingerie to Liz. "Steve certainly went all out, didn't he?"
Liz could only nod, overwhelmed by Steve's generosity. "He even included a matching purse. The only thing missing to complete the outfit is a pair of red strappy shoes."
"Which screams for the two of us to go shopping this afternoon." Mona grinned. "I've got an extra employee at the bookstore who can handle things for a couple of hours; how about you?"
She owned an old pair of red leather pumps, but she refused to ruin the effect of the striking outfit Steve had sent her with a staid pair of shoes. "Yeah, I can wing it." Besides, she'd rather be out shopping than sitting here in her office worrying and growing increasingly nervous about tonight's party.
"And while we're out, let's get your hair and nails done, too," Mona suggested, her eyes bright with anticipation. "I'm guessing Steve spent a small fortune on everything, and you can't wear a head-turning dress like this and not look the part of a sexy siren."
Mona's comment was made innocently and out of pure excitement, but Liz felt a moment's hesitation at the realization of how much Steve had spent on her. For once, she ignored that sensible little voice in her head and refused to think about the cost of Steve's gift. This was one present she'd accept from him guilt-free, because she wanted so badly to look and be the part of a seductive, sophisticated woman who'd captured his interest.
Tomorrow the fairy tale would be over, but for tonight, she'd be his every fantasy.
Steve couldn't take his gaze off of the gorgeous, breathtaking woman sitting next to him in the backseat of the limousine as their chauffeur drove them to the Ultimate Fantasy mansion, located in an exclusive area of Lincoln Park.
She quite literally took his breath away.
When he'd chosen the red dress for Liz to wear, he'd imagined she would look stunning, but he was unprepared for the full effect of the dress, combined with artfully applied makeup that enhanced her green eyes yet didn't overwhelm her pretty features, along with the way she'd worn her hair. Her blond tresses were swept up into a soft, sensual style that showed off her neck and the line of her jaw and gave him access to plenty of bare flesh-from her shoulders all the way down to the base of her spine. Then there were those red, sexy strappy heels she was wearing that made her stocking-clad legs look impossibly long and slender.
But for as centerfold-seductive as she looked, it was the sweet, wholesome, down-to-earth woman beneath all the outer trappings who drew him the most, and always would. And as her gaze met his in the dimly lit interior in the backseat of the limo, he could tell she was nervous about what the night would bring.
He picked up her hand, those red, polished nails of hers turning him on, and sought to distract her with other things, like how taken he was with her. "You look absolutely amaz-ing."
A blush swept across her cheeks, matching the glossy shade of red she was wearing on her lips. "Thank you… for the compliment and everything else."
Grinning, he stroked his thumb along the pulse in her wrist. "You're welcome, for the compliment and everything else."
He winked at her, telling her without words that he knew exactly what "everything else" applied to: the outfit and lingerie he'd sent to her. Although the partition between them and the driver was raised, there was no telling if anyone was listening in on their conversation; therefore, they still needed to keep things low-key.
He splayed his palm on her knee and playfully fingered the hem of her dress. "Mind if I take a peek at everything else?" he asked shamelessly.