Tearing Down Walls (Love Under Construction Series Book 2) (50 page)

“Come with me.” Vic led her to a support column in the middle of the department. It was huge and square and had full-length mirrors on each of its sides. He stood her in front of one of them and looked over her shoulder. “Look in that mirror. What do you see?”

Laura looked at herself. “I see me.”

Vic put a hand on each of her hips and looked her reflection in the eye. “I see a beautiful, voluptuous, statuesque woman who has no idea what kind of effect she has on me. Inside that woman there’s poetry and music and sunshine and butterflies. I see the you that you really are, not the woman hiding behind baggy clothes and a lousy haircut. That woman, the one who’s hiding, afraid of who she really is? I plan to put her in her place and drive her out. Now here,” he said, handing her a whole armload of clothes, “get in there and try all of this stuff on. I want to see all of them when you have them on. And if it doesn’t fit like that dress, you’re not getting it.”

Laura spent all morning trying on things that Vic brought to her. About two-thirds of it made the cut. The clerk took their purchases to customer service so they didn’t have to carry them around, and then Vic took Laura’s hand and pulled her out into the mall. They walked right by the sporting goods store chain where she’d always bought her clothes and on down the concourse. Vic steered her into a jewelry store and, after about thirty minutes, they left with diamond earrings, a necklace, a bracelet, and a watch that wasn’t a sports watch. Laura thought it looked funny on her arm. On the way out he added an ankle bracelet. She was starting to get nervous. And what was he expecting from her in return for all of this?

Three more stores down, he dragged her into a shoe store. Vic stood for a minute, thinking about the clothes they’d bought at the department store, and picked out a half-dozen pairs of shoes to match the clothes. Four of the six were heels. Laura decided he was possessed. “Are you kidding? I can’t walk in those things.”

“You’ll learn to wear them and like them. They’ll make you feel very, very sexy. And when you’ve learned to wear them, I’ll buy you some nice ones, designer.” He smiled, and she frowned. Sexy? Nah. This wasn’t going at all like she’d thought it might. “Come on.”

He led her across the concourse into a trendy shop and bought her three pairs of embellished jeans and some cute, fun tops to wear with them. Then he told her, “One more stop.”

They went another two hundred feet and stopped. “Yep. This will be my favorite part of this trip.”

Laura balked. “Okay, this is just too much. I can’t do this,” she said, setting back on her heels and stopping cold.

“Yes, you can and you will. Come on and don’t make a scene. I promise, if you’ll do this, you’ll be glad you did. Let’s go.” Vic dragged her into the large lingerie store, found a sales associate, and said, “She needs to be fitted. Sexy but not too much cleavage. And panties to match. Make sure those fit too,” he told the girl, who looked shocked that a man would come into the store and be so specific. “Look around,” he told Laura, “Pick out something that you like and she can get you the right size.” Laura wandered around while Vic talked to the sales associate. She could tell that he was saying something about her to the young woman, who couldn’t have been more than twenty, and the girl nodded and smiled.

“Find anything?” she asked Laura.

“This is pretty,” Laura said, holding up a pale pink bra, the lower half of the cups covered in mint green lace. She glanced over at Vic, who was holding up a pink and black bra, and he smiled and raised his eyebrows at her choice. Laura wanted to smile back but it was just too awkward.

“Let’s get you fitted,” the clerk told Laura. “What size are you wearing now?”

“Um, a 36C?” Laura told her.

The girl pulled two bras out. “Here – try this one on and let me see how it fits.”

Laura panicked. This girl would see all of her scars, and what would she think? Laura glanced over at Vic, who motioned with his eyes for her to go in and do as the girl had asked. She stepped into the dressing room and pulled her shirt over her head. The maze of scars greeted her there, and she froze. They were thick and scary. Was Vic right? Had she been hiding behind them all this time? After she’d taken off her bra, careful to not look at herself in the mirror, she picked up the bra the girl had handed her and put it on. It fit just like every other bra she’d ever bought. “Decent?” the girl asked her.

When Laura opened the door, the girl stepped in and stifled a gasp as Laura turned. She was trying hard not to stare at Laura’s chest, but that was where she was supposed to be looking, and Laura could tell that she was very, very uncomfortable. From out of nowhere, Laura looked the girl square in the eyes and said in a clear voice, “I got these in service to my country.
Your
country.”

And just like that, the young woman smiled. “Wow! My brother did two deployments to Iraq. It takes a lot to serve like that, so thanks. You guys are my heroes.” She looked sheepish, then told Laura, “Now, let me look at this.”

Something strong and sweet took root deep in Laura’s chest, and she locked eyes with the girl. “So, does this thing fit right?”

“Nope. Here’s the other one. I’ll turn my back. Tell me when you have it on and I’ll check it.” Laura took off the first one and put the second one on.

When she looked back into the mirror, she was shocked. Her breasts looked full and plump, and she had some cleavage – not a lot, just enough. “Look! What about this?” she asked the clerk.

“Oh, now that’s more like it!” the girl grinned. “That’s a 34D. It’s your actual size. Let me go and get the one you picked out and you can try it on.” She came back with the bra and the panties and told Laura to try them on over her own.

With her back to the mirror, Laura slipped on the bra and panties, then turned to look and gasped. “Can you come in here?” she called to the young woman.

“Sure. So how do they . . . oh, my!” the girl exclaimed as she caught sight of Laura. “Your boyfriend’s really going to like those!” Laura turned scarlet. “I think he’s picked out more. Let me go get them and you can try all of them on.” Then she smiled at Laura. “You are so lucky. He’s soooooo hot!” she whispered, then turned and left Laura in the dressing room.

Laura took another look at herself, and she had to admit that she was starting to see what Vic was talking about. There was a woman under all that camouflage she’d been wearing for so long. When the clerk brought the other bras and panties in, Laura tried them on and was almost excited to see how they looked. They made her feel like a lady, like she was pretty. They made her feel . . . sexy? Was that possible? She couldn’t help but smile to herself there in the dressing room where her self-respect and appreciation for who she was had started to flourish.

When she came out, she had six bras and panties to match. After Vic had paid for them, they walked out into the mall concourse. Laura looked up at Vic. “What were you saying to that girl?”

“I told her I brought you there because they had a reputation for being very professional,” he said, as serious as she’d ever seen him.
He made sure she treated me with respect,
she thought.
No one’s ever done anything like that for me.
Laura took a deep breath. “Can we go somewhere and talk?”

“Sure!” Vic said, taking her hand. “What’s up?”

“I’ve got something I need to ask you.” She needed a stiff glass of liquid courage, and when they strolled into a chain restaurant with a bar, she headed straight for a booth with Vic in tow.

After the bartender brought their drinks, Vic asked, “Okay, what is this you need to ask me?”

“I wondered . . .” She stopped.

“Yeah?” he asked.

“Can I get some makeup? And get my hair done?”

Now Vic was excited, and it showed. “Sure! Let’s see what we can do. I take it you enjoyed our little shopping trip?”

Laura shook her head. “Not at first. I didn’t want to do this. But, you know, I think you might be right.”

“I’m sorry – can I get that in writing?” Vic snickered.

“Be serious here!” she cried, and he tried to stifle his laughter. “I mean, when you said the real me was hiding in there.”

“What made you decide that?”

“I looked in the mirror and realized that I
have
been hiding behind those scars. I don’t want to do that anymore. So thanks,” she said, finishing her drink.

“You’re welcome. And I’m looking forward to seeing you model the things we bought at the last stop.” He gave her a smoky look from under his brows and her throat tightened. Vic finished his drink and stood. “Let’s get out of here and see if we can find a salon that’s open. And for the makeup? I think you should ask Nikki to help you with that. I don’t know anything about makeup, just the colors of lipstick I like.”

“Wow – I found something about women that you
don’t
know! How do you know so much about clothes and lingerie?”

His face took on a serious expression. “I’m Italian
and
a Dominant, remember? Taking care of a woman is what I do. Not to mention that I know what I like, and I like you. I’m not trying to change you; I’m trying to set you free,” he said as they walked.

Laura remembered him saying that to her before, and this was what he meant. She already felt freer. And it was a good feeling.

Is that bitch who I think she is?,
she stewed to herself as she watched from the doorway of the sporting goods store down the mall.
Uh-uh, no. She’s gotta go.

“Don’t take too much off. Just shape it up,” Vic told the stylist.

Laura looked at herself in the mirror. “I think some highlights would look great on you, honey,” the bleach blond wielding the scissors told her.

Laura looked at Vic. “I don’t care, sweetie. But remember, that’s something you’ll have to maintain. Are you sure that’s something you want to do?”

“Hmmm. I don’t think so.” She stared at herself in the mirror. “Do
you
think it would look good with highlights?”

Vic got up, walked over to her, and leaned down to her ear. “Baby, your hair is beautiful already. That’s up to you, but to me, it’s like liquid chocolate.” When he pulled back, he gave her a smile that made her pulse quicken.

“I don’t think I want to do that,” she said to the stylist, but inside she was smiling.
If Vic thinks my hair is like liquid chocolate, I’m leaving it just like it is!

“Nikki? Can you help me with something?” Laura asked when the little blond answered the phone.

“I will if I can. Whatcha need?”

“Can you help me pick out some makeup? I have no idea what I’m doing.” Vic was trying hard not to grin just listening to Laura’s side of the conversation as he was driving.

“Sure! Love to! When do you want to do this?” Nikki didn’t want to give Laura time to change her mind.

“Whenever. The sooner the better.” Now Vic couldn’t hold the smile in anymore.

“We can do it this evening. There’s a drugstore on our side of Frankfort. Wanna meet there?”

“Yes! Oh, thank you so much! I appreciate it.” Laura was beyond excited. It had been a long time since she’d done anything with a girlfriend – almost twenty years. “Oh, and Nikki?”