"Relax, Callie, it's going to be fun."
Callie sat in the passenger seat of Daniel's Lexus, tugging at the hem of her dress. They were headed to a party at the Seattle vacation home of a former frat brother of Daniel's--Nathan Sheffield, a wildly successful business mogul--and Daniel had insisted that she dress sexy. Callie was more of a t-shirt, jeans, and mismatched underwear type of girl. Sexy wasn't really her thing, but for Daniel, she was trying. For him, she'd try almost anything.
"This dress is just so freaking short," she said, trying to tug the hem down again.
He took her hand in his to keep her from fussing and gazed down at her with his gorgeous, gold-flecked brown eyes. When he looked at her like that, she felt like she might melt into an actual puddle of lust.
Callie and Daniel had been co-workers for three years before they began dating. He was older than her, thirty-three to her twenty-five, and she'd pined after him from the moment she met him, but he'd never seemed to see her as a potential love interest, treating her instead like an amusing younger sister. Until one day four months ago when he asked her out. It had been one of the most thrilling days of her life. And the relationship--and sex--that followed made her feel as if she'd won the lottery.
"You're so beautiful, Callie, and I just want everyone at this party to see it."
She wrinkled her nose in confusion. "But why dress sexy and not sophisticated? What kind of party is this?"
Daniel had nixed her original outfit choice and asked if he could dress her in whatever he wanted. Whatever he wanted turned out to be a little black dress Callie had intended for a slutty-witch Halloween costume she'd chickened out on wearing the year before. The off-the-shoulder black dress clung to her curves and displayed way more skin than she was comfortable with. Her firm C-cup breasts were practically hanging out of the neckline, aided by the lift of a red lace demi bra, and the hemline barely covered her ass. What was I thinking when I bought this? she wondered. And am I really going out in public in it?
Daniel had nixed the cheeky-cut briefs she usually favored and talked her into putting on the red silk g-string he'd given to her in a gift-wrapped little box. She was glad she'd gotten waxed recently because the little patch of silk barely covered anything. Then he'd directed her to put on the highest heels she owned--a pair of three-inch stilettos she'd bought on a whim and never worn outside of the store.
Her glossy chestnut hair was pulled up into a wispy side bun and fastened with the pretty silver and turquoise hairpins she'd splurged on during a vacation to the Bahamas. She'd applied way more makeup than she usually did, with liquid eyeliner, smoky eyeshadow, and a bold red lip. Makeup always made her feel like a little girl playing dress-up, but Daniel liked it.
His final touch had been a second gift, a thin, black velvet choker.
"Nathan has always been a bit... eccentric, I guess you'd say," Daniel said. "Throws these wild parties all the time--invite only, highly exclusive. This is the first one he's throwing here in Seattle. Don't you want to see how the other half lives? Maybe have some fun."
Callie smiled uncertainly. "Wild how? Like Animal House wild or Playboy mansion wild?"
"Definitely not Animal House. More Playboy mansion, but classy and sexy, not tacky. Which is why we needed to work on your outfit."
Callie flinched, stung by his words. Her taste wasn't tacky. He was always doing that, unintentionally negging her.
Daniel must've caught the look on her face because he took one hand off the wheel and pulled her into a quick side hug. "I'm sorry. But the outfit you chose was more appropriate for a work cocktail party, not a night of bacchanalia at my wealthy friend's house."
Bacchanalia? "Daniel, is this a... sex party or something?"
He lowered his lips to her ear and whispered, "It's not not a sex party."
She drew back and felt a blush scorch its way up her neck and into her face. "I'm not--I didn't think we--" She took a deep breath. "I'm not a sex party kind of girl. You must know that by now. Why didn't you tell me?"
"I just did." He held her gaze for a moment, exuding sensual confidence. "Don't you trust me?"
Did she? She was in lust with him, if not well on her way to love, and had a lot of fun being with him. But did she trust him? "Of course I do. I'm just a little caught off guard. I thought we were exclusive, and I'm not sure..."
The playful smile died on his lips, and he dropped her hand. "Okay, I hear you loud and clear. I should've known you wouldn't be willing to have an adventure. Forget the party. We'll rent a movie and order in tonight. Again."
"Wait!" She touched his shoulder. "I'm not saying no. But I want to know what to expect. I've never done anything like this."
"It's just for fun, Callie. You don't have to do anything you don't want. We can just watch. It'll be exciting." He laughed. "And who knows? Maybe if we talk to the right people, there'll be something in it for us--professionally, I mean. This party will be full of movers and shakers. One conversation could change our lives."
Daniel was more experienced than her--she'd known it might be an issue someday--but she refused to let her own lack of adventure ruin the best relationship she'd ever had. And a career boost couldn't hurt. "Okay, I'm in."
Daniel turned and drove up a long driveway to a mansion in a swanky neighborhood on the shores of Lake Washington. The place looked like a foreboding castle in the dark, misty evening, and Callie asked herself again what the hell she was doing there. A valet approached the car and opened her door. She tried to climb out without flashing him, but knew she'd failed when the man grinned at her. Daniel hurried around the car and took her arm, slipping the valet a twenty and leading her toward the front door.
He stood just shy of six feet, with dark brown hair that brushed the collar of his dress shirt and eyes the color of warm caramel. He wore a tailored three-piece gray wool suit, no tie, and looked like a million fucking bucks. Callie had never seen a more attractive man, especially not one who was also witty and worldly and fun. She still couldn't believe he was her boyfriend.
"Oh, one more thing," Daniel said. He reached up and pulled the turquoise hairpins from her hair, sending her long dark hair tumbling over her shoulders and cleavage. His eyes lit up. "Perfect."
She tried to shake off a wave of irritation as he slipped the hairpins in to his pocket and led her toward the front door. A dour-faced tuxedoed man waited at a podium near the entrance.
"Invitation, sir?"
Daniel produced the invitation from his pocket and handed it to the man.
