“You didn’t have to clean up everything,” Darcy said as she poured more wine for Marco.
“It wasn’t difficult at all. You have a lovely house, very efficient.”
“Thank you. Sergei keeps telling me we need a housekeeper and other servants but the only people I’ll let in is the team that comes by every few days to clean. I would feel uncomfortable with a housekeeper and butler and all those other silly people Sergei thinks are essential for an acceptable household. We have a gardener, of course, but that’s as far as I’ll go.”
“Does Matt cook for you every night?”
“Of course not,” she laughed. “Sergei insisted on a meal service though. He likes to cook, but says I won’t do it when he’s not around.”
“You don’t even remember to heat up the food when he’s not around, do you?” Marco asked.
“Sometimes I forget. But I’m getting better at it.”
“You look good,” he said. “I’m glad you’re not dropping that weight like you used to.”
“Cameras add ten pounds at least,” she said dismissively. “Now that I don’t have to be out in the limelight as often, I don’t have to starve myself.”
Darcy picked up her sketch pad and started doodling while listening to Darcy and Marco talk and laugh. She wasn’t trying to step out of the conversation, but all evening, she’d been thinking about a dress that would be fabulous on Darcy’s delicate figure. She wasn’t too thin like some of the actresses and models, but nor was she heavy in any way. There was just an ethereal quality to her that Zoe wanted to capture and enhance.
She drew the idea from several angles, not really getting it exactly right, but as she watched them laugh, Darcy drinking lemonade and Marco sipping wine, she could see the similarities in their features. As soon as that came through, Darcy knew exactly what she wanted to do to the dress. As she swiftly sketched it out, then filled in the details, her mind worked frantically, her fingers unable to keep up with the idea in her mind.
She didn’t realize it, but Marco and Darcy were watching her in silence for several minutes as she bent over her sketch book, working to refine the details. When she was done, she looked at the finished sketch and smiled. Looking up, she blinked as she realized that both of them were sitting on the sofa watching, waiting.
“I’m sorry, did you ask me something?”
Marco smiled and shook his head. “We were just fascinated by the process. What have you got there?” he asked.
She turned the sketch around, eager to see what Darcy thought about the dress. It was formal and perhaps Darcy didn’t go out to formal events any longer so it was a mute point. “What do you think?” she asked softly.
Darcy looked at the dress, her eyes widened in amazement. She moved closer, taking in all the details and shaking her head. “It’s stunning,” she whispered. “It’s a work of art.” Looking up at Zoe, she said carefully, “Would you mind if I bought it? Would you make it for me?”
Zoe smiled, delighted. “I designed it for you,” she said, looking down at the soft green dress with the flowing satin under-dress and tissue overskirt that misted out around the skirt. The neckline wasn’t fitted or low cut, but instead, was a simple square that moved down to fitted sleeves. The waist cinched in, making the dress both wraithlike and dramatic.
Darcy glanced up and smiled. “It’s amazing.”
“It’s my gift to you for your help those few weeks ago.”
Darcy was shaking her head even before Zoe had finished. “I won’t hear about it. From what Marco has told me, you’re an up and coming designer so it would be wonderful to have one of your gowns. Besides, I’ll ask Sergei to make it one of my Christmas presents. He can spread some of his money around. He has too much of it anyway.”
“It’s a deal,” Marco said. “And now, I’m going to take Zoe upstairs so you can get to sleep. I know you’ve been up since about five o’clock this morning.”
“Goodness! I didn’t bring anything with me,” Zoe said, standing up and pushing her sketch pad back into her bag.
“Yes you did. I packed for you after you went to work this morning.”
She turned to glare at him. “You did what?”
He shrugged, unrepentant. “You left me alone. Never leave me alone. No telling what I might get into.”
Darcy laughed and stepped backwards. “This sounds like a private conversation. I’ll let you two have at it,” she said and walked to the door of the living room. “Marco, you know where your room is. Zoe can…”
“She’s staying in my room.” Marco watched Zoe as her face flamed into color. She started to protest but he simply shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest, indicating that the sleeping arrangements weren’t negotiable.
Darcy’s smile widened. “I thought so, just wanted to offer an alternative in case I was misunderstanding the vibes.”
With that, she left them alone, glaring at one another. “I’m not sleeping with you in your sister’s house.”
He took a step forward and shook his head. “You’re not sleeping anywhere but right next to me. And tomorrow morning, if you leave the bed without me, I’m going to hunt you down, toss you over my shoulder and put you right back into that bed and we’ll start over again. Do I make myself clear?”
“You can’t boss me around.”
“Can’t I?” he said, his voice soft and silky, but lethal. “I am looking forward to you challenging me.” He touched her cheek, his finger sliding down to her neck and making her shiver. “You see, either way, I win. If you’re next to me when I wake up, then I win. If you’re not there, I get to find you and bring you back, which means I win. So there’s really no loser here.”
“Except me, who’s not going to be able to do what I want.”
His grin widened. “Oh, you can do what you want. Just within certain parameters. And I guarantee that you’ll like those restrictions.”
Zoe’s breath was caught in the back of her throat with his words. The pictures he created with such a simple, yet enticing, threat made her heart beat faster and her skin heat up in anticipation of his touch. “Promise?” she asked breathlessly.