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“I have to go to the office today. If itweren’t important—”
I waved my hand. “You have a job. I knewthat when I came here. And honestly? I’m glad you’re going back toit. I want you to get back to your normal life and stop runningaway from shit.”
He nodded and hid what I thought was a smilebehind his hand. “Fair enough.”
“Also, you don’t have to entertain me.” Igestured to the awful, terrifying view. “We’re in New York. I’ll gosightseeing.”
He frowned. “There’s no good way to putthis, and you’re going to be offended, but… I need you to goshopping.”
I squinted at him. “You don’t have someonewho does that for you?”
“Not that kind of shopping.” He cleared histhroat and looked uncomfortably away before returning his gaze tome, totally defeated. “Clothes.”
“Oh.” Why was that supposed to be offensive?“I get it. I only brought vacation stuff. I don’t have a lot of‘meet the mother’ gear with me.”
“Exactly. I’m so glad you understand.” Helet out a relieved breath. “I authorized you on one of my cards. Goout, get whatever you want.”
“I know I’m supposed to protest and say Idon’t want to spend your money, but you have way too much money.”Why did I still have a weird feeling about it, though? I supposedit was because I came from a world where words like “cost” and“price” had material consequences.
“Great,” he said cheerfully. “Make a game ofit?”
I narrowed my eyes. “What kind of game?”
“The dragon likes to spoil his princess. Butthe dragon can’t go with his princess. So, he has to trust thatshe’ll do exactly as he says.” He leaned back in his chair with agrin. “You’ll spend fifty thousand dollars today. Minimum.”
My jaw dropped. “Matt, I do not need—
“Or you’ll be punished,” he finished with awarning arch of his brow.
“Punished how?” I asked, though it wasn’tthe first question that immediately sprang to mind. All of mythoughts went disorganized the moment he dropped the dollaramount.
“No orgasms tonight.” He reached for hiscoffee. “At least, no good ones. How about this: for every thousanddollars you fail to spend, you’ll be punished with one ruinedorgasm.”
The noise that came out of my throat wassomewhere between a choke and an indignant laugh. “Okay, where am Isupposed to go spend fifty thousand dollars?”
“Start with Bergdorf. Mention my name to asales associate and give them my card. Tell them you need awardrobe for a weekend in the country.”
And that’s what this was about. I needed tolook rich enough to impress his family.
My stomach dropped. “You must do this forall your girlfriends.”
“Not all,” he said cheerfully, taking a sipfrom his mug.
“The ones who don’t have the appropriatehigh-end clothing to meet your mother.” It came out sounding bitterand ungrateful and accusatory, and, frankly, that’s how I suddenlyfelt. Not good enough for him.
He swallowed and frowned. “This is exactlythe direction in which I did not wish this conversation totravel.”
“Sorry. Pack your bags because we’re goingthere.” I folded my arms, and my shoulders naturally hunched withthe motion. I felt myself growing smaller by the second.
“You’re right,” he began, making no apology.“My family is old money. There is a certain standard, and theyjudge people by it. I don’t. Frankly, I wouldn’t give a shit if youspent the whole weekend in pajama pants. But I don’t want you tospend the weekend feeling like you’re being criticized for notfitting in. At least, any more than you’re already going tocriticize yourself for not fitting in.”
Damnit. He had me pegged there.
“I don’t give a fuck how you dress,Charlotte,” he went on. “I would prefer it if you were alwaysundressed. But I also don’t want you to run from me when you findout the kind of world you’ll be living in with me.”
I shook my head and smiled, though I wantedto stay mad at him. Not for suggesting that I might need betterclothes for meeting his mother than I took on vacation. Not forsuggesting I spend his money, because he really did have too much.But for knowing me well enough that he could see the vain, insecurestreak that had admittedly reared its head ever since I walked intohis penthouse palace.
“And as I said, I like to spoil myprincess.” He took another sip of coffee, then put the mug down.“And I love to spoil that gorgeous pussy. It would be a shame if Ihad to punish it.”