Page 7 of Avenging Azalea (California Made Men #2)

Chapter

Six

FAWN

THREE YEARS AND THREE MONTHS LATER

“What about this one,” Steph asked.

I looked over from the rack I was sorting through and made a face.

“Steph…I want to seduce him, not try out to be a stripper at one of his clubs.”

“I think it’s cute,” she said, shaking the bra that was basically a spaghetti strap with some fringe.

“It needs to be sexy and provocative but sophisticated like him, and no to the boots,” I said before she could suggest them. The thigh-high hooker boots she was ogling were definitely out of the question.

Three years. Three long years, I’d been waiting patiently to make my move.

I was an adult, out of high school and in university, studying to be a veterinarian.

That meant a promising career, and I was technically no longer his ward.

We’d grown really close and I knew him as well as I knew myself.

We laughed at the same jokes, loved the same movies and food and animals and…

shit, who was I kidding? I’d never be good enough, but I was determined to try.

If I got shot down, then I would deal with it, but moving us from our current dynamic wasn’t because of a debt or anything like that, and I could’ve sworn that he was different this last year.

Flirty maybe. I’d caught him staring at me, but he’d just smiled and asked if I wanted something like I was the one watching him.

I swear there were heated looks. I thought. I hoped.

God, is this even a good idea?

“Stop overthinking. I can see it written all over your face, and you’re doing this. Besides, I just found the perfect outfit.”

Expecting my best friend to be holding up another insane ensemble, I turned to find exactly what I was after. A black lace one-piece with matching garter and stockings that was sexy but also very…Titus.

I took the lingerie and ran the material through my fingers. Nervous butterflies erupted at the thought of walking into his room wearing this sweet little number. I bit my lip as my body heated.

“And you can pair it with this.” Steph handed me a silky black robe. “Oh, and those, you have to buy those.” She dashed away and came back with black high heels that would look amazing with the outfit.

“Oh my god, am I really going to do this?”

Steph grabbed my shoulders and shook me.

“Yes…yes you are. Girl, you’ve been in love with him since we became friends three years ago.

You haven’t dated anyone despite the interest. You’ve been waiting for this day and have it planned out perfectly.

You’re doing it. Once and for all, you’ll either move things forward or move on.

You can’t keep living in a dream world and hoping that you’ll one day be together if you’re not willing to try. ”

“I hear you…I do, but….”

“There are no buts. Tomorrow is your nineteenth birthday, and Titus always does something special for your birthday. It’s the perfect time. He won’t be working, and you’ll be alone,” she said, suggestively wiggling her hips.

“You ask for dinner and a movie at the house, and then bam!” I jumped at her sudden yell, along with everyone else in the store. “You capture him with this sexy ass outfit and make him put a ring on it after he finally takes you like an animal.”

Steph started singing Beyoncé’s Single Ladies, and I closed my eyes, mortified.

“I just cried my tears for three good years. Ya can’t be mad at me,” she sang while dancing.

I quickly turned and walked to the dressing room for all the good it did me as Steph followed, singing louder.

“Okay, I get it. You can stop,” I said, but there was no stopping this train.

Steph was the opposite of me in every way, and yet we somehow worked as best friends.

She came from an insanely rich family, while I came from nothing.

Steph had a classic beach look with her curvy, five-foot-eight frame, blonde hair, blue eyes, and sun-kissed skin.

While I was only five-foot-two and built like a board, with plain brown hair, green eyes, and was pale enough to be considered ghostly.

She hated school and preferred to party.

I loved school and despised parties. She wanted to be a model, and I hated being in front of a camera.

Steph was one of the most stunning girls I’d ever seen. It was no wonder all the guys in school had crawled around behind her, begging for her to notice them. What I never understood was why she chose me. I certainly didn’t help her social status.

She stood facing the full-length mirror and gave it her best Sasha Fierce impression while I slipped into a dressing room.

Quickly changing, I looked at myself in the skimpy outfit and felt my bravado slipping away.

“Get out here and show me. I know you changed.”

Taking a deep breath, I opened the door but didn’t want to step out. Not that it mattered. Steph reached in, grabbed my hand, and yanked me out of the stall. She turned me to face the long mirror, but I stared at the floor, not wanting to look.

“No way…I don’t spend all my time making sure you know exactly how stunning you are not to own that shit. Look in the mirror. You’re fucking gorgeous.”

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I slowly lifted my eyes to my reflection. I’d never seen what Steph did, but for the first time, I saw a woman, not a scrawny kid. Steph pulled my shoulders back, and I lifted my chin.

“Own your worth, and he will, too. He doesn’t deserve you, but you’re going to give him the opportunity to try and be worthy. Understand?”

I couldn’t have asked for a better friend. She’d been exactly what was missing from my life. Turning, I grabbed her and hugged her tight.

“You truly believe I’m worthy of Titus Mikhailov?”

“I think you’re worthy of anyone you want, but that doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is what you believe when you walk in there tomorrow night looking like this. He needs to see the woman you’ve become. Smart, strong, intelligent, and a fucking smoke show.”

Smiling, I nodded. “Alright, give me those shoes,” I said.

“That’s the fire I’m talking about.”

Steph was right. It was time to show Titus who I’d grown into and shed the insecurities of my past.

An hour later, we were completely shopped out, or I was at least. Steph had a built-in battery pack because she kept going and going with the same enthusiasm. She pulled up to the house, and I got out and leaned on the window.

“Thanks for today.”

“Of course, babe, anytime.”

Steph blew me a kiss as I stepped back, laughing. I watched her Ferrari disappear out of the gate just as my phone buzzed. Digging it out of my purse, I smiled as I stared at Titus’s name.

T: Have you put any thought into what you want to do for your birthday tomorrow?

This was it, time to set it up.

F: You know, I was thinking of just having an awesome meal and watching a movie at home. You good with that?

T: No big celebration?

F: Nope. This is what I want.

T: Well, okay then. I’ll let Chef Bruce know to prepare your favorites. Is 7:30 good?

F: That’s perfect.

T: I’ll see you then.

I chewed on my bottom lip, my fingers hovering over the buttons. Giving in, I finally texted him again.

F: Are you working late tonight?

T: No, the usual, but I have a family dinner at my parent’s house.

My heart sank a little at the mention of his family. I’d only met them in passing, and each time, it was like Titus couldn’t wait to get me away from them. He acted like he was embarrassed to have me around.

F: I’d love to go sometime.

Little bubbles appeared and disappeared so many times that my anxiety over what he was going to say made my hands shake.

T: Trust me, no, you don’t. I don’t even want to go, but it’s mandatory.

I smiled at that.

F: Okay, I won’t eat all the Rocky Road ice cream then. You may need it when you get home.

T: LOL! Thank you, I’ll definitely need it. See you later, Little Bird.

I felt as light as a feather on the breeze when he used my nickname. He didn’t use it often, but when he did, my pulse raced, and I smiled like a fool.

F: See you later.

My palms were sweating, but I needed to be brave, so I sent another text.

F: xoxo

T: xo

I screeched, and the closest guard looked at me.

“Sorry, it was a…bee,” I said, and then ran into the house and up the stairs. The dogs greeted me and chased me to my room.

Collapsing onto my bed, I squealed and kicked my feet. He answered with an xo . He never did that before. There was hope. There was real, honest-to-goodness hope in my chest.

The bed shifted as Bella, Daisy, Sheba, Hailey, and Holly jumped up, making the California king suddenly feel very tiny.

Shadow’s absence could still be felt around the house.

I laid my hand on Sheba, comforting her as the weight of the loss still tugged at me as I was positive it did for her.

They had gone everywhere together. It was my love of animals that made me want to become a veterinarian, but I didn’t know if I’d ever get used to losing them.

A piece of my heart broke off the day we put Shadow down, and I spent days crying non-stop.

“Don’t worry, girl. I’ll never leave you.” Laying down, I held Sheba tight as my plans for tomorrow played out like a ballet in my mind. “Give me ten minutes, and I’ll take you all for a walk,” I said, yawning as I closed my eyes for a quick nap.