Page 45 of Jaked

Chapter 17

Just inside the mall, I hit a casual shoe store, where I purchased the cheapest pair of black tennis shoes I could find and immediately slipped them onto my feet. As I shoved my old high heels into the new shoe box, Bianca made a point of looking at her watch.

"Are you planning to wear those tonight?" she asked.

I looked down at my feet. "No. Why?"

"Because we're wasting time."

"Oh come on," I said. "That took all of five minutes."

"Actually, it took ten."

Somehow, I doubted that, but I didn't argue, because I had one more store to hit before getting down to business. To Bianca's obvious annoyance, that store was Victoria Secret. Under her scornful gaze, I grabbed a handful of panties off the nearest display.

Standing beside me, she eyed the panties, all silk and satin in various colors. "We're supposed to be shopping for a dress. Remember?"

"And extras." I mimicked the same bossy tone she'd used on me. "Remember?"

Her mouth tightened. "I think he meant accessories."

All I knew was that if I didn't get my hands on new panties, like now, people on the escalator would be seeing way more ofmyaccessories than was legal.

Ignoring her protests, I dashed to the yoga section, where I found long black yoga pants and a soft gray shirt with long sleeves and a V-neck. On my way to the front counter, I grabbed a couple of bras in my size and added them to the mix.

I marched up to the counter and tossed the items onto the smooth surface.

"Aren't you going to try them on?" Bianca asked.

"Nope."

"Why not?" she said.

"Because," I said, "in five minutes, I'll be wearing them."

She eyed the pile of panties. "Those too?" Her gaze fell to my skirt, and her lips formed a sneer. "What are you wearing now?"

Judging from the look on her face, it was pretty obvious she knew the answer tothatquestion. Damn it. It wasn'tmyfault I was wearing someone else's clothes – or when it came to undergarments, none at all.

I gave her my sweetest smile. "I'm wearing Jake's."

She drew back, and her face lost a fraction of that cool composure. My satisfaction was short-lived when I considered the long-term ramifications. Why on Earth had I said that? Sooner or later, she'd find out I was lying. And, even if she didn't find out, did Ireallywant people to think I was running around in Jake's underwear?

I felt a reluctant smile tug at my lips. Probably, Jake had nice underwear. I envisioned form-fitting black briefs hugging his tight ass. And then, I envisioned his ass without the briefs.

"Will this be all?"

I gave a little jump, and turned to see a teenage sales clerk reaching for my pile of clothes.

"Yup, that's all," I said. "Except, uh, I'm going to be wearing these, so could you please snip off the tags?"

The clerk reached for a pair of panties and stopped in mid-motion. Her eyebrows furrowed. "All of these?" she asked.

"Right," Bianca said. "Like she's going to wear five pairs of panties at once. Just pick one, and cut the tags, will you? We're in a hurry."

The clerk gave a small flinch. "Of course," she said. "Sorry."

I gave Bianca a dirty look and turned back to the clerk. "Don't be sorry," I said. "It's my fault. I should've been more specific." I glanced toward the dressing room area. "Hey, is it okay if I change in the dressing room?"