Ian gestured at the far end of the room. “Just start there, darling, and work your way across. If there’s something you don’t like, you can leave it on the rolling rack they brought in.”

She sighed. “Okay, here goes. But I’m telling you right now - there is no way you’re buying me all of this stuff.”

He gave her an indulgent smile. “We’ll see.”

Tessa was very aware of his gaze upon her as she stripped off the burgundy dress and stood there in her lacy lingerie - a sumptuous bra of blush colored lace and matching lacy panties that bared half of her ass, along with the sheer, lace topped thigh-highs that Ian seemed to be fascinated with. She heard him mutter something indecipherable under his breath and glanced his way inquisitively.

“Something the matter?” she asked, reaching for the first dress on the rack.

His gaze was fixated on her breasts as he shook his head slowly. “Not one damned thing, no. You look - Jesus, it’s going to be a bloody long afternoon watching you dress and undress.”

She gave him a cheeky smile. “Hey, this was your idea. I wasn’t the one who picked out enough clothes to fill two closets.”

Ian scoffed. “Darling, what’s on these racks won’t even make a dent in the space set aside for you in my closet. Correction, our closet. At least it will be once you move in with me. And you’ll need all of these things plus a great deal more when you start traveling with me.”

Tessa shook her head in disbelief, even as she zipped up the Roland Mouret dress of jade blue wool. “This is an obscene amount of stuff. I’ve never needed more than a few blouses and skirts and a handful of dresses before.”

He gave her a quick look-over in the classy dress with its asymmetrical neckline and fitted waist before nodding in approval. “That one for sure. The color is perfect for you. And yes, I’m aware you’ve made do with a limited wardrobe before and think all of this is unnecessary. But if you’re going to live in my world, darling, you’ll have to get used to this sort of thing. Like it or not, you’ll be somewhat in the public eye, certainly photographed when we attend events, and dressing well is something of a requirement.”

She gave a reluctant nod “I understand. And I don’t want to embarrass you, Ian. I already feel awkward and completely out of your league. I’m sure everyone is wondering what in the world you see in me.”

“Tessa.” He beckoned her over and she walked to stand between his spread legs, his hands resting on her waist. His voice was stern but gentle as he told her, “You could never embarrass me. I’ve told you that already. And it’s absolutely no secret what I see in you –you’re the most gorgeous, sexy and enchanting woman I’ve ever known. On the contrary, they’re all wondering what a hot young thing sees in this old man.”

She opened her mouth to protest, but he shushed her with a finger pressed to her lips. “Let’s not have this debate again, hmm? I’m absurdly proud to have you with me, Tessa, and I can’t wait until we’re able to be seen together everywhere. Now, best move this sexy little tush along and torture me some more with the sight of you in these lace bits.”

She squealed as he gave her a swat and hurried to change into the next outfit.

After almost an hour, it seemed she’d made barely a dent in the dozens of items hanging on the racks, not to mention trying on the coordinating shoes, scarves, belts, and jackets. Marlene popped in every so often to check on the progress, offer up an opinion, fetch a different size if needed. As the second hour drew to a close, Tessa was relieved to see that only one more dress remained.

“Last one,” she sighed, zipping up the navy cap-sleeved Michael Kors sheath. “I need a cup of tea after this. Maybe one of those strawberry scones left from breakfast, too.”

“Ah, but you forgot about these. You still have to try this little pile on,” he reminded her, holding up an exquisite pink lace bra.

There were at least two dozen or more bras, chemises, and other articles of couture lingerie resting on the padded bench to his right.

“Oh.” She had in fact forgotten about the intimate apparel he’d also selected, and forced herself to stifle a yawn. “Can’t I just, um, you know, look these over and kind of guess what will fit right?”

Ian shook his head, handing her the frothy pink lace bra. “After all, this is the part of the fashion show I’ve been looking forward to the most.”

Tessa took the bra from him a bit hesitantly, not missing the heated expression in his gaze. But she only nodded, unhooked the blush colored bra she’d worn here, and replaced it with the new pink one.

She couldn’t suppress the gasp that rose up from her throat as he pulled her between his spread legs again, then ran a finger over the tops of the lacy cups before slipping under one of the satiny straps.

“Beautiful,” he rasped. “We’ll definitely take this one.”

She was extremely aware of his rapt attention as she continued to try on the remaining items, her nipples seeming to harden a bit more each time she changed into the next piece. She was grateful that she’d kept her own panties on, for she would have already soaked through any new ones she tried on - and wouldn’t that have been humiliating when it came time to check out.

She was down to the third to the last item - a sheer, lacy black chemise with attached garters that ended at the top of her thighs. It came with a matching black thong that she chose to leave on the hanger. But Ian had other ideas, and held the insubstantial piece of silk and lace out to her insistently, his hazel eyes blazing.

“We want to be sure and get the full effect, love. Let’s see how it looks with this.” His voice was raw and barely audible.

She took the tiny garment from him uncertainly. “Um, but there’s a problem, you see. I’m, uh, well, sort of -”

“Wet?” At her nod, he smiled in the most carnal manner she’d ever seen. “Ah, well, that could get a bit embarrassing, I suppose. I’ll tell you what. Since this flimsy little bit of nothing isn’t really going to cover anything up anyway, just take off your panties. I’ll be able to visualize the whole picture quite nicely.”

It was beyond ridiculous for her to start feeling shy at this point - given that he’d been avidly watching her in various stages of undress for more than two hours - but Tessa felt her whole body heat up as she slowly peeled her very damp panties off. Ian made a twirling motion with his index finger, and she turned around slowly in a full circle.