Emily: Hello Kitten (The ‘Hello’ series)

7. Chapter 7

seven

M y fingers trail over the dresses as my mind stays on Adrian. You would think when your sister gets married, you’ll be a bridesmaid. But no, she only wanted one bridesmaid and I didn’t make the cut.

“Okay, so you didn’t go home with a rando?” Danielle asks as she looks at dresses and tosses one to me. “Try this one.”

“Nope,” I answer and leave out that Adrian kind of came to get me, even though I didn’t want him to, while putting the dress over my arm.

“And now your ‘hookup’ is going to be your date to your sister’s wedding?” Beth asks, thankfully not using our professor’s name.

“Hell no,” I groan and walk to the changing room. “He just said, ‘Lucky you, I have weekends off,’ but I didn’t give him anything. The moment he got into the shower, I got the hell out of there.”

“Wouldn’t it be great if you take him? You said the hookup was the hottest of your life. That’s not really something to complain about.” Danielle giggles. “I mean, if he hit all your buttons in all the right ways, you should be thrilled at the idea of having him for a whole weekend.”

“Yeah, but it was supposed to be a one and done,” I say while trying on the first dress. “I don’t want to see him again.” I sigh. “I should put the phone away when I pull out the tequila.”

I shake my head at the dress and take it off, hanging it on a new hook for ‘no’.

“Well, you told him no, right?” Danielle asks. “It’s not like he can find out where the wedding is.”

I freeze, half in the next dress. Would he do something like that? Just somehow show up at the venue? “He’s not coming.”

“But a bit of trouble just makes it hotter!” Danielle disagrees.

Beth and I groan. The trouble, the sneaking around will make it so much hotter. But it seems even I have limits as I don’t want to get him fired.

I slide into one of the changing rooms as Beth and Danielle keep chatting about relationships. I change into a blue dress that pushes my breasts up but comes down to my knees. It’s not totally inappropriate for a wedding, but it’s not the one.

If I’d been made a bridesmaid, I wouldn’t be shopping right now. I huff and almost stomp my foot before I picture Adrian. His intense stare, the threat about being spanked along with the reminder to eat and drink water to calm the hangover.

The asshole can’t be sweet and a Dom. It’s not allowed. It makes him just better than any previous guy I’ve been with so that I can’t forget him.

I rub my forehead and take the dress off.

“This is a mess,” I admit.

“One that you caused,” Beth reminds. “You could have just not texted him.”

“He texted me first,” I counter, and she rolls her eyes. Why can’t she just believe me? Why is she making me into the bad guy here?

“So, you spent all night with him and didn’t touch him?” Danielle asks.

“We’re in a public place. Let’s keep the voices down,” Beth grumbles as I giggle.

I pull on a cute dress. It doesn’t hide the swell of my breasts, but it shows some thigh. It’s got a puffy skirt but has a gorgeous dark blue and white pattern on it. I love the swirls, the way the sleeves fall over my arms, and how easily I can match shoes and a purse to it.

I step out and Danielle nods. “It’s so cute!”

“Didn’t your sister write beside the dress code that you should wear something that goes over your knees and covers your cleavage?” Beth asks.

“If she’s focused on me and not her wedding, that’s on her. This is cute without being too much, and she can’t have it all,” I point out.

“For now. Until your mystery date gets his hands on you and tears the front,” Danielle teases.

“I don’t have a date,” I grit, and she hurries off to shop for herself, and Beth shoves me back into the changing room. She keeps her voice to a low hiss. “You really told him no?”

I shrug. “I didn’t invite him, but it won’t surprise me if he just shows up.”

Her brows draw together as confusion edges on her features. “Just don’t tell him anything and don’t text him.”

My jaw tenses as I nod and change into my own clothes. Her gaze stays on me, and I peek up in the mirror, meeting her eyes.

I have no idea what she sees as her lips part and she says, “Holy shit, you like him.”

“I barely remember anything but sex,” I dismiss.

Based on Beth’s stare, I don’t do a good job. She knows me better than anyone. “What was the line, Emily?”

“I didn’t cross a line last night.”

“What did he say that won you over the first time around?” she demands.

I suck my bottom lip. “I have no idea. I don’t know why I can’t just forget him.”

She grips her hair. “You’re screwed.”

“Nothing will happen. I have some backbone.”

“I’d believe that if you hadn’t texted him last night.”

“I didn’t.” I sigh. “I’m not having this argument again,” I hiss, jerking the door open while claiming the last dress I tried on. “He texted me, and I’m just…”

“Letting him do it even though it could get him fired. Yeah, clearly, a lot of backbone there.”

I wish she could just listen to me and see that I’m trying. I have no idea how he wormed his way into my mind, why I can’t erase him. But the thing that scares me the most is that it seems I don’t want to forget. Even now as I try my best to convince Beth nothing will ever happen again, all I want to do is grab my phone and text him or go see him. It shouldn’t be like this, not after a night of sex and maybe two conversations.

Besides, I should be concerned with what he did last night, since he shouldn’t be so attached after just one night of fun, but somehow, I want him to do it again.

“I’ll deal with it,” I insist.

“What do you guys think of this?” Danielle asks, running up with a shimmery pink dress. She pouts. “You aren’t trying on any more?”

I smile and shake my head. “No, but that’s really cute.”

“Then you have to get it,” she says to me, shoving it in my arms. “You’ll look hot and wedding appropriate either way now.”

I smile and buy the dresses, and we get lunch. It’s easy. We don’t talk about me. We pretend everything is fine.

I always said I didn’t want a serious relationship in college, but now… if it means being with Adrian, I’m not entirely sure it would be terrible.

Why the hell does he have to be my professor?