Chapter 36
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 36
The man’s gaze deepened as he watched the woman tremble in his grasp. He took in her pale, supple neck, the lace undergarments that looked like relics of a bygone century, her full breasts squeezed tight by the corset, and the blonde hair spilling down to her waist.
It was remarkable, her confidence—believing she could captivate a man while wearing something so antiquated. Of course, he knew that even if she were draped in rags, he would still burn with desire for her. Theodore’s eyes narrowed, his gaze hardening.
“What on earth were you thinking, making a face like that?”
He turned her head to face the mirror, forcing her to look. Vanessa’s breath quickened. Her weak grip on the support tightened.
“I wasn't… thinking of… anything…”
“You lie so easily.”
“It's not a lie. I really wasn't thinking of anything, I— ah…”
He lowered his head, nipping at her soft lips until they parted, then drew her small, supple tongue into his mouth. Theodore let out a low groan. No matter when or where he tasted her, she was always sweet, juicy, and fragrant.
Like fruit ripe to the point of bursting. Like their relationship, ruined from the very beginning by deception and lies. Lies were always this sweet.
A wet, obscene sound echoed in the cramped dressing room.
Vanessa's eyes had already grown hazy and unfocused. Too innocent to handle the greedy press of his tongue, she could neither fully accept the kiss nor find the will to reject it.
His calloused thumb stroked her slender throat. A frantic pulse, like that of a trapped animal, thrummed against his skin. It felt as if he were clutching her very heart.
As he slowly pulled his lips away, her ragged breath poured over his face. He stroked her swollen lips with his thumb.
“Even now?”
“Right now, I…”
Thoroughly disheveled, Vanessa stammered and averted her eyes, panting. Her ears, visible through her blonde hair, flushed a crimson so deep they could not possibly get any redder.
He loosened his grip on the corset strings. As the constricting laces slackened, the garment slid down her torso. Greedily, he hooked his fingers and pulled down the thin lace covering her breasts.
Her breasts, freed from their confinement, spilled out and trembled in the cool air. He squeezed one firmly, and Vanessa instinctively gasped.
“Ah…”
He smiled, deeply satisfied to see her classic, elegant face flush with such wanton desire, and pressed his lips to her neck.
“Come out just like this.”
“…What?”
“There's no need to lace it back up.”
The hand that had squeezed her breast slid gently downward.
“Because you are always far more beautiful completely naked.”
Vanessa stared at him in disbelief. He uttered such sweet words now without a shred of shame. While she was momentarily dazed, his hand skillfully slipped beneath her skirt. Pushing aside her already damp undergarments, he slowly wiped between her thighs with a handkerchief.
“Ah…”
Whether by design or accident, the moment the corner of the cloth brushed against her clitoris, a breathless moan escaped her. Her arousal spiked sharply.
The more she indulged her desires, the more desperate she became. Knowing was the problem. Had she remained ignorant, it might have been different. But she knew exactly how exquisite the pleasure he gave her was, and that knowledge made her crave it all the more.
Vanessa bit her lip and hung her head. She had to summon every ounce of her self-control to suppress the urge to press herself against his long, firm fingers.
A low, teasing chuckle brushed against her ear, cruelly rendering her efforts futile. “Still so wet,” he murmured, his voice calm, as if stating a simple fact. Only when Vanessa was on the verge of dying from shame did he finally withdraw his hand.
As he adjusted her undergarments and patted down her skirt, his touch bore no trace of desire. His sculpted face was perfectly composed.
“Your new undergarments are over there.”
Having returned to the guise of a proper gentleman, he gestured with his chin toward a paper bag. It was wrapped; he must have purchased it beforehand as a gift for her.
He tossed the damp, darkened handkerchief straight into the wastebasket. Grasping the curtain of the dressing room, Theodore turned back as if he had just remembered something.
“And don't wear that damn corset.”
Like a tender parting request, his lips brushed her forehead before he stepped away.
* * *
“You may wear that dress out. I'll fold and pack the clothes you took off.”
“Pardon? But Madame, I…”
“It is quite alright. The bill has already been settled by the gentleman who came with you.”
“…What?”
Vanessa blinked her light gray eyes at the proprietress. Unable to comprehend the situation, she asked for clarification, and the proprietress smiled and explained further.
“Just before he went upstairs, he instructed me to purchase every single piece of clothing you so much as looked at, touched, or tried on. His instructions didn't include accessories, so I charged him for those separately, of course.”
Only then did Vanessa understand the unnatural smile that had been plastered on the proprietress's face, as well as her suddenly warm and attentive attitude. At the proprietress's gesture, shop assistants began carrying wrapped boxes and paper bags, piling them at Vanessa's feet.
Vanessa stared blankly at the mountain of packages. Large ribbons dangled from the tops of the boxes, and she knew there was still a heap of unwrapped items waiting in the back.
“If it's too much for you to carry, you're welcome to leave them here and pick them up later.”
Seeing Vanessa's face pale, the proprietress offered the suggestion kindly. Vanessa barely managed to pull herself together and shook her head.
“Please cancel the purchases. There must have been some mistake.”
“The gentleman made no mistake. He paid with a check issued by the Admiralty.”
“I… I don't need any of this.”
“The gentleman must have deemed it necessary. If only to maintain his own dignity.”
Vanessa read a faint mixture of pity and contempt in the proprietress's eyes. As if dealing with a naive, sheltered girl who had been taken advantage of, the woman spoke in a soothing, overly gentle tone, as if comforting a child.
“I understand this might be overwhelming if it's your first time… but this sort of thing isn't uncommon. Men in the military are notoriously lavish spenders. Trust me, my dear. In an arrangement like this, it's always in your best interest to take whatever you can get.”
“We do not have that kind of relationship.”
“Of course you don't…”
The proprietress's knowing smile was tinged with bitterness. Her eyes grew distant, as if lost in her own memories, before finally focusing back on Vanessa.
“Don't give your heart to a man who is bound to leave.”
Vanessa froze, caught between a laugh and a sob. Contrary to the proprietress's assumptions, she had never harbored any illusions that her relationship with Theodore would last forever.
From the beginning, theirs had been a temporary alliance for mutual benefit—a contract between equals, with both parties paying their share. She was not some naive girl who had surrendered her virtue to a soldier's cheap promises of a future. She was not some naval officer's kept woman.
Yet, to anyone else, that was exactly what she looked like. The realization choked the breath from her lungs. Only now did she truly understand the kind of looks she would receive, and the lifelong stigma that would cling to her long after this relationship reached its end.
* * *
The moment Vanessa practically kicked open the shop door and marched toward him, Theodore quickly stubbed out his cigarette and waved away the smoke. Scrunching her nose in a cute grimace to keep from coughing, she glared up at him.
“Cancel it.”
“Cancel what?”
“Don't play dumb. I know you bought all of those things.”
Emphasizing "those things," Vanessa pointed back at the shop. Through the glass window, a mountain of boxes and paper bags was clearly visible. Theodore stared at the sight in mild disbelief before looking down at her.
Her cheeks, flushed with indignation, looked utterly enticing. So did her eyes, which glistened as if she were on the verge of tears.
“It was completely unnecessary.”
“It's just a single shop. And a countryside boutique at that.”
Vanessa snapped her mouth shut, her protest dying on her lips. To think that a shop which had seemed like an entirely different world to her was nothing more than a triviality to him. To make matters worse, Theodore actually looked slightly annoyed.
“It wasn't even that much money. Besides, they're things you need.”
The vast gulf between them made her feel incredibly small. Vanessa hesitated before murmuring quietly.
“…It is a lot of money to me. And I have never heard of the Ross family possessing such wealth.”
“A naval officer's salary is quite decent.”
“Decent enough to throw money away like this?”
“I told you from the start that money is of little concern to me.”
“Well, it is a concern to me. So cancel it. Right now.”
“Can you not simply accept it with grace?”
Letting out a heavy sigh, he ran his right hand through his wind-blown bangs. His elegant, sea-colored eyes cooled, staring at her as if she were an utterly incomprehensible creature.
“Why are you suddenly so upset…”