Men Are Prada Shoes

CHAPTER 10

ALINA

Thirty minutes later, I pulled into the parking lot of my apartment building, turned off the engine and stepped out of the car.

Alex came around the front of the car a second later. Instead of following me immediately, he paused and lifted his gaze toward the tall apartment building standing before us. The bright lights reflected against the glass exterior, giving the entire place an expensive and polished look. A slow look of approval crossed his face, and the corner of his lips curved into a satisfied grin.

“Which one is yours?” he asked, his voice filled with curiosity as his eyes scanned the building again.

“The penthouse,” I answered lazily as I headed toward the elevator lobby.

I could hear his footsteps closely behind me.

“The penthouse?” he repeated, clearly impressed.

I gave a small nod and leaned against the wall beside the elevator while waiting for it to arrive.

“What was it exactly that you said you do again?” he asked after a moment.

Without answering immediately, I opened my purse and searched through it until my fingers wrapped around my access card. Pulling it out, I swiped it across the elevator sensor.

“I own Voss Bags.”

There was a brief silence, and when I glanced at him, I noticed the slight crease between his brows. “I’ve never heard of it before.”

A small smile tugged at my lips. “That’s because we don’t cater to everyone.”

It was partly a lie… or maybe not completely. After all, that was exactly the future I wanted for Voss Bags. Exclusive. Untouchable. The kind of brand people begged to get their hands on.

“If you want one now,” I continued confidently, “you’ll have to join the waiting queue.”

Right then, the elevator doors slid open with a soft ping, and we both stepped inside.

“Queue?” Alex repeated, turning to look at me with amusement.

I nodded. “We have a strict policy. One bag per customer every month.”

His brows lifted higher.

“And we’re fully booked for the next three years,” I added dramatically.

His eyes widened instantly, but instead of disbelief, I saw admiration flicker across his face. He looked almost impressed by the idea.

“And there’s no way you can squeeze me in?” he asked, his tone playful yet hopeful.

I shrugged. “Well… that depends on how much you’re willing to offer. Some customers can have their delivery dates mysteriously delayed.”

That earned a deep chuckle from him.

“A businesswoman through and through,” he said with amusement, shaking his head slightly. “I’m impressed.”

“Mm.” I smiled proudly. “I take that as a compliment.”

He winked.

“How about you sit down while I set the mood?” I suggested softly.

Without waiting for an answer, I turned and walked toward the stereo system positioned close to the wall. I could feel his gaze following every movement I made, and that awareness made my pulse beat a little faster.

Lifting the lid of the record player carefully, I placed the disc down and lowered the needle onto it. A soft melody immediately flowed through the penthouse.

I inhaled deeply before turning around and the moment I did, I nearly crashed into him.

I didn’t even hear him walk over.

His hand settled against my waist, pulling me a little closer to him. The sudden closeness made my breath hitch for a second.

“How about a kiss instead?” he murmured, his voice lower now.

A slow smirk spread across my lips.

Rising slightly on my tiptoes, I leaned forward and brushed my lips lightly against his for only a brief second, just enough to tease him before pulling back again.

My lips hovered dangerously close to his as I spoke.

“How about wine first?” I whispered playfully. “I’ve been saving a vintage bottle for a special occasion.”

His eyes darkened slightly as he licked his lips.

“Sure.”

Satisfied with myself, I slipped away from his hold and made my way toward the mini bar. I grabbed the wine bottle and two glasses before sashaying back into the living room, fully aware of the attention fixed on me.

Carefully, I poured a generous amount of wine into one of the crystal glasses before handing it over to him. Then I filled mine.

Lifting my glass slightly with a smile, I gave a toast, “To our first night together.”

He lightly clinked his glass against mine before taking a slow sip, gradually standing to his feet.

“Okay, enough with the formalities, can we get to the reason why we are here?”

I nodded slowly, swirling the wine lightly inside my glass before setting it down on the table.

“Sure, but before that, let me change into something a little more…”

I lifted my brows suggestively and let the sentence trail off with a teasing smile.

His grin widened instantly, amusement dancing in his eyes. “Are you into role play by any chance?”

What the hell?

For a split second, my smile almost cracked, but I forced myself to maintain the seductive expression on my face.

“I’m open to almost anything,” I lied smoothly, despite the uncomfortable shiver threatening to crawl down my spine.

Then I added with fake disappointment, “You should’ve mentioned it while we were on our way here. I could’ve stopped to buy a costume.”

He shrugged carelessly, clearly entertained by the conversation. “Next time.”

Next time?

Please. Hell would have to freeze solid before there would ever be a next time.

Still, I kept smiling as though the idea didn’t horrify me internally.

“Relax,” I purred softly, taking a step closer to him. “Just look forward to seeing what I’ll come back wearing.”

Placing both hands lightly against his chest, I gave him a playful shove backward until he dropped onto the sofa behind him.

A laugh escaped him as he settled into the cushions.

“Who knows,” I whispered teasingly, leaning in slightly. “Maybe I won’t be wearing anything at all.”

His expression darkened instantly with anticipation.

“I can’t wait,” he muttered, his hand lowering to the growing bulge in his pant and he began caressing it.

I gave him a slow wink before turning away, picking up my purse from the table, before heading up the staircase without looking back.

I could still feel his gaze burning into me the entire time.

The second I stepped into my bedroom and shut the door behind me, the seductive smile vanished from my face completely.

Quickly, I reached into my purse and pulled out my phone. My fingers moved fast across the screen as I typed out a message to David.

HE’S ALONE. YOU CAN RELEASE IT.

After sending the text, I stared at the screen for a second, my heartbeat suddenly louder in the silence of the room.

Dropping my phone carelessly onto the bed, I let out a long breath before stripping out of my clothes, the tension in my body feeling unbearable after everything that had happened tonight.

Without wasting another second, I walked straight into the bathroom and stepped under the warm shower.

The hot water poured over my skin, slowly washing away the smell of alcohol, perfume, and stress clinging to me. For the first time that evening, I finally felt like I could breathe properly.

What was supposed to be a quick shower turned into a long, well-deserved bath.

By the time I finally stepped out of the bathroom, moisturized my skin, and changed into something loose and comfortable, almost an hour and thirty minutes had passed.

The sedative David had pumped into the living room through the air vent should have worked by now.

Still, I wasn’t stupid enough to take chances.

Reaching for the nose mask sitting on the dresser, I secured it over my nose and mouth before leaving my bedroom.

As I descended the stairs carefully, muffled voices floated up from downstairs.

Serena and David were arguing again.

“Is he out?” I asked the moment I reached the middle of the staircase, my words sounding slightly muffled beneath the mask.

David looked up first and nodded tiredly.

“He’s out,” he confirmed. “Turns out he’s heavier than we expected.”

I rolled my eyes instantly.

“Seriously? That’s what you two are fighting about?”

Neither of them answered.

Shaking my head, I walked over to help them. Together, the three of us struggled to drag Alex upstairs. Even unconscious, he was annoyingly heavy.

After what felt like forever, we finally managed to get him into my bedroom before dropping him onto the bed with exhausted groans.

David adjusted Alex’s position properly so he wouldn’t roll off the mattress. Then he began unbuttoning Alex’s shirt before tugging off his pants, leaving him in only his boxer briefs.

I stood beside the bed quietly, staring down at Alex’s unconscious form. My eyes narrowed thoughtfully for a moment before I spoke.

“Pull off the boxers too,” I muttered.

David’s head snapped toward me so fast I thought his neck might actually crack.

“You want to lie next to a completely naked man?” he asked in disbelief.

I rolled my eyes at David’s reaction, completely unimpressed.

“It’s not like I’m going to see anything,” I said flatly. “And it’s not like he’s going to suddenly wake up in the middle of the night and pounce on me.”

The drug was strong enough. He would be out cold till morning.

David’s jaw tightened as he glared at me.

“And when he wakes up in the morning feeling like having morning s*x?” he hissed. “What exactly are you planning to do then?”

“That won’t happen.”

His eyes narrowed further, clearly not satisfied with my answer.

“That is not much of an assurance,” he shot back.

I clicked my tongue in irritation.

“If we want this bastard to believe we had s*x last night and that he’s just too drunk to remember it, then he has to look the part.”

David gestured sharply at Alex’s unconscious body on the bed.

“This,” he said through clenched teeth, “already looks like the part.”

I scoffed and shook my head. “No, it doesn’t.” I stepped closer to the bed. “If you’re not going to pull the boxers down, I will.”

David pinched the bridge of his nose hard, muttering something under his breath, frustration, disbelief, maybe both. His words came out incoherent as he tried to process what I had just said, like he couldn’t decide whether I was serious or insane.

“You want to say something I’ll understand?” I snapped, shooting him an annoyed look.

David’s glare only deepened.

“Turn around,” he ordered.

I let out a small laugh, but complied. Serena followed my lead immediately, both of us facing away from the bed.

After a moment, David cleared his throat.

“You can turn around now.”

Still wearing a satisfied smile, I turned back. Serena did the same.

The sight before me made my lips curl wider. Alex lay properly arranged on the bed, clearly unconscious, his body covered with the duvet, his appearance staged to fit the narrative we needed. His clothes were now scattered neatly on the floor beside my dress from earlier, as though the night had ended exactly the way I intended it to look.

“Perfect,” I said under my breath, pleased with myself. I clapped my hands lightly. “So… who’s hungry?”

Serena immediately raised her hand.

I nodded . “Dinner it is then.”

Tomorrow, I would be getting an invitation to Old Sterling’s birthday event.

A small, satisfied smile returned to my face.

If only Vincent knew the amount of work I had to put in just to make sure I’d see him again.