Forbidden Heat

Reiner - Trouble

Zak was spot on. The news of him turning down his promotion made the news and was all over

television. The worst part that both Zak and I had anticipated was that the press would draw

implications from Zak’s recent decision to his mother, Madame Francesca.

“Do you think that this will impact your mother’s influence on the company’s management?”

“Is it true that you and Madame Francesca is in a disagreement about the future direction of the

company?”

“Will this have an impact on investors’ sentiments? How does management plan to deal with it?”

“Does this mean that you no longer intend to support the company’s marketing and PR efforts? What

about the international expansion plans?”

“Is Madame Francesca’s branch of the family going to withdraw from active management of the

company?”

It was amazing how Zak could stand unfazed with a beautiful smile on his face in the face of all those

questions. I watched Zak on the television in the sitting room as I lazed around on the sofa as if I had

nothing better to do in my life. Zak was so composed and strategically, he didn’t answer any of those

baiting questions. I wondered if he was really ok. There was no way that Madame Francesca would let

something this major just slide by.

That segment was followed by another interview of Madame Francesca herself. The questions were

largely similar and had to do with the continuation of her legacy in the management of the family’s

company, her future role, and the future plans that she had for her son, Zak Rosenhall. She replied

flawlessly to all the questions as if she had anticipated them.

I laughed a little to myself as I watched her put on such a great show in front of the press. She was

such a pro at this.

…

Roughly a week later, the day I had scheduled to visit the designer boutique that Zak had chosen to

tailor my dress had arrived. Just as Lucien had ordered, I went out with my designated driver. The plan

was to meet with Zak there because he had a prior appointment. I didn’t mind at all.

It had been a while since I’ve been out of the house with some real purpose. Getting a new dress

tailored might cheer me up a little, who knows. The boutique was smaller than I thought but definitely

very stylish and unique. Wearing a new designer might be a good shake up for things, I was getting

bored of the big-name designers anyways.

“Natalia?” A young woman with a very slim waist, wide eyes and dark bob-cut hair greeted me

immediately when I walked into the boutique.novelbin

I guess this is the designer and owner of the boutique.

“Yes…” I replied before offering her one of my best smiles.

“Oh…it’s an honor to have you here. I’ve heard all about you from Zak,” She said as she embraced me

in a friendly hug.

I smiled at her as I was beginning to think that it was the right decision to come here after all. Looking

around the boutique, I could see many dresses that seemed quite unique but not too out there.

“I almost forgot to introduce myself. My name is Zanita and that is also the name of my brand,” she said

politely.

“That’s wonderful. I can see many stylish and unique dresses here. I look forward to working with you,”

I said pleasantly.

“Trust me, the honor is mine. Do you have anything specific in mind?” she asked, and I could see that

she was anxious to please.

“Umm…not particularly,” I answered, honestly.

“Then would you like to take a look around. I have dresses from my latest collection and also photos

and sketches of other tailor-made projects. Maybe some of them can inspire you,” Zanita said.

“Sure. That would be great,” I agreed.

My phone vibrated and I looked down to see a text message from Zak.

‘I’m running late. The meeting got extended. You can go ahead with Zanita first. Love you.’

Ok, so Zak is going to be late. Guess it couldn’t be helped. I wish Zak was here to help me pick and

choose though.

Zanita was super friendly, and I enjoyed the mini tour that she took me on while she introduced me to

her works. The dresses that she showed me were interesting because of their unique design, color

usage and the texture of their fabric. I like a few dresses that I saw and thought that they might serve

as a good starting point for our design.

“Would you like to try some dresses on? It might be better to see how they look on you,” Zanita

suggested.

I readily agreed with her, and she nodded for her helpers to grab the dresses that I was interested in for

me to try on.

“This way please…” one of the shop assistants said as she gestured for me to follow her to the

dressing room.

“I can manage. Thank you,” I said as I smiled politely at her.

If I can, I would prefer to try on the clothes myself. She smiled a little at me after she had hung up the

dresses in the room before she turned to leave.

I stripped and started changing into the first dress and then the next. The dress looked better on me

than I expected. Looking at my naked body in the mirror, I thought that maybe I had indeed lost quite

some weight. That wasn’t a good thing, I guessed.

I wasn’t entirely sure how much time had past since I began trying on the dresses but after some time it

was completely quiet outside. Not thinking much of it, I continued trying on more dresses. This one

might actually work, it makes my waist look small and my boobs look big and firm, I thought as I turned

from side to side to view my reflection from various angles. Now if I just ask Zanita to change the color

to something else…

Suddenly, my nose started twitching and it felt like I was about to sneeze. I paused in front of the mirror

as I started sniffing the smell.

I wasn’t sure if I was imagining it but…is something…burning?

--To be continued…