Black Lace
Chapter 9
Chapter Playlist: Skinny Love by Birdy
"Alana dear, are you quite alright?" Mrs. Boyce questioned in concern, pulling the curtains open to let the light in.
Squinting her eyes several times to adjust to the bright light that fell on her face, Alana groaned and tried to raise her aching head.
"I don't wanna get up, Mrs. Boyce." Alana grumbled, pulling the blanket over her red, puffy eyes.
"Oh my! Have you been crying again?" Alana felt the mattress depressed by her side from Mrs. Boyce's weight.
"No!" Alana insisted from under the blanket, as a dry sob left her mouth.
"Oh honey!" Mrs. Boyce coaxed, her voice laced with honest sympathy, instead of the calculated pity Miranda had shown last night now that things had changed.
And sadly enough, Miranda had been the only person in London who she could call a friend. The only one she could actually talk to who was neither her family, with whom Alana had stopped all contact, nor one of Evan's many friends. It really had been stupid of her not making any friends since they shifted to London and only mixing with the people Evan had bothered to associate with.
Yesterday had been one of the worst days of her life. Even worse than the day she had caught her fiancé cheating on her with her elder sister. Her entire world had fallen in front of her own eyes yesterday and she had finally caught on to the entirety of it all. Felt it in every drop of tear that escaped her eye. Watched as her dreams and hopes had been snatched away from her precariously, leaving her empty and broken.
The wedding planner that Alana and Evan had hired for their wedding had called her up the morning before, asking if the plans were still on. Apparently, Evan had not bothered to inform the planner that the wedding had been called off, only mentioning that it was on standby.
Upon hearing this, Alana had been furious and had decided to give Evan her piece of mind by meeting up with him. It had been the worst decision she had ever made. He had tried to manipulate her into going through with the wedding, apologizing for his 'mistake' and ranting on about how they were meant for each other.
When Alana hadn't budged, he had tried to blackmail her by threatening to take away the shop, reminding her that he owned it. Knowing how much of a bastard he was, Alana had asked him to fuck off and that had triggered Evan into showing his true colours.
Alana felt her entire body go cold and clammy just from the thought of it. She had thrown up multiple times after she had gone back to the shop while Miranda had consoled her. However, as soon as the papers had arrived mentioning that someone else would be taking over Alana's position and that her services were no longer needed in the shop, Miranda's entire demeanor had changed.
"Alana, if you need anything at all, you do know that you only need to ask. Right?" Mrs. Boyce informed, pulling away the blanket gently but firmly.
Alana groaned from being blinded by the bright light before she came up with a plan. A plan which would actually help her to go through the rest of her days easily.
"Actually, Mrs. Boyce, there is something that you can help me out with! How do you feel about going to the bridal shop with me?"
"Such a lovely dress, Alana dear! Pity, really!" Mrs. Boyce remarked, touching the soft garment of Alana's untried wedding dress.
"It is a beauty, isn't it?" The sales lady drawled, looking at Alana with narrowed lids. "So you're sure you don't want us to hold it anymore, Ms. Morgan?"
"Quite sure. Mr. Abbott will take care of the rest. Here's his number." Alana jotted down the number on a piece of paper and handed it to the lady. The sales woman gave a sly smile and Alana was reminded of the day when she and Evan had first come to the shop.
This particular lady had been checking Evan out from head to toe, batting her eyelashes and twirling the ends of her hair as she went on and on about how she personally preferred lace over silk. Evan, however, had seemed unfazed and had been complimenting Alana on how beautiful she looked in all the dresses she had tried on.
Well, Alana hoped this woman would put good use to the number she had given and distract Evan enough for him to leave her alone. They would do well together, Alana decided.
"Oh- umm...Alana, I know this dress doesn't hold the best memories for you but I was wondering if...well...if you could try it on one last time, maybe?" Mrs. Boyce suggested with a hopeful smile on her face, holding the hem of the dress up.
"Umm- I'm not sure if that's a good idea, Mrs. Boyce." Alana gave her a polite smile, as her eyes began to sting.
"Oh come on now, dear! Don't be so put out by that silly old fool. He has no idea what he has lost! You're beautiful and young and there are so many fishes out there in the sea. So, put on this dress and show the world what Alana Morgan is all about! Go on, now!"
Mrs. Boyce's optimism rubbed off on her and Alana couldn't help but give her a genuinely happy smile. She looked at the sales lady earnestly to which the old bat just rolled her eyes before snarling out, "Go ahead! It'll be the last time you see it any way! I'm gonna head to the other side. If you need anything else, just holler one of the interns!"
With that she walked away, peeking at the piece of paper in her hand and rushing to the other side of the shop. Alana turned towards Mrs. Boyce who gave her an encouraging smile as she held the beautiful dress in her hand.
"This is a bad idea!" Alana sighed and took the dress, heading towards the changing rooms.
"Do that thing that girls these days do with their lips, darling!" Mrs. Boyce instructed, holding the phone carefully to take a proper picture.
"You mean the duck face?" Alana asked, pouting her lips and blowing flying kisses as she posed with her hands on her hips.
"That's right. There you go!" Mrs. Boyce chuckled as Alana held her pose, playing with her hair and taking pictures in high spirits. She had never seen this side to Mrs. Boyce and was glad that she had brought the older lady with her. She was having fun for the first time since her break up with Evan.
"Oh! Hold on. I think my phone's ringing!" Mrs. Boyce handed Alana's phone back to her and checked her own phone. "Oh, I have to take this. You don't mind. Do you, dear?"
"'Course not. Please go right ahead. I'll go and change as well."
Mrs. Boyce scurried away while Alana turned back to stare at her own reflection. The bubbly smile slowly slid from her face as she looked at herself from head to toe. A beautiful beach wedding is what she had always dreamt of, but Evan had as usual disagreed and had convinced her to opt for a church wedding.
Alana smoothed down the creases of the dress, feeling the sheer material slip beneath her small palms. A sad little smile touched her lips, as she stared at the dress, void of all emotions.
"Getting a little too delusional, aren't we?" A deep male voice spoke out of the blue, surprising Alana out of her wits. She jumped and checked to see who had spoken through the mirror and her eyes met the sight of an old, fat, balding man in an expensive over coat.
The voice had hit too close to home and she slowly recognized where she had seen the old man before. He had been in her office when she had been changing her clothes and had mistaken him for Miranda.
"Louis! You're back!" Alana whispered, her face breaking into a grin as she turned around to confirm his presence. However, her smile slid off just as fast and a frown formed when she registered what he had said.
"Wait! Delusional about what? What are you talking about?"
"Don't play dumb now, love. You can do better than that." His voice was a clear warning, letting Alana know that he was not in the mood for bullshit. She did feel dumb, however; her brain too worked up from the day before and it was when she noticed his eyes skimming up her outfit with distaste that she realized what he was on about.
"Whoa! Hold on now!" Alana tried to cover her outfit with her hands as though she had been caught naked. "It's not how it looks like!"
"I sure hope not." Louis warned his mouth a grim, unimpressed line.
"Lou-" She checked left and right to see if anyone was eavesdropping before getting down from the small platform in front of the mirror and closing some of the distance between them.
"Look, I know how this may look to you." She started firmly, annoyed that he could even imagine that she would want to marry an overbearing and pompous ass like him. "But, know that not everything is about you. It's a private matter and I'd like you to stay out of it."
The gorgeous creature in front of her merely tilted his head to the side and watched her, looking unreasonably sexy even in his stupid disguise. It really was unfair that Alana wanted to push him down on the floor and have her way with him hard and fast while he just looked at her with
cold indifference.
Louis felt a surge of satisfaction when he noticed her pupils dilating and her breathing becoming heavier. He leaned forward and lowered his head towards her lips, making her breath hitch and nipples poke against the fabric of her bra.
"Good!" He whispered, as his breath fanned against her lips. "Cause you and I are nothing beyond the contract that we signed! Don't forget that this is a business deal. I own you and your time for as long as I think is necessary to pay off your debts. Your services in exchange for the money owed. Nothing more! Nothing less! And the time I don't need your services, you are free to do whatever you like. Except for sleeping around with other men, of course! I don't tolerate cheats and liars of any sort. When you are mine, you're only mine. Also, I don't do feelings so if you think you can have your way by shedding a few tears then you need to re-think your plans."
Louis noticed the confusion and hurt in her eyes before she blanked them off any emotion and took a step back. She looked down at the ground as if in deep thought before raising her eyes and steeling them.
"I have read the papers and clauses, you know. I know what I have signed up for, but thank you for reminding me that I am, at the end of the day, nothing but your tramp."
She gave him a small, forced smile and Louis felt a jolt of guilt pass through his conscience. He knew he had been a little too hard on her but he had just wanted to make things clear.
Alana spun away from him, and started walking away before saying, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to get out of the cause of all these misunderstandings. My refunded wedding dress!"
"Alana dear, are you quite alright?" Mrs. Boyce questioned in concern, pulling the curtains open to let the light in.
Squinting her eyes several times to adjust to the bright light that fell on her face, Alana groaned and tried to raise her aching head.
"I don't wanna get up, Mrs. Boyce." Alana grumbled, pulling the blanket over her red, puffy eyes.
"Oh my! Have you been crying again?" Alana felt the mattress depressed by her side from Mrs. Boyce's weight.
"No!" Alana insisted from under the blanket, as a dry sob left her mouth.
"Oh honey!" Mrs. Boyce coaxed, her voice laced with honest sympathy, instead of the calculated pity Miranda had shown last night now that things had changed.
And sadly enough, Miranda had been the only person in London who she could call a friend. The only one she could actually talk to who was neither her family, with whom Alana had stopped all contact, nor one of Evan's many friends. It really had been stupid of her not making any friends since they shifted to London and only mixing with the people Evan had bothered to associate with.
Yesterday had been one of the worst days of her life. Even worse than the day she had caught her fiancé cheating on her with her elder sister. Her entire world had fallen in front of her own eyes yesterday and she had finally caught on to the entirety of it all. Felt it in every drop of tear that escaped her eye. Watched as her dreams and hopes had been snatched away from her precariously, leaving her empty and broken.
The wedding planner that Alana and Evan had hired for their wedding had called her up the morning before, asking if the plans were still on. Apparently, Evan had not bothered to inform the planner that the wedding had been called off, only mentioning that it was on standby.
Upon hearing this, Alana had been furious and had decided to give Evan her piece of mind by meeting up with him. It had been the worst decision she had ever made. He had tried to manipulate her into going through with the wedding, apologizing for his 'mistake' and ranting on about how they were meant for each other.
When Alana hadn't budged, he had tried to blackmail her by threatening to take away the shop, reminding her that he owned it. Knowing how much of a bastard he was, Alana had asked him to fuck off and that had triggered Evan into showing his true colours.
Alana felt her entire body go cold and clammy just from the thought of it. She had thrown up multiple times after she had gone back to the shop while Miranda had consoled her. However, as soon as the papers had arrived mentioning that someone else would be taking over Alana's position and that her services were no longer needed in the shop, Miranda's entire demeanor had changed.
"Alana, if you need anything at all, you do know that you only need to ask. Right?" Mrs. Boyce informed, pulling away the blanket gently but firmly.
Alana groaned from being blinded by the bright light before she came up with a plan. A plan which would actually help her to go through the rest of her days easily.
"Actually, Mrs. Boyce, there is something that you can help me out with! How do you feel about going to the bridal shop with me?"
"Such a lovely dress, Alana dear! Pity, really!" Mrs. Boyce remarked, touching the soft garment of Alana's untried wedding dress.
"It is a beauty, isn't it?" The sales lady drawled, looking at Alana with narrowed lids. "So you're sure you don't want us to hold it anymore, Ms. Morgan?"
"Quite sure. Mr. Abbott will take care of the rest. Here's his number." Alana jotted down the number on a piece of paper and handed it to the lady. The sales woman gave a sly smile and Alana was reminded of the day when she and Evan had first come to the shop.
This particular lady had been checking Evan out from head to toe, batting her eyelashes and twirling the ends of her hair as she went on and on about how she personally preferred lace over silk. Evan, however, had seemed unfazed and had been complimenting Alana on how beautiful she looked in all the dresses she had tried on.
Well, Alana hoped this woman would put good use to the number she had given and distract Evan enough for him to leave her alone. They would do well together, Alana decided.
"Oh- umm...Alana, I know this dress doesn't hold the best memories for you but I was wondering if...well...if you could try it on one last time, maybe?" Mrs. Boyce suggested with a hopeful smile on her face, holding the hem of the dress up.
"Umm- I'm not sure if that's a good idea, Mrs. Boyce." Alana gave her a polite smile, as her eyes began to sting.
"Oh come on now, dear! Don't be so put out by that silly old fool. He has no idea what he has lost! You're beautiful and young and there are so many fishes out there in the sea. So, put on this dress and show the world what Alana Morgan is all about! Go on, now!"
Mrs. Boyce's optimism rubbed off on her and Alana couldn't help but give her a genuinely happy smile. She looked at the sales lady earnestly to which the old bat just rolled her eyes before snarling out, "Go ahead! It'll be the last time you see it any way! I'm gonna head to the other side. If you need anything else, just holler one of the interns!"
With that she walked away, peeking at the piece of paper in her hand and rushing to the other side of the shop. Alana turned towards Mrs. Boyce who gave her an encouraging smile as she held the beautiful dress in her hand.
"This is a bad idea!" Alana sighed and took the dress, heading towards the changing rooms.
"Do that thing that girls these days do with their lips, darling!" Mrs. Boyce instructed, holding the phone carefully to take a proper picture.
"You mean the duck face?" Alana asked, pouting her lips and blowing flying kisses as she posed with her hands on her hips.
"That's right. There you go!" Mrs. Boyce chuckled as Alana held her pose, playing with her hair and taking pictures in high spirits. She had never seen this side to Mrs. Boyce and was glad that she had brought the older lady with her. She was having fun for the first time since her break up with Evan.
"Oh! Hold on. I think my phone's ringing!" Mrs. Boyce handed Alana's phone back to her and checked her own phone. "Oh, I have to take this. You don't mind. Do you, dear?"
"'Course not. Please go right ahead. I'll go and change as well."
Mrs. Boyce scurried away while Alana turned back to stare at her own reflection. The bubbly smile slowly slid from her face as she looked at herself from head to toe. A beautiful beach wedding is what she had always dreamt of, but Evan had as usual disagreed and had convinced her to opt for a church wedding.
Alana smoothed down the creases of the dress, feeling the sheer material slip beneath her small palms. A sad little smile touched her lips, as she stared at the dress, void of all emotions.
"Getting a little too delusional, aren't we?" A deep male voice spoke out of the blue, surprising Alana out of her wits. She jumped and checked to see who had spoken through the mirror and her eyes met the sight of an old, fat, balding man in an expensive over coat.
The voice had hit too close to home and she slowly recognized where she had seen the old man before. He had been in her office when she had been changing her clothes and had mistaken him for Miranda.
"Louis! You're back!" Alana whispered, her face breaking into a grin as she turned around to confirm his presence. However, her smile slid off just as fast and a frown formed when she registered what he had said.
"Wait! Delusional about what? What are you talking about?"
"Don't play dumb now, love. You can do better than that." His voice was a clear warning, letting Alana know that he was not in the mood for bullshit. She did feel dumb, however; her brain too worked up from the day before and it was when she noticed his eyes skimming up her outfit with distaste that she realized what he was on about.
"Whoa! Hold on now!" Alana tried to cover her outfit with her hands as though she had been caught naked. "It's not how it looks like!"
"I sure hope not." Louis warned his mouth a grim, unimpressed line.
"Lou-" She checked left and right to see if anyone was eavesdropping before getting down from the small platform in front of the mirror and closing some of the distance between them.
"Look, I know how this may look to you." She started firmly, annoyed that he could even imagine that she would want to marry an overbearing and pompous ass like him. "But, know that not everything is about you. It's a private matter and I'd like you to stay out of it."
The gorgeous creature in front of her merely tilted his head to the side and watched her, looking unreasonably sexy even in his stupid disguise. It really was unfair that Alana wanted to push him down on the floor and have her way with him hard and fast while he just looked at her with
cold indifference.
Louis felt a surge of satisfaction when he noticed her pupils dilating and her breathing becoming heavier. He leaned forward and lowered his head towards her lips, making her breath hitch and nipples poke against the fabric of her bra.
"Good!" He whispered, as his breath fanned against her lips. "Cause you and I are nothing beyond the contract that we signed! Don't forget that this is a business deal. I own you and your time for as long as I think is necessary to pay off your debts. Your services in exchange for the money owed. Nothing more! Nothing less! And the time I don't need your services, you are free to do whatever you like. Except for sleeping around with other men, of course! I don't tolerate cheats and liars of any sort. When you are mine, you're only mine. Also, I don't do feelings so if you think you can have your way by shedding a few tears then you need to re-think your plans."
Louis noticed the confusion and hurt in her eyes before she blanked them off any emotion and took a step back. She looked down at the ground as if in deep thought before raising her eyes and steeling them.
"I have read the papers and clauses, you know. I know what I have signed up for, but thank you for reminding me that I am, at the end of the day, nothing but your tramp."
She gave him a small, forced smile and Louis felt a jolt of guilt pass through his conscience. He knew he had been a little too hard on her but he had just wanted to make things clear.
Alana spun away from him, and started walking away before saying, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to get out of the cause of all these misunderstandings. My refunded wedding dress!"
Notes
Alana's Wedding DressA/N: Hello, my beautiful readers! :) I know it has been a while since I have updated the story and I apologize sincerely. I am trying to juggle between studies, family and guy problems at the moment, so am a little depressed and stressed out. But, I bet you can tell that from the depressing chapter I have just posted! :P I am sorry. I really am. I know you guys are looking forward to a Louana smut scene or how they start consummating their deal and I've only given you fillers for the past two chapters but I promise things start rolling from the next chapter! :)
So, please keep bearing with me and keep supporting the story with votes, subscriptions and comments? :) I love you guys! x <3
Questions: So, can any of you relate to Alana's feelings after the break up? If you can, then please share your stories via message or comments because I'd love to hear it. Also, what do you think will happen in the next chapter? Do you think the paparazzi will come back to further drill Alana? Do you think Evan will make a move? Do you think Louana will have hot, passionate and uncensored sex? ;) Let me know!
please update soon
9/25/16