Chapter 22

Mishka

Anton had not been lying when he said that the stores of Manhattan would open early for him to shop in private. We stepped out of the limo in front of Saks Fifth Avenue, which was on… fifth avenue. They really had opened the entire store for him. And what a store it was.

Five stories tall and spanning an entire city block. It was a beautiful old building, elegant and gorgeously maintained, filled with luxury goods beyond reasoning. The place was incredibly quiet, with only our footsteps echoing through the cavernous spaces. It felt a bit like a bank. Or a museum. The air was silent and serious. That is, until they asked him what music he preferred. He deferred to me.

I stammered out Stravinski, without much thought. I was secretly pleased when Anton nodded his approval, saying how appropriate it was since Stravinski had in fact, departed this world in New York City, back in 1971. And so, here we were, staring at a rack of very expensive looking clothing while the soaring notes of the Firebird rang out from the concealed speakers.

Rich people really enjoyed hiding their tech, I had come to learn.

Other things… not so much. In addition to several sheer dresses and blouses, there was another rack of lingerie. I had no idea how they had known my size, but I did know that Anton had chosen the brands and the colors.

They had been ready and waiting for us, clearly prepared hours, if not days ahead of time. How he thought of everything so far in advance, I had no idea. I did know that people jumped to do his bidding, including myself. I didn't think it had anything to do with his wealth. It was his aura. His quiet strength, confidence, and that palpable air of arrogance.

His stunning good looks didn't hurt either, I thought with a hint of annoyance. The man was always attracting attention. I did notice that despite the drooling salesgirl, he did not give her a second glance. She was quite pretty. He didn't seem to notice, or at least, not care.

Given that he had been tied to famous ballerinas, models, and actresses over the years, that was not surprising.

Yes, I had googled him. What girl would not?

"Start with these. We will need another rack for the west coast, as well as resort wear. And enough luggage to carry everything. We are traveling extensively. Do not hold back."

They moved so quickly and efficiently; I would not have believed it if I did not see it. I was ushered to a private dressing room. It was so big, with a round chaise in the center of the room, two chairs, and a huge three paneled mirror. I almost expected Anton to follow me in there, it looked so much like the room was prepped for an audience.

Thankfully, he did not.

The salesgirl, however, did not leave the room.

"Let me help you," she said, quickly unzipping my uniform before I could protest. She had me in a cream wool sheath dress with matching cape style jacket, before I could say ‘yes.' She pointed to a pair of tan patent leather heels with a strap across them, like a grown-up version of a Mary Jane.

"Flawless. You just need some proper undergarments and you are set," she said, stepping back and looking me over. I barely had a chance to look in the mirror and she was pointing me towards the door, telling me I looked gorgeous.

It was time to show my owner what I was wearing.

I stepped into another waiting room. Anton was lounging in a luxurious looking easy chair, reading a paper and drinking coffee. He had such an air of easy elegance about him that it always took me aback.

He looked up and froze. A look of shock came over his face. He stood and walked towards me slowly.

He stopped short of me, staring at my face. He looked me up and down, his mouth opening slightly.

"My God, Mishka. You are beautiful."

I blinked at him. Then I felt a hand on my shoulder guiding me back to the dressing room. The salesgirl looked at me.

"Well, that was a yes. Next," she called out, and another sales girl started undressing me, carefully hanging the clothing on a hanger and zipping it into a protective cloth bag.

"Wait, fix the lingerie first," the first one instructed. My bra and panties were removed in a way that made me clutch my body protectively.

"Sorry," the salesgirl said with a smile. "We don't want to keep him waiting, do we?"

I gave her a cold look, lifting my chin.

"I don't care if he is waiting."

She raised her eyebrows and shared a glance with the other sales woman.

"And that's why she is getting the Princess treatment, Elise."

Elise giggled.

"Being stunningly gorgeous doesn't hurt either! Right, Claire?" She said with a friendly smile, handing me a matching bra and panty set. It was flesh toned, but that was the only simple thing about it. The cups and panties were made of layers of patterned mesh, with subtle embroidery at the hips and between my breasts. I was shocked at how comfortable they were.

"You like?"

I glanced in the mirror and paused, surprised by how good my body looked in heels and lingerie. I was… hot, for lack of a better word.

"I'll take that as a yes," Claire said wryly.

"Perfect! Get multiples of this in every color, and some other styles from this brand. We'll need others too. And sexy nighties!" Elise said, picking up a phone to give rapid fire instructions.

"No need for sexy," I stammered. "He's my boss, not my boyfriend."

They stared at me and burst into hysterical laugher.

"Whatever you say, sweetheart."

"I think you might want to tell him that! On second thought… don't say anything," they giggled as they worked.

I frowned, not sure what was happening here. It was clear that they thought I was Anton's mistress. I was not! Though I could see how that could be… appealing. To some women.

But not to me. Right?

I was blushing as they put me into the next outfit. Anton's expression was more guarded this time. He simply stared, then gave a curt nod. Then he growled out the word ‘more'.

"We have to hurry!"

This time I didn't fight them as they stripped me, dressed me, and escorted me back to the waiting room, where his Royal Highness waited for me to appear.

He approved everything, except for one dress that was extraordinarily sexy. It even required a special bra, due to the plunging neckline. He made a sound not unlike an animalistic growl. And a vigorous head shake. I was being changed again when a knock came on the dressing room door.

Elise came back into the room with a grin.

"He wants the dress."

This sent them into a fit of giggles again.

It was another hour, and countless outfits later that I was being dressed in a soft wool day dress, cardigan coat, and mid height heels. This was an outfit I had already tried on. They applied a bit of makeup, also new from boxes, then shoved it all into a gorgeous shoulder bag. They even brushed my hair and applied a pomade. Then I was being pushed out the door and into the world.

I stared backwards at the insane amount of clothes they were packing up. It was going to require another car to follow the limo back to the airport, whenever we departed. I had no idea where we were going next. But we were not going home. I knew that much.

"Shall we?"

I stared at him.

"Where to?" I dared to ask; afraid he was going to insist on more shopping.

"I think you deserve a big breakfast after all that. And then I can show you a bit of the city. Does that sound good?"

I smiled, suddenly feeling relaxed. No more shopping. For now, anyway. And I was getting hungry again.

"Yes, please."