Chapter 245: Date with Chloe III
"Inside?" Vlad blinked, obviously taken aback by her strange request.
He glanced at the attendant, who politely averted her eyes, pretending to be deeply fascinated by a nearby rack of scarves.
"Yes," Chloe nodded, only the strands of her lavender hair and her head visible as she tightly tugged at the curtains from inside. "I need your help."
Vlad took a deep breath, the earlier surprise vanishing from his face as he walked towards her.
"Careful with the curtains," Chloe whispered shyly before moving her head inside.
Vlad carefully parted the curtains only enough to ensure that they wouldn’t reveal anything beyond his broad body.
The moment they swished shut behind him, the atmosphere shifted. The changing room was spacious enough for one person, but with Vlad’s broad frame added to the mix, it instantly felt small. The air was warm, carrying the same light floral scent from the lingerie section, now mixed with the distinct, comforting scent of lavender that always lingered around Chloe.
But what made Vlad’s breath catch in his throat was the sight of Chloe herself. She was standing in front of the mirror with her back facing him.
She wore a pair of black, high-waisted trousers, tight around her thighs and loose below the knees. As for her upper body... it was bare. Her chest was covered with both of her hands, revealing only a glimpse of the cute pink bra beneath that Vlad had selected.
Her eyes were lowered to the ground, her cheeks tinted a deep crimson. "I have never worn a bra with such straps before. Help me tie it."
Vlad hadn’t processed her words just yet. His eyes instinctively traced the curves of her milky waist, the faint abs on her abdomen formed from years of training, and her cute navel, which was barely visible above the strap of her trousers.
A few seconds later, Chloe called again.
"Vlad." She dared not look up, overwhelmed by the embarrassment she was currently feeling.
"Y-yes," Vlad finally answered, his eyes moving to her back. It didn’t help at all.
Now he could see her long, beautiful back. It stretched from the nape of her neck down to the high waist of her trousers, smooth, white, and luminous beneath the soft changing-room lights. The faint line of her spine ran like a graceful valley between the gentle curves of her shoulder blades. The thin straps of her bra from her shoulders met the horizontal straps, waiting to be fastened. A soft flush of color had risen along the sides of her ribs, and every time she shifted slightly, the muscles of her lower back flexed in the most feminine way.
Vlad’s throat went dry.
His trembling hands slowly rose, reaching for the straps at her back. The gloves vanished from his hands, the nanoparticles absorbing into the suit as if responding to his subconscious thoughts. He convinced himself that he would not have been able to grasp the thin straps with his gloves on. It wasn’t true at all.
The moment his cold fingers brushed against her warm back, Chloe immediately squirmed. The blush spread across her whole body, her eyes tightly squeezed shut.
Vlad wasn’t faring any better. The sensation of her incredibly soft, jade-like skin beneath his fingers rapidly increased his heartbeat.
The fact that he had never fastened a bra before only made the process longer, with more accidental touches.
"It’s done," Vlad said, lowering his hand. The gloves covered them again as they reached his sides.
Now only the final step of Attempt Three remained.
---
’This is the most reliable attempt to break any man,’ Seraphina had confidently declared around an hour ago. ’Call him inside the changing room with an excuse of needing help. While at it, make sure to show him the charm of your mature figure.’
---
Chloe closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly lowered her hands from her chest.
Her voice came barely above a whisper as she asked, "Does this suit me, Vlad?"
Vlad’s crimson eyes fell on her cute pink bra, with a ribbon sitting at the center of each cup.
The soft cups cradled her full, white mounds, the delicate fabric straining ever so slightly against their weight. The deep cleavage between them was impossible to ignore, a smooth, shadowed valley of pale skin that rose and fell with every nervous breath she took.
The ribbon at the center sat perfectly in the hollow, drawing the eye straight down the soft divide. The upper curves spilled just a little over the lace edges, the skin so smooth and creamy that it seemed to glow beneath the faint light of the changing room.
A faint flush of pink had already spread across the top of them, matching the color of the bra. Every time she shifted, the mounds swayed gently, the deep cleavage deepening for a heartbeat before settling again.
’Oh god.’ A low gasp escaped Vlad’s lips. His throat went dry, his breathing becoming heavier from merely looking at her. Her lavender fragrance began turning his mind blank, but then he shook his head. ’Control yourself. She isn’t teasing you. She is simply asking the person she trusts most whether the bra looks good on her. That’s all. And I need to answer like the man she believes me to be.’
"My choice was the correct one. You are looking really cute in it, Chloe," Vlad said in a gentle tone, forming a faint smile on his face.
For a few seconds, no response came from Chloe.
"You can go wait outside," she whispered. "I will change back."
"Alright." Vlad moved out with the same mindfulness he had shown when entering, making sure Chloe wouldn’t be exposed behind him.
The moment he came out, both of them instantly lowered themselves to the floor in a sitting position.
’Th-that was too dangerous!’ Vlad exclaimed inwardly, his face beet red. ’I nearly lost control back there.’
’Th-that was too embarrassing!’ Chloe exclaimed inwardly, her face beet red. ’Still, he barely lost his composure.’
She covered her face with her hands as she continued, ’Dumb Seraphina! Dumb Seraphina!’
If only she hadn’t kept her eyes lowered for the entire time Vlad was inside the changing room, never noticing his reaction, she wouldn’t be cursing the poor girl right now.
Attempt Three — Failure.