Garden of May

Chapter 68

River Ross’s hand dropped to Vanessa’s waist, briefly encircling it before releasing her. To others, it might have seemed a gesture of affection. To Vanessa, it felt charged with a certain wicked intent. “Look around as much as you like.” As the tall, imposing man leaned closer, his voice dropped to a low murmur. His breath, warm against her neck and ear, felt like a brand. Just like when he had held her from behind, nipping at her earlobe, or when he had toyed with her heaving br3asts as he thrust into her.

The memories of that afternoon came flooding back.

“Haah… Ri…ver…mmh…hah…! Too…deep…ah!”

Lifted solely by his strength, her body swayed precariously in the air. Forced to face the mirror, shamefully spread, her glistening s*x strained to contain him.

“Ah, please…slow…aah…mmh…!”

“Don’t be so impatient.”

The same smile, the same look in his eyes, the charged atmosphere of lovers. It was clear that his actions were deliberate. Vanessa blushed crimson, dropping her head.

It was infuriating enough that he had used her to deflect the proprietress’s advances, but the fact that a mere closeness of breath could evoke such indecent memories in public was mortifying.

“…Very well.”

The proprietress’s gentle voice held a subtle barb. Yet, unlike her initial wariness, as if guarding her possessions from a thief, her tone now lacked its earlier bite. Before Vanessa could fully process the shift, the proprietress reached out, grasped her hand, and spun her around. “Then, if you’ll excuse me.”

The proprietress produced a measuring tape and began taking Vanessa’s measurements. “Twenty…and five more… Good. Keep your arm raised like that.”

“Like this?”

“Yes, just like that. You have a lovely figure. Your frame is naturally slender, so overly emphasized or embellished styles wouldn’t suit you. And thirty…one…”

Muttering measurements, the proprietress abruptly fell silent. Vanessa looked up, puzzled.

“What is it?”

“….”

“Is there a problem?”

“Not at all.”

The proprietress offered an enigmatic smile. The flicker in her eyes had vanished. She set down the tape and clapped her hands, her voice taking on an unnatural sweetness. “As it happens, I have several dresses in the shop that would be perfect for you. They’ll only need minor alterations. In the meantime, sir, perhaps you’d like to see the suit you commissioned last time? It’s nearly finished….”

The proprietress rang a bell, and with a clatter, a man covered in measuring tapes tumbled down the stairs. He must have been asleep at his desk, judging by the indentations on his cheek. The proprietress gestured elegantly. “Colin, show this gentleman his suit.”

“Can I leave you alone for a moment?”

“Of course.”

He raised an eyebrow, as if dubious. He seemed to be recalling her earlier, covered in mud and clutching a duckling at the farm. Vanessa lifted her chin, meeting his gaze with a brazen expression. Confident, and utterly unashamed.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be perfectly behaved this time.”

“Alright then.”

He smiled faintly, lifting a hand as if to ruffle her hair, then letting it fall. “I’ll be back shortly. Look around, but don’t leave the shop.”

“I won’t.”

Just before following the tailor upstairs, River Ross pulled something from his pocket and handed it to the proprietress. She covered her mouth with her hand in apparent surprise, then accepted it with both hands. Vanessa was intensely curious about the object, but the proprietress was already upon her, steering her in the opposite direction.

“This way, my lady.”

Propelled towards the back of the shop, Vanessa found herself in a large room filled with racks of clothing. Messengers bustled in and out of a back door, and weary-looking employees frantically packaged garments while attending to customers.

The proprietress led her to a rack along one wall. “Take your time and browse. Everything here should fit you.”

Blouses, skirts, fashionable dresses, and expensive-looking hats caught her eye. Vanessa surveyed the clothes with a worried expression. Reality, momentarily forgotten, came rushing back.