“To Berlin,” he says. “And you becoming a part of it.”
“To Berlin,” I agree. “And becoming a part of it. Honestly, Ant, it’s an honour.”
He asks for the bill as soon as we’re done with our mains, and we’re out of there with a danke. We’re right back to the car in a flash and pulling away.
“Next stop, the apartment,” he tells me, and I get a weird rush of nerves.
“Will Gerwyn be there?” I ask, remembering how Ant says he stays a lot.
“Nah, he’s working with Evan today up until we hit the town later.”
I get a rush of relief, wanting to make sure that I’m dressed up and showing my finest side before anyone close to him sets eyes on me.
The apartment isn’t far away. A modern, glass fronted block with its own posh looking car park to the rear. Predictably, Ant has the top floor. We take the elevator and I stare at him all the way, wishing I could tear his gorgeous navy suit and tie off him right there and then, because he’s just so damn perfect.
“Ta da,” he says as he opens his apartment, and it’s weird to see it in person.
I’ve seen so many snippets during our video calls together, but nothing to fully appreciate the scope of it. It’s an open plan brilliance that matches the house, only smaller, with the same grandeur of the glass windows – albeit with about as opposite a view as you could get. These windows stare out onto the city, busy and bustling, and it’s magical. I’m still spinning around the place in admiration as Ant puts a coffee on.
“Here we are, princess. Welcome to the Berlin palace.”
Holy fuck, I feel like a queen never mind a princess.
I really would want to tear his clothes from him if the afternoon wasn’t already racing ahead. I panic as I see the time, glugging back my coffee as quickly as I can as I tell Ant how I need to get ready.
He smiles and shows me his bedroom, dropping my case by his bed. It’s huge, in crisp white hotel style bedding – just like his bed at home. The furniture is gloss and black – another similarity, and the layout is exactly the same.
“I like home from home,” he says. “It’s nice to have continuity in both locations.”
That makes sense to me and I nod.
He opens a wardrobe door and clears a space for me, but I don’t want to open my case yet. I want my shimmering black dress to be a surprise.
“Want a hand?” he asks when I take a quick look into the ensuite, but I shake my head.
“No, thank you. I want it to be a surprise.”
His smirk is divine.
He laughs. “I’ll use the main bathroom then. Make yourself at home.”
There’s no worry about that, considering it pretty much is like home. Even the ensuite looks similar to the Malvern house.
I wait until he’s out and the door’s closed behind him before I open my suitcase, smiling.
There was no doubt about it whatsoever on reflection. I saw that the moment we started our drive through the city and it confirmed just how strongly Ant’s world is built on power, and success, and prestige.
The dress will be the best investment I’ve ever made.
I send Janie a so glad I bought it message with a big grinning emoji, then get myself ready to put it on. I shower and shave, and style my hair in the finest waves I can do. I put on my makeup with more care than I have in years, with smoky eyes and cat flicks and a luscious red lipstick. I put on my diamond necklace and my beautiful bracelet, and some gorgeous sparkling earrings that my parents bought me for my twenty-first.
I’ve chosen my finest lingerie, in lovely black lace, all set for when Ant sees me in it later, and it feels good as I slip into it, pleased with the lift it gives to my tits. Then finally, I put the dress on, stepping into my sky-high stilettos before checking myself out in the mirror.
The transformation was worth it. The dress was worth every single penny.
My reflection looks so much more self-assured and confident than I feel inside. The clothes and the jewellery will match our surroundings – no matter how grand – and this is what I’ve been dreaming of. Feeling good enough to live up to Ant’s world’s expectations of me.
And then I see him.
I step out of the bedroom, and I see the man I love waiting for me with his elbow resting casually on the breakfast counter, and he looks as incredible as I feel.
He’s in a tux like he was on the first night I met him, and his hair is styled in the same slick wave. He looks incredible. Absolutely totally incredible, and the love in his eyes tells me he’s thinking the same about me.