Loved by a Dragon (Mate Me Book 1)

13.5

Xander took her to Via Del Corso to shop for her wardrobe. He wanted to dress her in the best; she deserved to see how special she was.

"Come in here," he instructed, opening a door to a boutique. She looked up at the name and gasped. They were entering the store of her favorite brand for plus-sized women. She owned a few dresses from when she needed to play the trophy wife for Mitchell.

"Why are we here?" she asked, looking up into his deep-set hazel eyes.

"To get you new clothes for our trek around Rome. We have a private showing in a few minutes," he explained. She pulled him in for a gentle kiss.

"I cannot believe you did this for me. I thought we'd hit up a few of the mainstream stores. I've heard it is nearly impossible to meet with the designer," she remarked, fingering a beautiful sundress of sky blue.

"Do you like that one?" he whispered in her ear. He delighted in the slight shiver that went down her back.

"It is beautiful, I like solids with a fun print mixed in. I can't say I appreciate the way stripes or ugly floral are the only prints for plus-sized women. Who wants to wear stripes to make yourself look larger than you already are?" She ended her rant to see a petite, plus-sized woman laughing.

"I like a woman with firm opinions. I agree with you on the stripes. You won't see any in my collection. I'm Colleen Bertola and I own this shop." Colleen held out her hand and Roxie shook it, her eyes wide.

"I'm Xander Austin and this is my girlfriend, Roxie Jones. I called yesterday about a private fitting," Xander explained.

"You are Koraline's son!" She held out her arms for a hug.

"Nice to meet you," he replied, giving her the obligatory hug.

"Koraline is the reason I became a household name. She wore one of my formal gowns to a hotel opening. Everyone wanted to know who her designer was. Well, let me tell you, I sold out overnight. I'm happy to do anything for the Austin family," Colleen shared, leading them to a closed-off area.

...

"Now tell me, Roxie, what do you do for a living?" Colleen pushed her down into a plush chair.

"I'm an assis... no, I'm an artist," she replied. She'd almost said she was an assistant, but she'd quit her job yesterday.

"Are you sure?" Colleen didn't look convinced.

"Yes, it is a recent career change for me," she admitted.

"More power to you, taking a chance on a passion. Tell me what you prefer to wear."

"Loose tops and dresses with empire waistlines. I find dresses with a natural waist cut me at an odd spot. I wear solid tops with patterned cardigans. I want to find a more relaxed style, now that I don't work in an office. I enjoy wearing dresses and flowing tops," Roxie shared. The entire time Colleen was digging through the racks, pulling out clothes.

"I have the perfect look for you. Go in the changing room, and I'll bring you my top picks. Xander, you sit and get comfortable; this will take a while."

"Anything you say, Ms. Bertola." He laughed, it made him feel good knowing Roxie would get a fresh one of a kind wardrobe.

Roxie tried on what felt like hundreds of outfits. The amazing thing was, all the clothes looked fantastic on her body. She didn't get the normal feeling of being too fat when she tried on clothes. Colleen was amazing; she made Roxie feel beautiful, something she hadn't felt in a long time.

"This is your best look yet. You look good in sleeveless swing dresses. Shows off that gorgeous tattoo you've got. Let's see what you look like in jeans." Roxie cringed, jeans were very hard for her to find. Skinny jeans made her feel like an ice cream cone.

"Don't give me that look. I have the perfect pair for you. Your mate out there won't be able to keep his hands off you," Colleen promised. She handed her a pair of dark wash boot cut jeans. She slid them on and like with everything else, they zipped without trouble. Stepping out of the dressing room, she silently thanked Colleen when Xander's jaw dropped open.

"You look hot!" he complimented her, and she blushed.

"Thanks, this entire thing has been a major boost to my confidence. Thank you, Colleen, and Xander, you've helped me find a new style. This is something I will never forget." She blinked back the happy tears threatening to fall.

"You deserve to be happy. You are beautiful, smart, creative, talented, and sweet. I wanted you to see how special you are to me. Pick your favorites and we'll take them with us," he told her and she gasped.

"Xander, I can't afford these," she began, and he cut her off.

"I am paying. Now go choose," he ordered, waving her on.

"I can't accept something so expensive," she argued.

"Yes, you can and will, we are mates and I want to spoil you," he demanded.

"Honey, take the man up on his offer. It's not every day you get to be spoiled. Enjoy the moment," Colleen chastised. She finally dipped a nod and went to change back into her clothes. She would pick only enough outfits for the week, nothing more. She didn't want to take advantage of Xander's generosity.

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