Part 3My Step-Husband

I was curled up on the sofa, clutching my stomach and gasping for air from laughing so hard.

Ryan walked over with a face like thunder, reaching out to pull the strap of my slip dress back onto my shoulder. "Can't you pay attention to your image in front of the kid?"

"How am I not paying attention to my image?" I retorted.

"Did you have to wear this silk slip? When you bent over to pour tea, your chest was..."

He stammered for a while, his own face turning red first.

"Couldn't you at least... wear a bra?"

"...Dammit, I did!"

I stood up, grabbed his arm, and dragged him toward the bedroom.

"What are you doing?" Ryan struggled symbolically, his words stiff. "You really think of yourself as my wife? Seduction won't work on me. I'm not fulfilling any marital duties with you!"

That's what he said, but his feet were moving faster than mine.

I dragged him into the walk-in closet, flung open all the wardrobe doors, turned to him and asked, "You tell me, which one is appropriate?"

The closet was filled exclusively with low-cut, super-short silk slip dresses.

The occasional "outdoor" outfits were all skin-tight, low-cut numbers with garter belts.

Basically, clothes no normal person would wear outside. Pure sleaze.

Ryan froze, his face turning crimson.

I wasn't done with him.

I yanked open a drawer, grabbed a handful of colorful fabric scraps, and threw them at his face like confetti.

He examined one puzzledly.

Narrow front, wide back, just a few strings. You couldn't even tell what shape it was supposed to be.

"What are these?" He picked up a pendant that looked like an earring.

"Underwear! Didn't you say I wasn't wearing any?" I grabbed another handful and threw it at his head. "The house is full of this stuff that's basically wearing nothing. What do you want me to do, huh?"

"You wear this kind?"

"Ugh—" He dropped the fabric like it burned him.

He slammed a hand over his nose and spun around, turning his back to me.

His voice was thick when he spoke. "I... I get it. I'll buy you new ones tomorrow. Just don't go out for now."

I picked up a piece of fabric from the floor and handed it to him. "Here."

He turned his body further away, hiding his face.

"What for?"

"Your nosebleed is dripping on the floor. Plug it."