Chapter 96

Deciding that none of the first seven drawers are right for me – and honestly, feeling a little like picky little Goldilocks at this point saying “too hot” or “too cold,” I move to the eighth drawer.

My hands slow when I pull it open and see the silkiest little nightgown in gunmetal grey. I gasp a little, pulling it out by its spaghetti straps and holding it up. Unlike some of the other drawers which had…accessories….this little nightie sits by itself. There’s not even a shoe polaroid next to it, suggesting it should be worn barefoot.

Unable to stop myself, I quickly unclasp my bra and tuck it in the empty drawer, and then pull the nightgown on over my head, loving the way that it slides over my chest and comes to rest just at the top of my thighs. It’s simple but, somehow, just so incredibly chic. I spin around in it, biting my lip and enjoying the slide of the silk against my skin, excited. My choice made, I quickly fold the little pink sweatsuit and tuck it neatly away before I leaving the closet and close the doors behind me.

Eager to get back to my first curiosity – the books – I move swiftly across the room to the fireplace, which is luckily electric. I flick it on, hoping to warm up a little, and then go to the first bookshelf.

To my chagrin, all of the books are turned spine-backwards. The result of this is aesthetically pleasing, but…damn it, I have no idea what the books are. So, frowning, I spend the next hour or so finding out what Kent is hiding here, pulling the books out one by one and looking them over. I making a little pile of those I want to read and put back those which are uninteresting to me, getting excited about my afternoon plans.

Overall, I have to admit that I’m…impressed by Kent’s collection. When I first saw the books, I assumed his decorator put them all here as part of the room’s design. But, as I flick through them, I realize that many of them have notes in the same tiny, neat handwriting. He has quite a variety here too – some classics, some military strategy, some contemporary texts and some pieces of fiction of which I’ve never heard.