“Yes, Ma’am,” Jon grinned, offering his hand to Cate.  She gently slid her fingers across his palm, then rose from her seat.  Jon chuckled as she wobbled a bit unsteadily on the 4-inch heels of the sexy shoes.  “You can’t wear those when we go out together,” he teased.  “You’ll make me look short.”  In the platform pumps Cate was at least a good inch taller than he was.

Cate wrinkled her nose at Jon in a playful sneer.  “Why on earth not?  It’s not my fault you’re vertically challenged.  Besides, where else would I wear these gorgeous shoes, besides out on the town with my Rock Star husband?”

Jon grinned at her playful petulance and tugged on her hand, causing Cate to teeter again on the heels, bumping against him.  He slipped his arms around her waist, hugging her gently against his body.  “You could wear them at home, when we’re alllllllll alone.  In our bedroom.”  He nuzzled at Cate’s throat.  “They match your panties, you know.”

Cate giggled softly and let herself melt against Jon.  “Yeah, they do.”  She sighed as his lips stroked gently over hers for a long minute.  “Okay,” she breathed when the kiss ended.  “Time to play dress-up.”

With another playful smooch Jon nodded and released Cate from his embrace, then led her by the hand toward the dressing room.  He chuckled again as he felt her hesitate, then step down as she kicked off the purple pumps.  “I’ll practice wearing them later,” she giggled.

“I’m gonna hold you to that,” Jon warned her with a devilish waggle of his brows.

“I’d expect nothing less,” Cate countered with a smile.  She giggled softly to herself as she followed Jon into the huge dressing room.  Together they stopped in front of the two racks of clothing arranged against one wall of the luxurious salon.

“So, did Mena pick out anything I’ll actually like?”  Jon grinned to himself, knowing what Cate’s answer would be.

“I think so.”  Cate reached forward to push several hangers along the bar, sighing softly as her fingertips slid over leather and suede and cotton and silk.  “It’s pretty much all black, so you should be happy.”

Jon laughed softly at her tease.  She was always bugging him about wearing more color, instead of the rock-music wardrobe staple.  “There’s a little color here.  I like this green shirt.”  He pulled a hanger from the rack.  “Bet it would look great under my black leather jacket.”

Cate snorted.  “Which one?  Black Leather Jacket Number Hundred-Eighty-Nine?” 

Jon grinned and shook his head playfully.  “No.  Number One-Thirty-Two.  Smartass.”  He swatted playfully at Cate’s behind.  “And you’re wearing a Muppet draped across your tits, remember?  So you have no room to lecture me on fashion, Dirty Harriet.”  He chuckled as he zinged Cate with the nickname she had acquired years ago from her male colleagues.

“Yeah, yeah. But you like my Muppet.”  Cate gave Jon a coy sideways glance. 

His eyes dropped to Cate’s deep cleavage, framed by fluffy black faux-fur. “Damned right I do,” he agreed in a playful growl.  “But I’ll like it better on the floor.  Now hurry up and pick something for me to try on so I can get you naked!”

Cate laughed and reached for the dark green dress shirt in Jon’s hand.  “Okay.  How about we start with this?  You could use a new dress shirt, a different color.  We have all that Foundation stuff coming up after Christmas.”

“Fine by me, Baby.  Just tell me what to put together.”

Cate and Jon stood together at the rack for another ten minutes, sorting through the garments.  Jon smiled but remained quiet as he allowed Cate to decide which shirts he should try with which pants and jackets.  He wasn’t surprised with most of her pairings; her taste was quite similar to his. 

Jon’s heart warmed as he watched her, noting the excited gleam in her swirling cobalt eyes and the delicate pink flush on her cheeks.  He could see his wife was fully enjoying her Christmas gift.  Jon smiled smugly and gave himself a mental pat on the back for coming up with this idea.

“Okay, now shoo!”  Jon grinned and fluttered his hands at Cate when she turned to him after lining up the outfits on the rack.  “Let me get started.”

Cate gave him a petulant pout.  “I thought I got to dress you up?”  She crossed her arms over her chest, the movement ruffling the long fur of her vest and causing it to float up into her face.  Jon laughed as she sputtered and puffed, trying to un-stick the unruly hairs from her moist lips.

“Baby, you know as well as I do that if you’re in here putting your hands all over me while I’m trying to change, you ain’t gonna see any of these outfits on me tonight.”  Jon grinned saucily.  “You can’t keep your hands off the merchandise.”

Cate let out a little hmph as she tried her best to give Jon a dirty look.  But she couldn’t pull it off, the corners of her mouth instead curling into a little smirk of agreement.  “Well…. okay.  I guess you’re right.”

Jon gasped dramatically at her statement.  “My God!  It’s a Christmas MIRACLE!  My wife admitted I’m right about something!”  He grinned broadly with the pronouncement.

“Ha ha ha.”  Cate mocked him with her sarcastic laugh.  “Hope you liked it, ‘cause that may be your entire Christmas gift, the way you’re going.”

Jon smirked, then dropped his chin and gave Cate his best smoldering gaze.  He chuckled when he saw her try to mask her immediate swooning response.  “Baby, we both know that ain’t the case.  There’s something else I want under my mistletoe.”

Cate involuntarily let out a little sigh at Jon’s seductive purr.  “Yeah, I’m sure there is,” she retorted gently, her will to argue lost in the warm flush that was blanketing her body.  “Okay, I’ll wait out there for you to change.  But you gotta let me see what everything looks like.”

“Oh, don’t worry, Baby.”  Jon gave Cate a wink as his hands went to his waist.  Cate heard a soft pop followed by a quiet rasp as Jon undid the fly of his jeans.  “Not only was I damned good shoe salesman, I also have experience as a professional model.”  He grinned and nodded self-assuredly.  “Versace, Baby.”

Cate couldn’t help but giggle as she rolled her eyes at his playful boast.  “Okay, okay.  I’m going.”  She turned to leave the dressing room, but couldn’t help glancing back over her shoulder.  She let out a little groan as she saw Jon tugging his sweater over his head, six-pack abs rippling with the movement.  Shaking her head, Cate hurriedly turned away and headed for the chairs in the salon, before she could turn around and maul her husband. 

Jon chuckled softly as he watched Cate cross the plush rug to the seating area, her shapely derriere swaying gently with her gait.  He toed off his boots as his eyes slid appreciatively over her body, then stood bare-chested and barefoot, waiting for her to turn and look back at him.  He grinned when she did just that, pivoting in front of the leather chair and giving the dressing room door a longing glance.

“Uh uh!  No peeking!”  Jon shook a finger at Cate before pulling the tie-back on the red velvet curtain that spanned the dressing room doorway.  He chuckled throatily as the heavy drape swung loose, obscuring Cate’s view of him.  He heard her muffled curse as he turned toward the rack of clothing. 

Jon chuckled throatily to himself as he pushed his jeans downward over his hips.  This was gonna be fun.

Cate slumped back against the soft leather chair back and sighed.  Her left hand dropped to her chest, covering her heart, feeling it thumping against her breastbone.  She smiled wanly.  The things that Man could still do to her. 

Cate glanced down, the sparkle of the diamond on her finger catching her eye.  Her smile softened as she gazed at the beautiful ring, recalling the day Jon had asked her to make him the happiest man on earth by agreeing to be his wife.  She still couldn’t believe how lucky she was.

“Alright, Baby… Brace yourself!”  Jon’s playful voice floated through Cate’s reverie.  She looked up, toward the red velvet curtain that shielded the dressing room entry.  She chuckled when a tousled blonde head poked out from behind it.  “Here I come!”

Cate laughed aloud at Jon’s cheekiness.  “Okay, Rock Star.  Bring it On!”  She crossed her legs and gripped the arms of the chair, pretending to hold on tightly.  “I’m ready!”

Pushing aside the curtain, Jon stepped into the salon.  He gave her a sultry look and puckered his lips as he slowly swaggered across the room toward Cate.  He paused halfway across the plush rug to pose for her, cocking a hip to the side and hooking his thumbs into the pockets of his jeans.  Tilting his head to the side Jon grinned beguilingly at his wife.  “Whaddya think?”

A soft gasp escaped Cate’s parted lips as she stared at Jon.  He looked absolutely delicious in the hunter-green dress shirt and form-hugging black jeans.  As was his onstage preference, Jon had fastened only the bottom two buttons of the shirt’s placket and the cuffs were turned up to uncover his muscular forearms.  The deep open vee of his shirt revealed the simple sterling cross he wore on a black beaded chain.  The silver and sable fur blanketing his chest shone softly in the salon’s dim light.

“Jesus…” Cate breathed.  Uncrossing her legs she leaned forward, as if trying to get a better look at him.  “You look fantastic in that.”

“Hmm… you think?”  Jon smirked and turned to his right, revolving slowly until his back was to Cate.  He craned his neck to look back at her over his shoulder.  “You don’t think these jeans make my ass look fat?”

“GOD, no….”  Cate’s gaze was already on Jon’s back pockets, just under the untucked hem of the green shirt.  “Nothing makes your ass look fat.”

“I don’t know….” Jon slowly turned again, until he was facing her.  “I put on a few pounds on the road, you know.”

“It’s all muscle.  Believe me.”  Cate smiled naughtily.  “C’mere.  Let me cop a feel just to be sure.”

“Nuh uh.”  Jon sniffed haughtily.  “The models are not to be touched during the show.”  He tossed his head back, scowling in a goofy imitation of a snooty fashion model.  “I have to change now.” 

With that he pivoted and sashayed back toward the dressing room, exaggeratedly rolling his hips from side to side as he moved.  Cate giggled quietly.  “Put on the turtleneck next!” she called out.

“What-EVER!”  Jon flapped a hand at her over his shoulder as he swished through the curtain.  Cate burst into laughter at his silly play-acting.  She couldn’t see Jon but she knew there was a self-satisfied grin on his face at her reaction.  He always knew how to make her smile.

Quieting her giggles, Cate sat up and turned to the table beside her, where the refreshment tray still rested.  She tipped the champagne bottle to Jon’s empty glass then settled back into the chair.  Cate sipped from the crystal flute while she awaited the next modeling turn from her husband.

Cate’s gaze was drawn downward, to the large black box Mena had set on the floor when she returned from retrieving the purple suede pumps.  Mena had said it was a gift from Kenneth, something from the new home décor line.  Cate wondered what it was.  It certainly seemed large, if the box’s size was a true indication of what it contained.

Cate noticed there was a small folded black card attached to the ribbon wrapping the gift box.  Setting the champagne flute on the table Cate leaned forward to pull the card loose.  She would wait for Jon to open the gift, but there couldn’t be any harm in looking at the card without him.  Settling back in the chair, Cate gently opened the card and scanned the hand-written message.

Shrugging at the unrevealing note, Cate set the card on the table and picked up the champagne glass.  She almost choked on her sip of bubbly when Jon dramatically flung back the red velvet curtain to reveal his latest outfit, a tight black turtleneck, a purple scarf, dark sunglasses, and painted-on skinny jeans. 

“YES!  Now ZIS is FASHION!”  Jon declared in a bad French accent, striking a silly pose.

“Oh Lord…” Cate groaned.  “No.  That looks ridiculous.  Take it off.”  She laughed as Jon turned around and wiggled his butt at her.  “Where did you get those jeans?  I didn’t pick those out!”

“Zey were on zee hanger.” 

“Not one I chose.”

“Pear-hapssss not.  But zey make my assss look fantastique!!!”  Jon’s French accent wavered a bit as he choked back a chuckle at himself.

Cate laughed aloud at his silliness.  “Maybe so, but that’s definitely not your look.”

“Ah, you make me so sad.”  Jon sashayed over to Cate, leaning down and bracing his hands on the arms of her chair as he grinned.  “I must have a keess to make it better.”

“Okay.  One kiss.”  Cate giggled again as she raised her face to Jon’s.  She sighed against his mouth as his tongue slid over her bottom lip.

“Mmmm.  Think that cured my awful French accent,” Jon murmured, then smiled.  “Okay, Baby.  What’s next?”

Cate felt a little shiver run through her at the return of Jon’s sexy purr.  “Umm… how about the brown leather jacket and the distressed jeans?”

“You got it.” Jon dropped another light kiss against Cate’s lips, then smirked.  “Maybe I’ll let you take that one off of me.”

“Nuh uh.  That’s why I’m saving the black leather for last.”

Jon chuckled.  “You always have liked me in leather pants.”

“What’s not to like?”

Jon didn’t reply; he just gave Cate a wink and stood, then retreated to the dressing room.  Cate watched him go, once again admiring his perfect rump.  He paused at the dressing room door and looked back at Cate. 

“Baby, I know this was part of my gift to you, but…. Let’s get this dress-up thing over with fast, huh?”  He smirked.  “I have a feeling we’re both losing interest in fashion.”

Cate grinned and reached for her champagne flute.  “Baby, if you can dress fast I can undress you slow.”

Without another word Jon disappeared behind the curtain.