Chapter 85: Jealousy and Shopping

"No, that just won't do," Meredith shook her head with a grimace as she threw a wedding gown catalogue on the little table.

"Don't exaggerate," replied Addison, engrossed in her own copy. "These are some wonderful gowns. They're beautiful."

Meredith squinted at her harshly. "You better not try to persuade me to wear one that stands all on its own. Remember I have the power to make you look like a giant purple mushroom?"

"Okay," quickly nodded the redhead, abruptly closing the folder. "They're ugly, hideous really!"

"Thought you'd share my views."

"Have you found anything eye-catching yet, Meredith?" asked a young slightly plump woman that joined them in the back room lined with tall mirrors.

"Not really," she sighed. "They… are not at all like me."

"Don't worry," reassured her Lucy, the dressmaker. "I just showed it to you to get to know more about you. We'll find a perfect dress for you. Can you stand up here, please? I need to measure you."

Meredith moved to the middle of the room facing herself in one of the mirrors.

"Lift your arms," asked Lucy, "and tell me something about you."

Meredith took a deep breath. Say something about her? It was difficult to gather her thoughts in all the excitement and anxiety. The butterflies in her stomach made her restless.

"Oh, she's a bitch," piped Addison ignoring her best friend's stormy looks. "But she's warm and fuzzy inside. And she's completely besotted with Derek, her fiancé."

"So, what if I'm a bitch? A bitch has a right to get married too," hissed Meredith defensibly but didn't deny a word of Addie's.

"You've got a perfect figure," praised Lucy rolling her measuring tape. "That certainly won't be a problem."

"Designing the dress will be?" frowned Meredith.

"I don't think so," laughed the dressmaker, grabbing a crayon and a block of paper from the desk by the wall. "In fact, I've got an idea. Can you sit down for a couple of minutes? I need to transform it onto paper."

"You're energetic," she murmured tracing the crayon on the blank page, "passionate, determined. A bit harsh, tough, unyielding. But at the same time… delicate and exquisite. Like a diamond."

Meredith and Addison exchanged puzzled glances but kept silent letting Lucy work on her project. Some fifteen minutes later the woman said enthusiastically, backing her head to examine the drawing from a distance, "There! I think I've got it. It's a bit rough now. I'll figure out more details later. If you approve of it, that is."

She moved to show them the black and white project. "So, a strapless bodice with a bold deep cleavage. Matches your character well, I think. However, it's going to have… a magical, mysterious side… I'm thinking about a scintillating lace… delicately embroidered with stones, maybe jets and crystals… Because you do have a powerful romantic side," she continued. "Whereas the dress will be simpler, wider, lighter in color… since you're firm and uncompromising. If you have any reservations, I can work it up until the end of the week, so you can see the finished project in color…"

"I think it's… it's great," breathed out Meredith. "That's it!"

"Yeah?" Lucy smiled satisfactorily. "It's elegant yet seductive, will make your fiancé want to rip it off you," she joked.

"I don't think that was ever a problem," remarked Addie innocently.

"Whatever, I like the dress," shrugged Meredith watching every line of the project.

"Great, I'll get down to preparing the final version. We can look through materials now," Lucy dived to her dresser.

"It's going to be beautiful," sighed Meredith.

"It is," agreed Addie with a soft smile.

"Ugh, I can't believe you made me wear that!" grumbled Addison as they walked out of the studio an hour later.

"Well, I wanted to see how it really looks off the hanger," shrugged Meredith with a wicked grin, a particularly ugly puffy bridesmaid dress still before her eyes.

"Now you know, awful," replied Addie sarcastically. "It's not fair to abuse your power of the bride."

"Come on, you know I'd never made you wear that horrid piece of fabric for the actual wedding," laughed Meredith. "I do have good taste after all."

"We need to make some decisions regarding other things," reminded reasonably Addison. "The location…"

"We're still hesitating. I would love to get married on Der- on our land, and he quite agrees. But I'm not sure, his family is very traditional. I'm sure they will hate all the decisions I'm making."

"Thank God they see the effects only a couple of days beforehand," giggled Addie.

After hours on end spent on the phone, Derek managed to appease the Shepherd women and was welcomed back into the family. The undying enthusiasm and affection in his voice seemed to convince them he was in fact very much in love and dead serious in his intents on changing his marital status. The Shepherds seemed to acknowledge that fact. However, Meredith wasn't sure about the image of her in their minds. At her request, Derek omitted mentioning his fiancée was also his boss, his bloodsucking boss who had forestalled him to the desired position. But what would come, would come. She had months to plan her strategy on handling Derek's relatives.

"Coffee?" Addison pointed at Starbucks. "I need a dose of caffeine after the lace fest."

"Next time. I'm meeting Derek," replied Meredith. "We're going shopping."

"Ah, so the torture continues. Thank God I'm freed."

"Bitch," Meredith stuck out her tongue.

"Right back at you," shrugged Addie and grinned at the sudden thought. "You know what? I'm sure Mrs. Shepherd won't approve when she knows you and her son are living in sin."

"Keep worrying about yourself. Don't forget Mark is her surrogate son."

"We might run her to the grave!"

Numerous bags in his hands, Derek trudged morosely after Meredith, sharing occasional looks of commiseration with other males in the mall, who were fulfilling the fate of pack animals. The horrors of shopping with a woman... He should have known better; it was rather naïve of him to think it would look any different than the painful moments of his childhood when he was forced to accompany his mother and sisters while they looked for perfect shoes and dresses. Meredith was even more demanding… He fell in love with the most demanding woman on Earth. Scratch that, Ellis Grey was still alive.

Derek tried clumsily to wriggle out of the uncomfortable predicament hinting he might wait in the car. Wrong move… Meredith wasted no time in informing him that if he preferred to keep to himself the whole afternoon, he might as well keep to himself in the night. That was when he shut up, clenched his jaws, and followed her without a word of complaint. So, he walked and walked, saw rows of clothes, waited for Meredith in the fitting rooms, was asked for opinions which she ignored anyway, and breathed out with relief when Meredith declared she had found all she needed. Too soon. She now decided "they" had to look for something for him…

Now, he stood morosely in front of a shelf stacked with shirts, a nagging thought in his mind that he didn't need new clothes and wondering if Meredith thought he looked shabby or what. At least until he heard her surprised voice, "Finn!"

He craned his neck over a rack of suits, just in time to witness the smiling blond man lean in allowing Meredith to plant a quick kiss on his cheek. His body tensed and he saw red. Green. He absents mindedly squeezed a tie in his hands; how did that idiot dare come close to Meredith? He seethed with anger as he remembered the image from several months back when Meredith left the hospital with Dandridge, one of her arms holding a huge bouquet of flowers, the other - Finn.

"Would you like to try that tie on, Sir?" a shop assistant appeared at his side with a smile. "I'd suggest this shirt to-"

"No," he snapped at her rudely and moved to where Meredith and Finn were engaged in conversation.

"Meredith," he cleared his throat stepping close behind her, his eyes fixed in a steely scowl aimed at Finn.

"Derek." She glanced between two men looking closely at each other. "I… I don't think you have been properly introduced… Finn Dandridge, he's one of our most generous sponsors. Dr. Shepherd, Head of Neuro."

"And…" stressed Derek insistently as he unwillingly shook hands with the younger man.

"My fiancé," finished Meredith quickly, giving Derek warning looks. She recognized the signs all too well. Derek's possessiveness was pushing him to mark his territory.

"Really? I thought-" started Finn, his eyebrows raised high.

"That was a misunderstanding," cut him quickly Meredith.

"Oh, well, congratulations," said Finn at the news. "I hope you'll be happy," he nodded but he looked as though he seriously doubted it.

"We are already," assured Derek with a smirk.

"Oh, have you found a tie?" asked Meredith as the piece of clothing in his hand, thinking that maybe changing the topic would alleviate at least the awkwardness.

"Yes," he smirked, driven probably by sheer madness. "Pure silk, won't hurt your wrists."

Her eyes widened in silent shock and she didn't dare to raise them at Finn. She could easily guess his feelings though, as he cleared his throat and said in a wooden voice. "I… 've got to dash, Dr. Shepherd… It was nice to meet you. Meredith… Call me if you need anything."

Derek beamed with triumph as Finn fled the scene, when Meredith's hand swatted him violently on the arm.

"What the hell was that?" she hissed with a shaking voice.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"You know what, idiot! The-Meredith-is-wearing-my-shiny-shiny-ring-so-I-can-piss-at-her-any-time-I-want crap!"

"I can't stand that guy; he's all over you!" Derek tried to defend himself, a tad uncomfortable with Meredith's rage.

"He's not, he clearly knows where the boundaries are!" she spat. "He knows we're friends! And he's a gentleman, he never forces himself at me! You can learn something from his manners, you big Neanderthal!"

"What?" asked Derek disbelievingly, stung that she was taking Finn's side.

"He already was of the opinion that you were psychologically disturbed," she went on. "Now, he thinks you're a pervert!"

"Why the hell you care so much for his opinion?" he shrugged.

"Because it makes me look insane to be with you," she bit back and pulled at his arm to drag him out of the store seeing as they were getting curious stares all around. "You need to learn to keep your jealousy in check, Derek."

"Are we going home?" he asked with relief as she pushed their bags into his chest forcefully.

"Oh, no," she smiled with the sweetness of poison ivy that made him gulp. "We need to get a whole new wardrobe for you."

Derek stifled the urge to groan as Meredith's eyes shot daggers and she whizzed on her heel without another word.

Many hours later, Derek sat sprawled in an armchair in their living room trying to regain the feeling in his feet. He couldn't fathom how Meredith could still walk, in her high heeled boots to top that… Meredith, he rubbed his face with resignation. He was screwed. Not in a good sense. His stupid remark truly made her angry which made her vengeance painful. She ran him from shop to shop, throwing various things at him to try on, appraising his appearance with a very critical eye. Derek felt as if he had lost his balls sometime in the process. Thank God, Mark didn't see him. However, what was worse was the fact that he was incorrigible. He would do the same even knowing the consequences; the look on Finn's face was worth it.

If only Meredith would agree… She was the queen of passive aggressive for the rest of the evening, completely mute and ignoring him all the way home and after. Currently, she was locked in their bedroom, not letting him in.

Derek slowly got to his feet intent on sacrificing the rest of his manhood and begging her to forgive him, spending the night on the couch didn't seem like a good idea.

"Meredith?" he asked gently tapping on the door. "Honey, please, let me back into the room…"

Predictably, he was answered with silence.

"Please, sweetie," his voice become more and more repentant. "I love you and I'm sorry I made you feel bad. I'm a jerk."

To his surprise the door opened impetuously, revealing a stern Meredith.

"I know that," she said simply but Derek didn't register a sound. His brain was fried by the sheer hotness before him. His fiancée was sex on legs. His penis lengthened instantly in the tight confines of his boxers. He wanted to be inside her, badly. The reason for it was quite simple yet at the same time mystery to Derek. She had been mad at him… yet now she was wearing the sexiest black lacy lingerie he had ever seen. His throat ran dry as he followed the enticing garters that ran around her thighs.

"Mer…" he let out a strangled moan and rushed forward, eager to feel the wonders of her body beneath his fingers. "I haven't seen that before…"

"It's new," she shrugged airily and escaped out of his reach to sit on the bed, cross-legged. "Bought it today."

"When?" he frowned in incomprehension. He would sure remember a trip to a lingerie store.

"When you chose to drag your ass buying coffee for forty minutes straight," she smirked. "That wasn't very smart of you to try to escape shopping with me."

"Next time I won't," he promised eagerly.

"Hmm, no guarantees I'm going to buy underwear next time," she snorted. "Stop right there," she ordered firmly when he moved to join her.

"What?" he stammered stumbling stop in the middle of the carpet.

"You were a bad boy today, Derek," she shook her in disapproval, stood up and strolled around him to purr in his ear. "Naughty…"

"No, no, no," she shook her finger when he whirled after her. "Don't touch. This will not be a reward; it's going to be punishment…"

He loosened his shirt at the sudden troubles with breathing, his eyes fixed at two glorious breasts pushed up by Meredith's bra.

"That's right," she nodded. "Strip."

"You want me to-" he breathed out.

"Get naked, your tiny brain can take as simple orders as that, can it?" she hissed.

With shaking hands, he started to rip his clothing away while she continued her monologue. "There are three simple rules: don't move, don't talk, don't touch. Is that clear?"

He nodded scrupulously unbuckling his belt and hurrying to take his pants down, almost tripping over the legs in his haste. She laughed at him pitilessly walking around him with her hands joined behind her like a strict teacher.

Derek's little stunt at the mall set her off; she didn't want to compromise herself. Moreover, she didn't want to compromise her relationship with Derek. She was porny but some things belonged solely in the privacy of their home. Derek was an ass. Sadly, it also made her drip for him. So now she was hoping to get her message across, having a little fun at the same time. She could already feel the tension in her core at the view of his deliciously naked skin.

Derek wasn't exactly sure what his fiancée had in mind, but it looked promising. He had hoped to beg her to take him back, but she surprised him again. He half closed his eyelids in anticipation as he sensed her stop behind him. However, seconds later they opened widely, and a yelp escaped his throat as he felt Meredith's flat palm collide with his butt.

"I told you to be silent!" she hissed and smacked him again on the ass. "You disregard my orders without my permission, you get punished. It's really that simple."

All the function of his brain seemed now concentrated on his swollen member who hardened even more in response to Meredith's ministrations. Whenever they were in the mood for spanking, it had been more light and playful, whereas now, his buttocks were already tingling after just two slaps.

"So, the first one was just to get you acquainted," went on Meredith easily. "The second for breaking the rules. Now, the third," he was smacked before he could blink, "was for making me look bad."

He breath out deeply biting on his lip to prevent himself from being vocal.

"Yes? You want to say something?" asked Meredith smugly as she halted before him and cocked her head. "Permission to speak granted."

"I wanna… I wanna…" he breathed.

"Cu,?" she helped him out teasing the tip of his penis which was wet with precum.

"God, yes…"

"But. you. can't. move," she whispered and grabbed him tightly by the balls making him sway on his heels. She laughed and released him, leaving him hanging.

"Fourth, for making yourself look like an idiot," she stated before her palm landed heavily on his rear again that was developing a nice pinky color.

"Fifth, for talking publicly about our sex life." His penis twitched impatiently at the contact.

"Let's see," said slowly Meredith. "The last one, for being rude to my friend."

Something snapped in him hearing the last accusation.

"He's an idiot," he hissed angrily.

Meredith quickly appeared in front of him with a scowl. "Excuse me? Did you say something? I didn't say you could-"

"You made your point," he said ignoring both her objections and disapproving looks as he reached to squeezed her bottom and pulled her to himself to rub her lace-covered crotch against his penis. "Now I'll make mine," he growled pushing her back on the bed and lunging after her attacking her lips and neck.

"How dare you?" she glowered at him but her burning core involuntarily searched him and her fingers wove into his ink locks. "I didn't let you!"

He smirked and dived his hand knowingly to find the growing dampness between her legs. "I think you did, Sweetie."

He licked his lips at two moving targets, Meredith's perky breasts that bounced when she fidgeted underneath him. He quickly opened the front clasp of her bra and wasted no time in taking one of the gorgeous buds into his mouth, biting on the delicate nipple and eliciting a whimper from his lover. He didn't stay there long though; continuing foreplay was not on his mind. He had to take her, and he needed to do it now. Meredith knew how to rile him up. He tried to take off the rest of her underwear, but the garter belt proved beyond his patience. The next thing she heard was the sound of her expensive La Perla underwear being ripped apart.

"Hey, that was brand new!" she yelled as she widened her legs for him.

"I'll buy you another pair," he replied huskily pushing the scraps of the material out of the way. "We can even go shopping tomorrow…"

She didn't have a chance to answer in any way other than a wild scream as he entered her, not even attempting at gentleness. She thrashed on the bed as much as his hard frame allowed as he kept thrusting into her relentlessly, not giving her even a chance to catch her breath.

"You're mine," he growled into her ear, satisfied with the way her body begged him to let her orgasm. "I can't stand… a man looking at you… wanting you… reaching for what is not theirs…"

She caught in flames at his possessive declaration, her slick walls clamping around his pitiless cock that continued to spear her with a bruising force. Barely one wave of pleasure crashed against her when the second one was already building up.

"Oh, God!" she cried out. "Yes!" She exploded in a powerful release only he could bring. This time, he didn't oppose succumbing into following her. He joined her outcries as his hot seed filled her tight channel.

"I think I might like this shopping thing after all," he sighed contentedly a few minutes later when their breathing stabilized, his fingers hooked under her garter.

She giggled pushing sweaty locks out of his forehead. Hell, she enjoyed shopping more than usual today, too.