Looking genuinely mortified, Kate shook her ponytail and rubbed her temples. “He said to relax, that he’ll talk to you. I just don’t understand how this could come on so suddenly without me noticing what you two were up to. I thought this would happen later, when you were more experienced and mature.”
“Forget that! Tell me what tone Garrett used. Was he angry? Concerned? Kind of possessive?”
Maybe the idiot was so arrogantly certain of Molly and her feelings for him, he thought he still had her in his grasp. Well! She’d just have to set the man straight, wouldn’t she? And play harder to get with him than ever. In fact, Julian would know just how to take care of that tonight.
“I don’t remember exactly what else he said, but I’m truly mortified over this. Moo, I thought you were a virgin until now?”
Kate seized her shoulders, and as her wide blue eyes searched deep into her own, Molly dropped her gaze to the floor, feeling suddenly transparent. “I am a virgin,” she whispered, then she realized what she’d admitted to, and that the truth, right now, wouldn’t do. “I mean I was before Jules…”
“Were you hurt your first time, Molly? Did he hurt you?”
That soft question, full of caring and concern, sent Molly for a loop. Suddenly she felt like the very red center spot of the Target sign. That was what liars felt like when they were put on the spot. So now she was going to have to draw on her imagination.
“He didn’t mean to hurt me, but you know…” She trailed off and hoped to leave Kate to her own conclusion.
Which, judging by her struck expression, wasn’t all that good. “I could kill him!”
“No! No! It was amazing, he was…” Helplessly hooked into an image of Julian John making love to her, Molly trailed off. Or was it Garrett she was fantasizing about? Her mouth felt so moist all of a sudden, she had to swallow. “It was actually perfect,” she finished in a whisper.
“But anyway, my pride is smarting like crazy after he insulted my dress choice,” she continued after a moment. “I’m truly torn, Kate. I want to show him that I can look fantastic but don’t care what he thinks, either. I know you’re catering for our event tonight, but do you think you can take an hour off to help make me look good?”
“Good enough to make Jules eat his words?”
“Yes!” Molly laughed, grabbing a frilly pink pillow and playfully smacking Kate with it.
She pictured Julian’s face when he saw her walk through those elevator doors. Oooooh, it would be priceless. He’d look stunned and shocked and he would definitely no longer think Molly needed a new mirror.
And Garrett? He would regret every hour of these days they had been spending apart when they could have spent them together. Necking.
Kate slapped the pillow back at Molly, laughing. “Yes, I’ll give you a makeover. But Molls?”
“Hmm?” Molly was already storming into her bedroom, rummaging through her closet in search of options that would make a man’s mouth water. She didn’t have a lot. But she still found a very nice dress in Kate’s closet. She extended it to her sister, loving how the sapphire silk fabric shimmered in the light. “It has the tag on,” Molly said aloud.
“Take it off,” Kate said excitedly, and pulled on the plastic.
Molly shook her head. “But it’s new. I can’t wear this.”
“Yes, you can. I was saving it for a rainy day. You’d look so lovely, Moo.”
“I wish you’d stop calling me Moo. I feel like a cow.” Molly hung the dress back up with a sigh, and her heart clenched for her sister. “I’ll borrow this one day, but only after you wear it. When it rains.”
They shared a smile, and minutes later, Molly found another dress in her sister’s closet. It was black, fitted, and had an open back that was to die for. Molly tried it on backward and loved it so much, she decided she was doing things her own special way and cut off the label. She’d wear it this way and show plenty of cleavage tonight.
By that evening, after spending a wonderful day with Kate, getting her makeover and even helping her sister finish loading some of tonight’s munchies into the catering van, Molly arrived at Julian’s posh apartment building, her heart pounding in anticipation.
Her hair was held loosely by a shimmering crystal butterfly clasp, with a few soft tendrils escaping along her temples. She wasn’t used to pulling her hair back, but it seemed to emphasize her features this way. Her round cheekbones, her plump lips.
Her insecurities flickered to the forefront as she asked the bellhop to hold her canvases and paints below until she rang for them. He kept staring at her as if he’d never seen her before, and she wanted to run back home and put on a boho skirt, let her hair down and grab a huge pair of earrings.
But no. This was not the time to feel insecure.
She would show Julian sexy and confident if it killed her.
She crossed the marble lobby with purpose, aware of her hips swaying, the material clinging to her skin. Garrett was going to like what she was wearing; if he’d liked the wench costume, then he would love this one for sure. And if Julian didn’t like it? Her stomach did a twist inside her, and she wondered what that meant. Hopefully it meant screw him.
She wasn’t wearing this for him. At all.
Taking in a deep breath, she waved at the receptionist and pushed the elevator’s up button.