Esme rolls her eyes upward; her natural waves are all over her head because she just pulled off her shirt to reveal her lacy bra. Karessa and Esme’s underwear are made for seduction while mine are practical.
“I need a man to tell me no and mean it. Then I’ll bitch to y’all about it but be secretly turned on.”
We laugh because we get it. Wyn has put his foot down on things and wasn’t sure if I wanted to fight him or kiss him. Speaking of which.
“After this. I need to go get some of that lacy shit you two seem to like so much.”
“Go with inexpensive. If he’s anything like his cousin, it’s getting ripped,” Karessa offers.
“Now, back to this fuck me dress your man has requested…” Esme chimes in as she looks at stuff. “Nope. Nope. Nope. Try this one.”
I look at the dress of my nightmares. “I can’t pull it off. No hips, remember? You try it on. I bet it’ll be really pretty on you.”
Esme considers it for a moment then steps into it. As I suspected. It’s a perfect fit. The mermaid cut dress makes me want to grab her butt and the cleavage is just right.
“You look sooooo pretty,” I gush. “I told you.”
“You should buy it,” Karessa suggests. “You never know when you’ll need it.”
Esme looks at herself in the mirror and is briefly stunned. “Damn, I do look good. And you mean if. I don’t think I’m marriage material. He’d have to be on my level, or I’ll give him hell.”
“In other words, you don’t want a respectable businessman?” I supply.
Esme scrunches up her face. “He’d had to have more beneath the surface to not bore me to death.” She twirls again and I can tell she loves the dress. “But I think I will get it. It looks really good on me and if some man does find a way to tie me down, it’ll be one less thing off my list.”
I nod my agreement. “That’s practical.”
Once we narrow down my style, it doesn’t take long for me to find the dress that speaks to me and fits Caerwyn’s request. It’s elegant and pretty for others, simple for me, and a translucent lace bodice with a vee cut for good cleavage.
Most importantly, I feel comfortable and pretty. It would be a perfect day if we didn’t have secrets hanging over us.
“Can we grab some food and eat it at one of our homes?” I ask my sisters. “I know you two have questions, but I’d prefer to discuss all of this in private.”
“Of course,” Karessa accepts. “Our schedules are cleared just for you.”
“Will we need alcohol?”
I laugh but it’s a good question. “Lots.”
We agreed on Indo-Pak and split up. Karessa will get the food, Esme the alcohol, and I go home to make sure there’s nothing of Wyn’s around.
Esme arrives first and starts making drinks. I watch as she mixes ice Peach Schnapps, Blue Curacao, vodka, coconut rum, orange juice, and pineapple juice in a blender. Once it’s done, she garnishes it with an orange and cherry then slides it over. She puts hers in a glass then makes a girly virgin blend for Karessa.
Karessa shows up shortly after. We gather around my table with food and drinks and begin plating our food.
Esme lines some shot glasses up on the table and places the bottle of vodka next to them.
“In case we need reinforcements.”
I giggle but my stomach churns because I know I’m about to freak them out. I’ve managed to sleep alone, although it now takes longer to fall asleep. I don’t know if it’s because of residual fear or the lack of Wyn’s body in my bed. Some nights he’ll talk to me on the phone until I fall asleep. He really is a good bet for a partner.
We’ve gotten halfway done eating when Karessa breaks.
“Okay! Enough suspense. How did you go from practically running out of my office when Caerwyn arrived to the next future misses Hale?”
Her question makes me giggle but I start from the beginning telling them how he took me home because I had too much to drink then the attack. Both look horrified but Karessa looks like I’m bringing up a bad memory for her.
“What happened to them and where’s my gun?” Esme asked with clenched teeth.