by Alex Dafney
He lets out a deep, throaty chuckle as he shakes his head slowly. He lifts his head, looking into my eyes. “No. I’m not into anything weird or illegal.” He shifts his gaze from me, placing a hand to the back of his neck before taking a large gulp of the drink he made us. I watch him as he drinks it, his Adam’s apple bobbing and the thought of trailing my tongue along his neck invades my thoughts.
I pinch my eyes shut as I turn my head away from him, focusing out the window. Sweet baby Jesus, I have got to stop thinking like this. “I’m in, uh, animation.” I turn my head looking over at him as he keeps his eyes focused out the opposite window. I reach over, placing my hand on his forearm, watching as he looks over to me with a look of uncertainty.
“Like, drawing?” He gives a small nod. “Yeah.” My eyes widen slightly as a genuine smile pulls onto my lips. “Jase! That’s amazing! I already told you I always thought you were so talented in art class.” He narrows his eyes at me slightly. “You actually remember my work?” I roll my eyes with a scoff, waving my hand toward him. “Of course I remember! You were the only person in the class willing to help me with my pitiful stick people. I think even Mr. Andrews knew I was a lost cause. But I always admired your natural talent on the subject.”
He chuckles, reaching his hand over and resting it on my knee, giving a gentle squeeze. “I wouldn’t say your drawing skills are pitiful, but I wouldn’t quit my day job if I were you.” I smack his chest with the back of my hand playfully, both of us laughing. I glance out the window as the limousine pulls to a stop in front of a glass front, tall building. “This is me.”
He turns his head toward me, his eyes finding mine as he leans toward me, placing a gentle kiss just at the corner of my mouth. So close the edge of his lips brush mine. I suck in a breath as he pulls back. Opening my eyes slowly I find him staring at me with a cheeky grin. “Have a good time today. You’re going to love Ashley.”
I give him a once nod as I blink rapidly, trying to dispel the butterflies in my stomach at our second almost kiss. He pushes the door open, stepping out and closing it behind him. I watch from the back window as he gives a wave before turning his back to the car and walking into the elegant building. I turn forward, dropping my head back to the seat as I close my eyes.
What would happen if I just threw myself at him this weekend? Maybe Blake’s right about the sexual tension between the two of us. I let out a heavy sigh, rolling my head back and forth along the leather seat. Nope. Not happening. He said friends and I’m going to respect that, whether I like it or not.
Before long the car comes to a stop. I glance out the window at the bustling sidewalk. The door swings open and I’m face to face with a woman smiling widely at me. She drops her hand from the door, thrusting it toward me. “I’m Ashley. Mr. Jackson’s personal stylist. You must be Abbi.” I slide across the seat, stepping out of the car as I hoist my purse on my shoulder before gripping her hand.
“I am. It’s nice to meet you.” She pulls her large sunglasses down, giving me a once over. “What shoes are you wearing?” She takes a step back as we drop hands. I glance down at the floor length maxi dress, lifting one side to show her the flower print summer wedges that I kick to the side. “Nice.” She says as she slips her glasses back in place. “I think you and I will get along just fine on this shopping trip.”
She tilts her head to the left. “Let’s go find you a dress for tonight, then we’ll find you something fun for your time in town.” I fall into step beside her as she expertly weaves her way through the heavily trafficked sidewalk. After a short walk she points toward a store on my right and we step inside. My eyes widen as I take in the expansive store filled with elegant gowns.
Ashley walks right by me. “I think we should try a green gown. With your skin tone and blonde hair. Mhmm.” I blink rapidly as I drag myself from my stupor, power walking to catch up to her. “Do you have a preference on cut or are you willing to let me guide you?” I give a small shrug as she looks over her shoulder at me with a raised eyebrow.
“You’re the expert here, not me. I honestly have no idea what you even mean by cut.” She stops quickly in front of a rack of long, green gowns, turning to me with a raised eyebrow. “Have you not been to an event with Mr. Jackson before?” I shake my head. “No. I actually don’t live here. I have no idea what tonight holds.”
She clasps her hands in front of her, giving a little squeal as she bounces from toe to toe in her super high stilettos. “Oh! My! Gosh! This is going to be soooo much fun!” She turns away, quickly scanning the dresses before her as an attendant walks toward us with a rolling rack. “I figured you’d need this, Ash!” I watch as the two young women hug each other, giving air kisses to each cheek.
Ashley turns toward me, gesturing with her hand as she gives the attendant a face. “This is Mr. Jackson’s date for the SMAH event tonight.” The attendant gives me a bright smile as she offers her hand. “I’m Emily. Please forgive me for not being super excited for you since I was hoping to get an invite from him myself.” She gives a little pouty face as Ashley smacks her in the shoulder lightly. “As if. He doesn’t even know you!”
Emily gives a shrug, waving her hand in front of her like she’s fanning herself. “A girl can dream though. Mr. Jackson is H O T, hot.” I cover my mouth with my hand as a giggle erupts. Ashley scowls at her. “Stop it, Em. You shouldn’t talk like that in front of my client’s girlfriend.” I shake my head wildly, my eyes widening as I hold one hand up toward them, palm facing out. “Oh, I’m not his girlfriend. We’re just friends.”
Both women look at me with scrutinizing gazes as I look between the two of them. A smirk crosses Emily’s face. “So, that means he’s still single?” Ashley lets out a sigh as she rolls her eyes dramatically before turning back to the row of dresses. “You’ve never even met him, Em! Give it a rest already.” Emily gives me a wink behind Ashley’s back. “Not yet at least. I’m still hoping to meet this years most eligible bachelor. You never know. He could waltz through those doors looking for an evening gown.”
I giggle softly as I watch Ashley pile dress after dress on the rolling rack. “Trust me. He will never step foot in this place. That’s what he pays me for.” Emily gives me a little wave as she turns to walk away. “I’ll leave you two alone. Let me know if you need anything, Ash.” She doesn’t respond, just continues to hang dresses on the rack.
After she’s placed at least twenty dresses she turns to me, giving my a once over. “I want to try something a little different. Are you up for it?” I nod at her as her lips pull up at the sides. She turns, dragging the rack behind her before stopping in front of a rack of sparkly dresses. She pulls out an off-white backless dress, hanging it on the rack, then reaching for a rose gold colored dress.
“Alright. Let’s get you in these bad boys and find our winner.” I follow behind her to the back of the store where another attendant sits at a round desk. She glances up, giving Ashley a smug smile. “Back so soon?” I watch the tense exchange between the two women. “Yes, I am. I have twenty-six. Count them if you’d like.” The dark-haired woman walks around the desk, counting each dress. “Take number six.”
Ashley thrusts a hand on her hip, giving the woman a fierce look. “Six has a broken mirror. I need two.” The other woman scowls at her, eventually rolling her eyes and tossing her a key. “Whatever.” Ashley seems unfazed as she rolls the cart behind her down the wide hallway, stopping at a door that has a two scrolled across it.
She looks up to me as she unlocks the door. “Sorry about that. We ended up dating the same guy a few months back and she doesn’t believe that I knew nothing about her.” She says in a hushed voice as she pushes the door open. I follow behind her, giving her a smile in the wall mirror. “I get it. Men are assholes.”
She gives me a grin in the reflection. “Couldn’t have said it better.” She glances over to the rack of dresses, pulling one that’s a dark shade of green before meeting my gaze in the mirror. “Do you have a strap
less bra on? Most of these will need to be worn with pasties, but we can at least try them first.” I nod my head as I remove my purse from my shoulder, dropping it on the large couch in the dressing room.
She helps me into each dress, quickly making a yes, no, and maybe pile. On the last green dress, she pinches her chin with her thumb and forefinger, walking around me in a slow circle. “I think I may have been wrong about green. Maybe blue would best suit you.” I let out a sigh. I’m already exhausted from our early morning, long flight, and the heavy dresses I’ve pulled on and off over the last two hours.
She gives me an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry. I know this is a lot. Normally we have weeks to plan for this sort of thing, but Mr. Jackson sprung this on me just this morning.” I give her a small smile. After all, it’s not her fault that I’m tired and getting cranky. “I understand. Really.” I glance back over to the rack, noticing the two dresses she chose that are covered in sparkles that I haven’t tried on yet. “What about those?”
She looks in the direction I point, immediately zoning in on the off-white gown and the rose colored. “Of course! Get out of that one while I get the other ready.” I slide my arms out of the bodice of the heavy lime green colored dress. Instantly relieved to have the weight off me. I’m careful not to drag the dress on the ground as I pass it to her.
She slings it over the rack, walking toward me with the off-white gown. I brace my hands on her shoulders as I step into the dress. She pulls the bodice up my front, spinning around behind me to clasp the thin piece of material around my neck. I face the mirror, my mouth dropping at the sight before me. The dress fits me perfectly. It hugs every curve and accentuates my hips. I turn slightly, taking in the backless ensemble. The dress dips just to the top of my tailbone, and the plunging neckline leaves little to the imagination in the front, not to mention the thigh high slit on the side.
I stare at myself in the mirror as Ashley walks around me with her chin in her grip, scrutinizing every angle. She looks over to me through the reflection of the mirror. “I think we found our winner.” I give her a tight smile, looking down at my exposed chest and instantly wanting to fold my arms to cover myself. I lift my head, finding her eyes still on me in the mirror. “You don’t think it’s too… revealing?” She gives a small chuckle as she steps behind me, undoing the fastens from the thin line of fabric at the back of my neck.
“You will probably be the least revealed woman there tonight.” An audible sigh escapes me as she slips the dress down my body, leaving me in my strapless bra and thong underwear. I step down from the pedestal in the center of the dressing room, reaching for my comfortable maxi dress on the couch. “Wait. Are you done?” I glance over at her after slipping the dress over my head and twisting it into position.
“You said we found our winner. I thought we were done.” She stares at me with wide eyes for a brief moment before shaking her head and focusing back on hanging the dress back on its hanger. “You’re so much different than Mr. Jackson’s last girlfriend.” I watch her in the mirror, noticing the grimace as she hangs the dress on the hook on the wall.
She turns, catching my eyes in the mirror with a shy smile on her face. “I shouldn’t have said that. Please don’t-“ She drops her gaze, looking down at the floor without finishing her sentence. I slide my foot into my summer wedge shoes and step over next to her, placing my hand on her shoulder gently. “I won’t say anything, but once again, I’m not his girlfriend.”
She lifts her head up, her eyes meeting mine. “You’re a hell of a lot nicer than his last girlfriend. I can tell you that for sure.” I drop my hand from her shoulder, turning my back to her as I stride across the ridiculously large dressing room to grab my purse from the couch. A part of me wants to press her for details on Jase’s ex, but another part of me doesn’t want to know a thing about her. She’s an ex for a reason, right? And it’s not like I’m the new girlfriend anyway.
I turn back to Ashley, planting a bright, fake smile on my face. “We’re done, right?” She gives me a wiry grin. “For about an hour. You’re due at the salon at six, but Mr. Jackson instructed me to take you to a few other places today.” I cringe inwardly as I follow her out of the dressing room. We’ve already been shopping for two hours and I’m done.
Ashley walks through the place like she owns it. The dress we selected draped over both of her arms as she walks back to the front of the store. She lifts the hanger, holding the dress out in front of her as Emily takes it from her. “This is one of my favorites! You’re going to look stunning tonight.” She gives me a bright smile before turning and grabbing a garment bag behind her, expertly zipping the dress inside.
“Four thousand, eight hundred and seventy-two dollars.” My mouth drops open as Ashley starts to pass a credit card toward the woman who just spouted this ridiculous number. I step forward, placing my hand on her arm and looking at her with a shocked expression. “No way. That is ridiculous to spend on a dress.” She rolls her eyes, shaking my hand off as she passes the card to the cashier.
“Mr. Jackson gave me strict instructions to find you a dress that looks fabulous on you. No matter the price.” She narrows her eyes at me, giving me a smirk. “And it’s not just a dress. It is the dress.” My heart pounds in my chest. It will take me forever to pay him back for this damn dress. Maybe I can sell it afterward and recoup some. I mentally calculate how much I’ll be able to put back each month and how long it will take to save up five thousand dollars.
I’m completely zoned out when I hear snapping. I blink rapidly, focusing my eyes on Ashley who is snapping her fingers inches in front of my face. “Hello?” I take a step back from her, shaking my head as my cheeks heat. “I’m sorry. Did you say something?” She gives me smug smile. “Already dreaming about your night with Mr. Jackson?”
My mouth falls open as I shake my head rapidly, a full blush erupting on my entire face. “No! Oh, no! I was thinking about the dress-“ I let my sentence trail off when she begins to laugh. She waves a hand toward me. “You are just too cute with your southern accent and blushing cheeks. I can see why Mr. Jackson asked you to accompany him tonight. You must be a breath of fresh air to him.”
She spins on her heels, giving instructions for the dress to be delivered to some salon that she rattles off before turning back to me. “Come on now. We still have an hour before I need to have you at the salon, and I was asked to make sure you were able to shop for yourself as well.” I walk beside her out of the dress store, back onto the busy sidewalk, thinking about what she said when we were inside.
I glance over to her as she quickly types on her cell phone without missing a step. “Ashley?” She responds with a hmm. “Can I ask you something? Just between us?” She glances at me from the corner of her eye, continuing to type. She stops in the middle of the sidewalk, dropping her phone in her oversized purse and facing me head on with a bright smile.
“Ask away.” I look around us, unsure of how I want to word this question so I don’t sound like I’m interested in Jase in any way other than a friend. “Uh, what did you mean by I must be a breath of fresh air?” She looks away from me. “Shoot. I’m doing such a horrible job keeping my mouth shut today.” She looks back at me and raises her eyebrow. “First, what are you looking for? I don’t have much time for you to browse. Accessories? Clothes? Vintage? Hipster? Elegant? What?”
I give her a shrug. “I could use a new purse.” She glances at the worn bag on my shoulder, giving it a distasteful look. “Fine, let’s go.” She spins on her heels, quickly walking in another direction. I have to hurry to catch up to her. She looks down at me from the corner of her eye. “You’re sure this conversation is just between us?” I nod as we hurry along the packed sidewalk.
She lets out a heavy sigh. “I hope so. Mr. Jackson is my biggest client and I’d hate to lose him over some gossip.” I give her a reassuring smile as I walk beside her. “I promise whatever you tell me goes no further. I’m just curious why you said that.” She sta
rts to slow her pace, stopping in front of a store that holds more accessories than I’ve ever seen.
Turning to face me she gives me a nervous smile. “Well, to be honest, you’re just very different than his last girlfriend.” She turns to step inside the store and I follow suit. “To begin with, shopping with her was mostly just me fetching clothes for her, holding her bags, and her blatantly ignoring my advice.” She lets out a scoff. “Like, the girl did not need to wear purple, but do you think she listened? Nope. Eventually I started encouraging her to buy all the purple things because it clashed with her skin tone and hair so badly.”
I cover my mouth as a giggle passes my lips. She glances at me out of the corner of her eye as we both look at the expansive wall of handbags. “Pretty evil, huh?” I give a little shrug as I turn in front of the mirror with a designer bag on my shoulder. “I wouldn’t say evil. What were you supposed to do if she wouldn’t take your advice?” She gives me an appreciative smile.
“Exactly. It’s not that I mind helping someone carry their bags, she just did it in a way that made me feel like she was portraying that she was above me. You know what I mean?” I nod my head in understanding as I place another bag on my shoulder, admiring it in the mirror. “Anyway, I always thought the only reason Natalia was even with Mr. Jackson was for his finances and social status.”
I turn to her, my brows narrowing in confusion. “Finances and social status?” Her eyes go wide as her mouth forms a little o. She snaps her eyes back to the purses, pulling one from the shelf and thrusting it toward me. “This one would match practically everything. It’s a great color for summertime and it’s a comfortable carry. I’ve actually been saving up for one myself.” I narrow my eyes at her as I take the bag, knowing she’s changing the subject, but I let it slide.