by Harley Reid
Slowly I lift the lid from the box, shading the contents from Madison's view just in case it's something she shouldn't see. A warm glow flows through my body as I catch sight on the pastel pink material and a smile creeps across my face as I carefully lift the dress from its packaging to get a better look.
"Wow!" Lexi's mouth hits the floor, "Try it on. Right now."
Checking that I closed the door when we entered my room, I slip off my ankle boots, unbutton my jeans pushing them over my hips until they hit the floor and step into the dress. Once the dress is at my waist, I pull my t-shirt over my head and slip my arms through the spaghetti straps on the dress. The plunging neckline is extremely low so I'm not sure I have a bra to go with it but other than that, it fits like a glove.
"What do you think Mads?" I asked, nervously.
"You're like a princess." She runs over to me and throws her arms around me before returning to the game she's playing on my mobile.
"Wow Mia, you're so beautiful." Lexi stares at me in admiration, "You know I'm going to have to borrow that dress at some point though."
I smile as I tidy the clothes from my floor into a neat little pile on the chair and admire myself in the mirror. His choice of dress is absolutely perfect, the pastel pink compliments my naturally tanned skin, the twist front cinches in my waist while the Grecian style dress drapes over my problem areas and the slit up the sides shows enough skin for it to sexy but not too provocative.
I love it!
The bedroom door swings toward me and as I catch a glimpse of Cristian pulling his trolley along behind him, I let out an excited yelp. Madison looks up and starts to giggle at the sight of him in his alter ego disguise.
"Oh. My. God." He stops in his tracks when he notices the dress and his eyes pop out of his head. "Yes Queen!" He stares me up and down, "We need to do something about those though."
After routing around in his bag, he pulls out a roll of tape and gets to work on maintaining my dignity and making sure my boobs stay in this dress all night. When he's finished, he ushers me to the stool at my dresser and starts to work his magic on my hair and makeup with Madison watching in fascination.
I'm not sure if it's the array of makeup that he has arrived with or the fact that he is in full drag ready for his show tonight. Today's inspiration is Madonna from the Material Girl video, so he's wearing a curly dark blonde wig that stands about a foot from his head, a bright red lip and a red off the shoulder gown that cinches in at the waist and accentuates the hourglass padding he has on underneath. He really does look beautiful, and in the dim light of my bedroom, he's more feminine that a lot of women I've met.
Sitting still while he works his magic, I watch Lexi playing with Madison out of the corner of my eye. I love how close the two of them have become over the past few weeks, and I'm so grateful that Lexi agreed to babysit tonight. I can't think of anything worse than having Ethan ask Sarah. I'm fairly sure that she hates me.
"Okay, all done." Cristian grins as he takes a step backwards to admire his handy work. "Honestly Mia, if he doesn't fuck you, I will... and I don't even like girls."
"Ooh, you said a bad word mist..." Lexi giggles as Madison chastises him, confusion spreading across her face as she tries to finish her sentence. Well, that's a conversation for another day.
As I glance at my reflection in the mirror, I remind Cristian about his language and gasp. I don't recognise myself under the thick layer of foundation, contour, highlighter, and powder. My normally blotchy skin is flawless and for once I feel like the most beautiful woman in the room.
"Thank you, Cristian, it's amazing." I give him a huge hug, and he continues packing away his brushes before closing up his trolley and saying goodbye.
"Got to go, I'm on stage in an hour." He kisses Lexi on the cheek and scruffs Madison's hair as he pulls his trolley towards the door, he pauses. "You are a freaking Queen babe, have a good night."
And with that he is gone.
It's twelve minutes past seven, the car isn't coming for another twenty minutes and Ethan's never seen me dressed up before, so I don't want to ruin the surprise by waiting in the living room with him, so I perch on the end of the bed and play a game of eye spy with my two favourite girls.
Time flies and before long I'm startled by the doorbell. I jump up and slip on a pair of rose gold strappy stilettos and head for the door, the girls following closely behind.
"Ethan, the car's here." I call but there is no response. The doorbell rings again, so I walk towards the entrance, hoping that he'll meet me there. Just before I open the front door to greet the driver, I turn to Lexi. "Thank you so much for looking after Madison."
“No problem. It’s not like I’d be seen dead at one of these boring hospital things anyway.” She shrugs, “Have fun, I know we will.”
There’s still no sign of Ethan so I open the door and just as I’m about to speak, my breath catches in my throat and my body begins to tingle. Standing in front of me in a black suit, complete with a bow tie and holding a bouquet of lilies is Ethan. The suit stretches over his muscles and fits every curve and the sight of him makes my mouth water.
“You look incredible.” A slow smile spreads across his face as he hands me the flowers.
“Thank you they’re beautiful.” How did he know that they’re my favourite?
“Are you ready to go?” He holds out a hand for me as I pass the flowers to Lexi and ask her to put them in some water for me, then reaching for his hand, he leads me to the car waiting for us.
Fuck! I haven't been this nervous for a long time. This is the first date I've been on since Samantha, not that you can call it a date, it's more like one friend helping out another friend. The only problem is, she has made it perfectly clear that she is not interested, and I can't get her out of my head.
Ever since she walked into the kitchen that night in just her t-shirt I haven't stopped thinking about her, then that night happened and it’s like I’m a junkie, desperately looking for my next fix.
The touch of her soft porcelain skin, those wide doe eyes that I get lost in every time I look at her, the way she bites her lip every time she looks at me and how she can walk around the house in jeans and a baggy sweater, with no makeup and her hair piled messily on top of her head and still drive me crazy.
She's got this inner strength that somehow calms all the chaos around me and is the first woman who has made me feel like this in a long time. But as much as I need to be with her, I'm not ready to move on, and she needs someone who can love her the way she deserves.
For now, I’ll settle for keeping her out of the arms of her douche bag ex-boyfriend and make sure she finally realises how a man should treat her.
I take a deep breath, taking in the scent of the pink rose and lily bouquet in my hand and ring the doorbell.
There’s a small commotion inside as Mia realises that I’m not in the house and then slowly, the door opens and she’s standing in the entrance.
“You look incredible.” I gasp as a vision in pink appears in the doorway. I knew that dress would look great on her when I picked it out but all I can think about right now is carrying her to my room, ripping it off her and devouring every single inch of her body. As she stands in front of me, looking me up and down, she swallows hard and accepts the flowers I present to her. Sniffing them before passing them back to Lexi.
“Are you ready to go?” I hold out a hand for her, letting her intertwine her fingers with mine. Leading her to the limousine, I open the door and place my hand on the small of her back as she steps in and adjusts her dress once she’s sitting. I take a seat beside her on the wrap-around leather sofa, gently closing the door behind her, and motioning for the driver to go before raising the tinted privacy screen.
I take the bottle of champagne from the bucket of ice beside her and pour two glasses. One for me, the other I pass to her.
“You didn’t have to do all this, you know?” She’s shaking with nerves as she takes hold of the glass
.
“If I took you on a date and didn’t treat you the way you deserve, you’d never let me live it down.” I joke, trying to break the tension between us as I spy a small grin light up her face.
As we leave the quiet, and the smell of the countryside behind us, the rush of traffic outside gets louder and the bright lights of the city streets flood through the tinted windows illuminating her with a halo of light as she looks out of the window in silence.
“Thank you for coming with me tonight.” She twists in her seat so she’s facing me, her eyes glistening.
“That’s what friends are for, right?” Friends, maybe we’re kidding ourselves by believing that we can be friends. All I know is, I’d rather be spending time with her than sitting in my study watching fight tapes.
“Yeah, friends.” She speaks slowly, stretching out her words. “I’m sorry about the other morning. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
A sharp intake of air fills my lungs, “Don’t worry about it.” Wide eyes stare at me, making me exhale slowly. “You could never upset me.”
“But you slammed the door. You were angry with me?”
“No, I was angry with myself for letting it go that far.” I squeeze the hand resting on the satin covering her thigh. “You deserve the world and I wish I could be the one to give it to you but… I’m sorry.”
“You have no reason to be sorry. We both just got swept up in the moment, that’s all.” The limo jerks as we round the corner, sliding her closer to me. “I should warn you. My mum is going to be here tonight, and she is not going to be happy that we came here together.”
“Don’t worry about it, women love me.” Cheekily, I wink at her. “Want to do something stupid?”
Confusion is etched across her face, I press the button beside me, opening the automatic sunroof with a whirring sound that makes my ears ring. I raise myself to my feet, poking my head out to feel the cold rush of air against my face as I pull Mia reluctantly to her feet so she can join me.
I watch as she glances around, taking in the city sights. She’s laughing like a teenager on her way to prom and I’ve never seen her so happy. We stand, waving at the people passing as we drive by until Mia gets cold and dips back down into back of the car.
As I close the roof and we settle back into our seats, she lays her head on my shoulder, listening to the radio for the rest of the journey.
A short time later, the driver’s partition lowers, and he informs us that we’re almost there. I look out of the window to see the Grand Hotel up ahead and the queue of expensive cars and limousines waiting to park in front.
“Looks like it might take a while.” I smile as I pour us both another drink.
Three cars are ahead of us in the queue as we finally reach one of the city's finest listed buildings, the iconic art-deco styled hotel and former bank. Standing proudly at the top of the hill, it rises out of the concrete jungle like a formidable castle made of steel and stone.
As the car pulls up outside the large glass doors emblazoned with the angular gold mono line logo, I glance over at Mia, her face a whiter shade of pale as she picks at her freshly manicured nails.
“We can stay out her a little longer if you want.” I reassure her, trying to calm her nerves before we exit the vehicle. “We’re not in any rush.”
“I’ll be fine in a minute.” Her lips curl slightly at the edges, “I’m just nervous about seeing my ex with his new fiancé for the first time.”
“He’s the one that should be nervous about seeing you.” I take her hand and place it to my lips, gently kissing the back of her hand. It’s not something I would normally do but hey, she wants romance. “You are an extraordinary woman Mia and if he’s too stupid to see that, then it’s his loss… and my gain.”
Her cheeks flush with pink as she looks away and finishes the dribble of champagne in the bottom of her glass. “When I first met you, I thought you were the devil…but you’re a good friend Ethan Brooks.”
Ouch! I have officially been friend zoned.
“You ready?” I ask as our eyes meet again. She nods.
Getting out of the car, I straighten my suit jacket and hold out my hand to lift her off her seat. Once we’re both on the pavement, she runs her hands over the lightly crinkled fabric of her dress, smoothing it out. I watch every move she makes contently.
As we walk towards the door, I place my arm around her waist, resting my hand on her hip and ushering her inside, through the 1920s inspired hotel reception and towards the grand staircase leading to the function room.
Standing at the top of the staircase, looking out over the elegantly dressed venue with the tables full of prizes for the silent auction to one side and large twelve seat tables scattered around the dance floor already laid for the meal, I glance over at Mia. Her arm is tucked around my back with her nails digging into to me as we slowly start to descend the steps in the direction of a sour faced, white haired woman in a dress made for someone twenty years younger.
“Amelia. I’m so glad you finally made it.” She walks up to Mia and hugs her, completely ignoring my presence. “You look absolutely beautiful.”
“Thanks mum,” Mia stands awkwardly in front of her mum as she stares at her with stony eyes. It’s hard to believe that such a caring, compassionate young woman could be raised by someone so cold-hearted. “This is Ethan.”
I hold my hand out to greet her, but she turns a blind eye to my gesture, continuing to ignore me as she discusses the evenings events with her daughter. I’m not sure what I have done to offend her so much but I’m not sticking around to find out.
“I’m going to the bar, what can I get you?” I turn to Mia, hoping she’ll end the conversation with her mother and come with me, but she asks for a small glass of white wine and agrees to meet me at our table.
Taking a detour around the silent auction tables, I consider placing a bid on the little MINI that has been donated by a local dealership. It’s not something I would ever be caught dead in but it would be a nice little run around for Mia when she wants to take Madison a little further afield. Then I remember that we’re just friends, and friends do not buy each other expensive cars for no reason. I’ll just make a direct donation to the charity instead.
Heading to the bar, I order a whiskey (obviously) and a small white wine as requested and wait for the order to be served. I scan the room. Mia has made her way over to our table and is talking to the woman sitting next to her. She’s another older lady, but come to think of it, most of the guests here tonight are on the opposite side of fifty.
A younger guy appears at the bar beside me and nudges me as I watch her. I turn my head towards the scrawny little fucker with the slicked back hair and a massive ego and then back to Mia. It’s becoming more and more impossible to take my eyes off of her as she talks and laughs with those around her.
“I wouldn’t bother going there mate,” the idiot beside me interrupts, “Believe me, you’re not her type.”
Who the hell does this jackass think he is? “I take it you know her then?”
“Very well. We were together for a good couple of years before I upgraded.” He points to a very pretty dark-haired woman in the corner surrounded by men who are eating out of the palm of her hand. “Take it from someone who knows her, she’s never going to be interested in a guy like you.”
“You don’t say.” My fists are balled so tight that my nails are digging into my palms as I try to refrain from beating the shit of the guy I now realise, is Peter.
“Yeah, plus, she’s still in love with me so even if she was interested in a bit of danger to pass the time, you’d always be playing second fiddle.” He smirks, not knowing how lucky he is that Mia is glancing over, otherwise his face would be buried in my fist.
“Look Peter, I know exactly who you are. I know exactly what you did to her and if you ever come anywhere near her again, I will personally see to it that you will be eating through a straw for the rest of your life.” I spit quietly thro
ugh gritted teeth, trying to force a smile so it looks like I’m playing nice. “How long do you think your precious little trophy fiancé will stick around when she’s the one that has to take care of you?”
Grabbing the drinks, I saunter over to the table, place the drinks down and whisk Mia onto the dance floor, glancing over to see Peter seething while he stands at the bar watching us.
“Everything okay, I saw you talking to Peter at the bar?” She asks as I dip her and then pull her back into me.
“Fine. Just a friendly chat.” I smile and she softens in my arms, allowing me to take the lead. “You really do look beautiful tonight. There isn’t a person in here who is not looking at you right now.”
“Erm, I’m pretty sure they’re just admiring your killer dance moves.” She giggles, her whole face lighting up as I try my hardest not to kiss her in the middle of the dance floor.
This whole being friends thing is not going to be easy.
As we walk through the hotel towards the staircase, I feel like a princess next to him. Especially when we get to the top of the stairs and everyone is looking at him with lust in their eyes. I should feel embarrassed but instead, I feel proud to be here with him.
Then I spot mum waiting impatiently at the bottom of the stairs. Thanks to the-mile-long queue outside, we’re running about thirty minutes late and there is nothing my mum hates more than tardiness.
Nerves begin to take hold and I realise I’ve been digging my nails into the firm skin on Ethan’s waist since we started moving towards her. I imagined that she’d be wearing a classic A-line dress, just like she has for the past five years but instead she’s wearing a sparkling black skin-tight off the shoulder number with full length sleeves and a split up the side. The expression mutton dressed as lamb springs to mind but to be honest, she actually pulls it off quite well.