Pure Indulgence

'You're a model, Jillian,' Kayla said easily as she moved on to a mannequin wearing a simple but flowing summer dress that appealed to her more conservative side. 'So why wouldn't I ask for your advice?'

'Maybe because you never have before?' Jillian said with sisterly sarcasm. 'Maybe because every time I've asked you to go shopping with me you act like you'd rather eat slugs instead?'

Kayla laughed at that, knowing it was true. 'I'll admit I don't like to shop for clothes. Not if I can help it.' It was a form of torture she tried to avoid. Trying on clothes had never been a fun process for her, and usually ended up being an exercise in frustration.

'If that's the case, what's the special occasion today?' Jillian's gaze narrowed in a shrewd way that told Kayla her sister knew something wasn't quite right and she was determined to find out the truth. 'Come on, what's going on?'

Kayla bit her bottom lip' feeling a moment's hesitation. This was the first time she and her sister had really had a chance to talk since her evening at Pure Indulgence with Jack two nights ago, and now she debated how much to reveal to Jillian.

She'd been so bowled over by what had happened between her and Jack. She also felt torn by the fact that she was using him as an experiment for her aphrodisiac candies without his knowledge. For two days she'd wrangled with her conscience, and in the end decided to go for it, anyway. She couldn't give up the chance to enjoy his attention and the sensual way he made her feel-even if his lust was due to the effects of a sexual stimulant.

Jack certainly hadn't minded kissing her, she thought with a secretive smile, and she'd taken that knowledge into consideration, as well. His desire for her had been intense, had seemed real, and it had felt so liberating to let go of inhibitions and be wanton with him in return-which was something she'd never been able to do with another man.

And since Jack had been caught up in his own needs for her, not once had she worried about how she looked to him. She'd just reveled in the man and the moment and the glorious sensations he'd evoked.

A dreamy sigh escaped her, and she met her sister's gaze. 'It's Jack Tremaine.'

Jillian blinked at her, her expression perplexed. 'What about him?'

She must have lost her sister somewhere, because she usually wasn't so slow on the uptake. 'Well… things got a little heated between us the other night when he came to the bakery to sample the Chocolate Mint Truffle Cake for his restaurant.'

'And you didn't call me to tell me this?' Jillian's voice rose an octave in chastising disbelief.

Kayla cringed and cast a surreptitious look around them, grateful to find the salesladies taking care of other customers. 'I've been busy at work,' she said, and fingered the material of a silk skirt that looked cool and comfortable, yet very feminine. 'A couple more catering jobs came in from the Commerce dinner, so things have been a bit hectic.'

'That's a poor excuse,' Jillian grumbled and her frown deepened. 'And I thought you told me that Jack Tremaine has a girlfriend.'

'Apparently, not anymore.' Which made Jack a free man, in Kayla's opinion. Free to indulge in an affair if he wished, and free to make out with her if the urge grabbed him, which it most certainly had.

'We kissed,' she said, then moved on to a peach embroidered top paired off with a pair of khaki drawstring pants that appealed to her casual nature.

Jillian snapped her open mouth shut and hurried up beside her. 'Ohmigod, Kayla! You can't just say something like that and leave me hanging.' She leaned in close, lowered her voice, and asked, 'Okay, 'fess up. I want details. Was he any good?'

Kayla laughed at her sister's eager interest, willing to share at least that much with her. 'Oh, yeah, he was amazing.' He had a mouth made for pleasure, and the pleasure had been all hers.

'I'm so jealous,' Jillian said with a smile, though there was a wistful quality in her tone. 'Are you going to see him again?'

'Wednesday night. At my place,' she said, as her gaze was drawn to a vibrant purple blouse. She wondered if she could pull off the bright color and off-the-shoulder style. 'He's bringing dinner and I'm supplying the dessert.'

Her sister grabbed her arm, demanding Kayla's attention, and it didn't escape her notice that Jillian had suddenly grown very serious.

'Hey,' Jillian said softly, her knowing gaze searching her features. 'You're not in here to buy new clothes and change your appearance for him, are you?'

Before making the decision to add a bit of variety to her wardrobe, Kayla had thought long and hard about that very same question. She'd also remembered the pact she'd made with her sister about never again compromising their identities for a man. After two years of wearing non-descript clothing that hid her body, she was ready to make a few changes, and she trusted her sister to make sure she didn't make any fashion blunders in the process.

'No, I'm not doing this for Jack Tremaine,' she told her sister, and meant it. 'I'm doing it for me.'

'That's a great answer,' Jillian said, obviously very happy with Kayla's levelheaded thinking. 'And in that case, we definitely need to find something to show off that figure of yours.'

It was Kayla's turn to frown, and she tamped down the rising panic at the thought of 'showing off' a body she wasn't one hundred percent satisfied with. 'I'd rather not.'

'Why not?'

Kayla sighed, surprised she even had to explain to her sister what she already knew. 'You know I don't do dingy or form-fitting.'

'You don't have to do either, Kayla.' Jillian skimmed through a rack of sleeveless poplin shirts. After pulling out one in a pale pink shade, she held it up to Kayla's chest and examined it with a critical eye. 'We're going to accentuate your best assets, not blatantly display what you're not comfortable showing off.'

Kayla wasn't so sure, and shook her head. 'Jilly, I just want to look…'

'Sexy?' Jillian guessed.

Her sister had so easily supplied the one word Kayla had a difficult time saying aloud, and now that it was out in the open, it would be ridiculous of her to deny the truth. 'Okay, I'll admit, I wouldn't mind looking a little sexy.'

'I'm going to tell you a trade secret, so listen up,' Jillian said in that way of hers that combined sisterly affection and tough love. 'Sexy is a mind-set. If you feel sexy and confident, then others are going to see that in the way you carry yourself. You need to walk with your head held high, your shoulders pulled back so those great breasts of yours get the attention they deserve, and with a self-assurance that tells the world you love who you are.'

Kayla laughed, but deep inside she took her sister's words to heart. 'I promise I'll work on all that mindset stuff.'

'All right then, let's get to work.' Jillian rubbed her hands together in anticipation. 'You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this day to come.'

Kayla could only imagine, and for the next hour and a half she was swept into a maelstrom of coordinating clothes, shoes, and accessories that her sister picked out for her to try on, and deemed the very height of fashion. They laughed and teased as she tried each outfit, and Kayla couldn't ever remember enjoying a shopping experience more.

'This color and style are so great on you,' Jillian said as Kayla tried on a two-piece blouse and skirt set made out of gauzy cotton that her sister insisted would flatter her figure. 'What do you think?'

Kayla studied her reflection in the mirror, taking in the pretty periwinkle shade, how the hem of the blouse fell past her hips, and the way the skirt swirled loosely around her legs. She liked the outfit… until her sister slipped a silver chain belt around her waist. The delicate design draped loosely over her hips, but in Kayla's estimation drew too much attention to that too-curvaceous part of her body.

Biting on the inside of her cheek, she smoothed her hands over her hips, trying to make them look smaller, which was impossible, she knew. She met her sister's waiting gaze in the mirror. 'Are you sure this belt doesn't make me look fa-'

'Don't you dare say that awful F word,' Jillian interrupted