I think for a moment and then I pull out a short green dress. I slip it on, enjoying the satiny feel of it against my skin. I frown into the mirror, unsure about the dress now. It looks good. It shows off my tanned legs, but it’s a little lower cut than I remember it and I’m not sure that showing my legs and so much cleavage is a good idea at a business event.
The door to the apartment opens and I relax. My roommate Rita is home from work and she’s always had way more fashion sense than me. She’ll know if this is appropriate or not. I move to the door and pull it open, standing in the doorway without a word.
Rita looks up as the door opens. She grins when she sees me and whistles. “Well, look at you all dressed up. You look gorgeous Opal,” she smiles.
“Thanks.” I smile, feeling better about the dress.
“Big date?” she asks.
I shake my head. I wish it was a date. Any kind of date with Brett would work for me. “No. It’s that dinner party I told you about.”
“The one for work with your boss’s son?” she asks with a raised eyebrow.
I nod again.
She shakes her head, grinning. “So you’re trying to seduce Brett?”
“What? No!” I shriek.
She raises her eyebrow higher.
I laugh. Rita knows me far too well for me to pretend like I haven’t been dreaming of seducing Brett ever since I first set eyes on him a year ago. “Ok, I’d very much like to. But not tonight. Tonight is strictly business. There’s a few potential clients Mr. Connell wants me to introduce Brett to.”
“Well, unless you’re trying to seduce all of them, then I suggest you change,” she says.
“Really?” I ask, a little disappointed.
“Really,” she confirms. “Opal, if you honestly thought the dress was right for the occasion, you wouldn’t have presented yourself to me like that and waited for my critique.”
“Ugh, you’re so damned observant,” I say with a half smile.
She laughs and shoos me back into the bedroom. “Less is more Opal. And I don’t mean less material. I mean find something that looks professional and appropriate, but gives Brett just a little hint as to what’s underneath it.”
I nod and go back into the bedroom. I slip out of the green dress and hang it back up. I stare into my wardrobe again. I don’t think I have anything even remotely close to what Rita is describing. I’m getting frustrated. I’m going to end up having to go in a sensible work outfit and although it will be appropriate, it will hardly put me in a good light with Brett.
Just as I am about to give up, I spot a black dress at the back of my closet. One I had completely forgotten about. I fell in love with it and bought it on sale, telling myself I would find an event to wear it to, but I never ever did. It would be perfect for tonight though. I reach in and rub it between my fingers as I nod to myself and pull it out and put it on. I look into the full length mirror in the corner and I know it’s the right dress without even having to ask Rita.
It’s a long dress with splits either side that run to my mid thigh. It’s enough to do what Rita said; look appropriate, but give just a hint of what lies beneath. The dress clings to my body, showing off my curvy hips and flat stomach. The straps are spaghetti straps and the neck line is high enough to be proper, but low enough to again, give just a hint of what lies beneath it. It will definitely show Brett a side to me he’s never seen before.
A side I hope he likes. I smile to myself and shake my head as I look for the right shoes to wear. I’m acting like this is a date and it really isn’t. As if someone like Brett would even notice someone like me, let alone want to date me. I tell myself the dress isn’t really for him, it’s for me. I want to look good and yes, I want him to notice me, but deep down, I know nothing will ever happen between us.
Even if he is into me, it would be wholly inappropriate since he’s my boss, and if Mr. Connell ever found out, I’d be fired for sure.
I find my trusty black heels and slip them on. I add a pair of silver dangly earrings and a silver necklace that hangs to just where my cleavage starts. I grab my matching purse and push my stuff into it and then I go back out into the living room again.
Rita is lying on her belly on the couch reading a magazine, her hair hanging in her face. She reaches up and pushes it back when she hears me come in. Her eyes scan over me and her face slowly breaks into a smile. “Now that’s what I’m talking about,” she grins.
Returning her smile, I perch on the edge of a chair. I still have a good fifteen minutes to wait to be picked up.
“So what’s this Brett guy like then?” Rita asks. “I know you say he’s the best looking man you’ve ever seen, but what’s he like as a person?”
That’s a good question. I’ve been working closely with him all day and for most of yesterday, but I really know very little about him. He kept the conversation firmly on work and I didn’t have the guts to ask him anything about himself, although I was dying to.
“He’s a little less formal than his father. I’ve worked for his father for three years and I still call him Mr. Connell and he’s never once indicated I shouldn’t. I called Brett Mr. Connell and he laughed and told me it was Brett. And yeah,
