Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 107262 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 536(@200wpm)___ 429(@250wpm)___ 358(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107262 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 536(@200wpm)___ 429(@250wpm)___ 358(@300wpm)
Maggie stands, bringing the black dress I was considering with her and holding it up in front of me. When she moves, I hold the red dress in its place and she nods.
I look in the mirror, contemplating the red dress. “You’re sure?”
“It’s more confident. Says you’re a sexy bitch… which you are, but also confident and coming to shake things up. Which you’re going to do in more ways than one.”
She’s right. Or at least I can fake that she is and make it so.
I do a little twirl with my finger so she turns around, and Maggie obliges, focusing on her phone so she can’t see as I undress. Picking up the red dress, I shrug off my bathrobe and hang it back up.
“Hey, forgot to mention,” Maggie says as I pick out my sexiest, most confidence boosting lingerie, “your mom called while you were in the shower.”
As if my stomach couldn’t sink any lower.
Mom’s been worried about my job hunt too. Not because she doesn’t have faith in me, but because she knows how much I want this. If there were a way for Dianne Hill to make my dream job appear, she’d do it in a heartbeat.
“What’d she say?” I ask, fastening my bra and turning it around. It’s strapless, so it’s a little tight around the chest, but it makes the girls look perky as hell.
If Maggie didn’t have an amazing mom of her own, my mom would’ve adopted her years ago. Since that’s not happening, they’ve instead become friends, and often, Maggie will have spoken with my mom as recently as I have. Plus, Mom basically becomes besties with people everywhere she goes. She knows all about the lady at the bank whose dog is having cataract surgery, and the man at the post office who is definitely going to win the sweepstakes this time, and on and on. She’ll tell you her business, listen to yours, share her snacks, and be your biggest cheerleader. And that’s all before you reach the checkout cashier at the grocery store. She’s pretty great.
“Well, she seemed to think your interview went well… and that you’re still with Evan?”
I wince, knowing I should have told Mom the truth but trusting that Maggie covered for me. “Uhh… sorry about that. Mom’s been really excited about this interview. She thinks I’m going to be a millionaire by next year or something. I just didn’t want to disappoint her, so I sort of sent her a text saying the interviews are still going on but I’m hopeful.”
“And Evan?” she questions, and I swallow thickly.
I pick up the rest of my lingerie, which are undoubtedly lacy and a little butt-flossy. “I didn’t lie, I just didn’t tell her.” I reluctantly admit, “I wasn’t ready.”
I expect Maggie to be disappointed, but she nods in understanding.
“Hose or no hose?” I ask, considering my legs and the dress. “Black, maybe?”
“I gotcha,” she says, digging in her dresser drawer and coming out a moment later with a garter belt and some stockings. “Here. You’ll be erecting tent poles in these.” She’s doing her best to keep me distracted and make me laugh so I don’t call the whole thing off, and her silly joke does the trick.
With a bittersweet smile, I take the garter belt, which is black silk that almost perfectly matches my black bra and panty set, and hold it up to my waist. “Thanks.”
“Under the panties if you’re DTF, over the panties if you’re a good girl,” Maggie quips, pouting when I pull the belt on over my panties. “Hmph.”
“I’m going to network, not have sex,” I comment before pausing and running the straps under my panties. “But I might have to pee,” I concede.
“Party pooper,” Maggie teases as she sits back down on her bed cross-legged. “Mama Hill also asked if she could start planning a visit. I told her to put a hold on it, because with you hopefully starting a new job soon, your schedule might be iffy. Good?”
I nod, unzipping the red dress and slipping it on. “Thank you so much,” I tell her, appreciating her temporarily diverting my mom more than she could know. “Zip up? And remind me that I need to grab the train and head home for a visit soon.”
“That’s good, Mama nearly talked my ear off telling me the latest and greatest,” Maggie says as she zips up the dress. “Damn, that looks good on you.”
“Thanks,” I reply, checking that I can still breathe with the zipper done. “Fill me in. I can use the distraction.”
“Well, let’s see. Your dad’s bowling team is apparently screwed, something about how their top hooker pulled his calf?” She looks at me like she doesn’t know what those words mean.
“A guy on the team who puts a lot of curve in his throws,” I explain, picking out some lip gloss to go with the dress while holding back a grin. If I’m going to go red, I’m going to go really red, and fire engine red lip gloss is the way to go.