"You're a grown ass woman. You have no business dressing cute. Fortunately, I packed way too many clothes, knowing you were going to be lame." She tossed me a dress from her suitcase.
I had feared she was going to do exactly that. All throughout college Kristen had insisted on dressing me. I thought I was finally free of her tyrannical fashion advice. The only positive was that Kristen was so much taller than me that the dresses that were super inappropriate on her weren't so bad on me. They'd probably go down to mid-thigh instead of right below my ass. And it wasn't worth fighting her on this. I just wanted food in my mouth immediately.
I pulled on the dress and grabbed the only pair of heels I brought. They were fancy sandals that worked with everything. Kristen seemed to agree because she didn't say anything. I sat down on the edge of the bed while they finished getting ready. Last minute touches of makeup and hair primping. Not that they needed it. My friends were basically all models. Alina looked like a perfect blonde Barbie doll, except short. Layla looked like a younger Sofia Vergara. Actually, Alina and Layla had both done some modeling after their scandalous TV appearances. And Kristen fit right in with them. She had dark hair and was super tall like a model, but not sickly skinny. She was thin but somehow still had big breasts and a great ass. I'm surprised a modeling agency hadn't picked her up.
And me? I looked down at the dress I was wearing. I wasn't tall and I wasn't short. I had mousy brown hair. I was so average. Not that I was complaining. I liked being average. I liked that when guys liked me they got to know my personality first. It was important to me. Kristen had said that cute wasn't something I should be aiming for. But that's what I always ended up looking like. I had one of those baby faces that made me look a lot younger than I was. And I was used to wearing sophisticated clothes to work, trying hard not to accentuate my breasts or ass. I never aimed for cute, but that's what I tended to look like every day. And I thought it was a good look for a teacher. I liked it. No one ever called me sexy. That wasn't me. That was a word reserved for my friends.
I pulled the neckline of my dress up. I had forgotten the fact that it would be a little lower due to Kristen's height. I stood up and looked in the mirror. My hair didn't seem to agree with the Costa Rican humidity. I ran my palms over it, trying to get rid of some of the frizz.
"You look great," Alina said. "You can borrow one of my dresses tomorrow if you want. I know how anal you are about showing off your tits."
She was right, my boobs were everywhere. "Thanks. But I don't even care right now. I just need food and sleep."
"And...dancing?"
"If that's the price I have to pay for what I want."
Alina smiled. "This is going to be so much fun!"
***
The Jaguar's Den was decorated with fake foliage everywhere, which made it look like we were in the middle of the rainforest. I couldn't help but think that they should have just made it an outdoor restaurant since we were actually in the rainforest. The music was blaring into the hall of the hotel. There was definitely quite a dance party going on inside. I looked around at the decorations as we entered the restaurant.
"Good evening," the host said in a sexy accent.
I turned toward the voice and put my hand over my mouth so I wouldn't burst out laughing.Who dresses like that?He was wearing only tight black shorts and a jaguar-pelt headdress that left his muscular torso completely exposed.
The host didn't seem to notice my reaction. "Four?" he asked.
I dropped my hand and nodded. I wasn't sure why my first reaction was to laugh. He was gorgeous. He had a perfect six pack and his skin was tan and smooth looking. The longer I stared, the more I appreciate his attire. And it made me start to wonder when was the last time I had seen a man naked. Was it really during college? Had I not had sex in over a year?
The host grabbed four menus and held out his arm to escort me to the table.
I looked behind me. I was sure Kristen would be all over linking arms with this half naked man. But three more men dressed just like him had appeared to escort my friends.
"Oh, okay then," I said awkwardly and linked my arm with his as he led us to our table. I couldn't help but feel how strong his arm was.Stop squeezing his arm, psychopath.
I immediately released his arm when we got to our table. "Thanks," I mumbled and slid into the booth.
He smiled at me. "Pablo will be your server this evening. He'll be right with you."
Kristen slid into the booth beside me. As soon as the host was out of earshot, she said, "I love this place."
"I think men should always dress like this in restaurants," Layla said.
"Here's to that," Alina agreed.
"The three of you are ridiculous. None of you are single. Stop ogling the wait staff."
"Speaking of being single," Alina said. "That host was totally staring at your breasts. You should tap that."
I could feel my face turning slightly red as I pulled the neckline of my dress up a little higher. "I don't do one night stands, you know that."
"Yeah, but we're here all week."
"I'm not hooking up with a stranger in Costa Rica."
"But it's my bachelorette party! I have to live vicariously through you."
