As she stood, half naked, Alicia imagined being whisked away to that penthouse suite at the top of that building. She had only seen one room out of how many? An empty office? Maybetomorrow night would be the one for checking out Danica’s bedroom. Would the bodyguard be coming along as well? Damn, she hoped not! Alicia didn’t care how much those guys were paid to look the other way while the boss was ate out. An audience was an audience!
“Here we go.” Rayne held up a… yup, that was a fancy, expensive prom dress.Okay. So, a grown woman could definitely wear a Barney’s gown to the red carpet, a wedding, or, as Renaldo said, a gala. On a date? “Try it on.”
It took both her and Rayne to get it on.I look pretty nice.After Renaldo pulled her hair back into a bun, Alicia’s eyes widened. Was that what she looked like when dressed so fancily? Her mother would roll over in bed to see it.She’s always saying I need to dress up nicer.Unfortunately, hostess work didn’t allow for many gowns. She was lucky to work at a place that let her wear nice pants or, gasp, a decent skirt.
“It looks great up top,” Renaldo said. “But that skirt is not going to win us any favors with Danica. If we sent you to her dressed like that, she’d think we were mad. Or nuns. Not the fun kind, either.”
Rayne nodded. “That’s why we’re cutting the skirt. The focus point should be her chest.”
“My… chest?” Alicia looked down. A large keyhole expanded from the bottom of her cleavage to the top of her navel. It didn’t show off much, but she did look respectable for once. Quite the feat since she couldn’t wear a padded bra to play up what shedidhave.
“You have a great chest for your physique,” Rayne said with a wave of her hand. “We should show it off. None of the other dresses does you any justice like this.”
“It’s either that or show off your ass.” Renaldo tilted his head. “And, honey…”
Alicia clapped her hands on her ass, as if that would make it bigger! All of this was good enough for Danica to help herself to. Then again, with the woman paying for this expensive dress, she might as well humor the squad sent after Alicia. “Who am I to say no at this point? Just don’t show off my nipples.”
Rayne and Renaldo exchanged looks. What? Was there something on her face?
A seamstress was brought in after the final decision. After taking fifteen minutes’ worth of measurements, Alicia was allowed to step out of the dress and into her work clothes. No one had given her enough time to change out of her Blue Bird uniform.
“Yikes,” Renaldo muttered. “Play your cards right, sweetie, and you’ll never have to wear something as garishly made as that again.”
Alicia was almost afraid to ask, but as she pulled the shirt over her head, she inquired, “Why’s that?”
He grinned at the sounds of Rayne and the seamstress bickering over a centimeter. “Danica Moreau is one of the biggest paydays in town. People have been fighting amongst themselves at the country club to even get a look at her, let alone marry her.”
Alicia left her buttons undone. “What are you talking about? She and I aren’t…”
Renaldo stepped closer, voice dropping. “Danica Moreau has only publicly dated a handful of women since coming back from Princeton. Now, many would say that means she’s dating behind closed doors. This is true. A woman like that? She gets around, but she doesn’t date unless it’s for publicity or if she’s courting a potentialMrs. Moreau. Her family is old-fashioned like that.”
Alicia frowned. “I still don’t follow. I’ve only met her a couple of times. She asked me out on a date. So what?”
“So. What?” Renaldo was loving this way too much. “So, for her to formally ask you out on a date and go this way with you… that means you’re pretty special, Alicia.”
“I’m not…”
“Word to the wise. If a woman of that caliber decides you’re special for whatever reason, then you bet your ass that you’re a special little snowflake. Own up to it. Make hay while the sun shines. All that jazz. Clichés, clichés…”
Alicia finally buttoned up her shirt. “Still…”
“Do you want to keep having to wear shirts like this? Think about it, Alicia. One of the few eligible bachelorettes of comic proportions left wants to date you. It may not last very long… or it may last for as long as you want it to.”
“That sounds ominous.”
“There’s a reason that woman is single.”
“Do tell?”
Renaldo looked around before answering. “She’s a perfectionist. She also works nonstop and outsources her bowel movements because she doesn’t have time to waste in the bathroom like the rest of us plebes. Get my feeling?”
Alicia nodded. “I definitely got that impression.” The child inside of her wondered how one outsourced bowel movements. Also, how much did it cost? She might want to look into it.
“She’s dated both high-profile women and those nobody has ever heard of, like you.”
“Gee, thanks.”
Renaldo shrugged in his lavender suit. “It’s a harsh truth. You date her long enough, though, and people will soon know who you are, whether you like it or not. What I’m trying to tell you is that you’ve got a big opportunity to make some serious money, girl. The Moreaus aren’t just rich. They’re sostinkingrich that even Forbes doesn’t bother to tally up their goods anymore. Too much work, you know? Besides, they pay listers to keep theirfamily out of the public eye. Money is such a non-object that you could probably get her to pay off some of your bills. Not that I’m saying you should demand such a thing right away. Work into it.”
