Page 24 of Sexy

Hmmm. It’s kinda skanky. But necessary. It’s research. Besides, Cole and I are not a thing, so it’s not cheating. And I know he dates. I don’t date. So if we’re not allowed to have fun before we date, then he’s cheating on me.

I laugh out loud in the shower. He’s the cheater if this fling with Fletch counts. And that’s ridiculous, so it doesn’t count.

Guilt trip over.

“Tiffy?” Claudio calls out from the door. “What are you laughing about?”

“Oh, hey,” I call. “When did you get back?”

“I was looking for you in the casino. Where the hell did you disappear to?”

“I took a cab down to the shopping district,” I improvise. I did that last night. Before the whole Fletcher thing at the show and while Claudio was getting his spa treatment in here at the hotel. But the shop wasn’t going to deliver the dress until today since I didn’t have time to wait for them to wrap it up.

“Oh, that package that came for you?”

“That’s the one,” I say, relieved my cover story has a bit of truth to it. “I’m wearing it to my lunch date with Cole. Go open it and tell me if you like.”

“It’s not a date, Tiff. You’re gonna be depressed afterward, as usual, when you finally have to accept it.”

“Just go look at it,” I call before squirting shampoo in my hair and lathering it up.

“I like,” Claudio calls from the living area a few minutes later. “Great color. Pink always looks good on you.” He walks back into the bathroom and takes a seat at the vanity. The shower glass is as clear as the window with the mountain view in the bedroom, but this is Claudio. He’s not even remotely interested in seeing me naked in the shower. In fact, he’s checking his hair in the mirror. “So how did the Fletcher rendezvous go?”

“What?” I almost choke on the shower water.

“The meeting this AM. Did you fire him?”

I chuckle to myself.

“What’s so funny?”

“No. he came in prepared with a proposal to take the show to the next level. And it was good, Claudio. I probably can’t ignore it.” I rinse the shampoo and work the conditioner in, and then rinse that and finish up. Claudio is putting makeup on when I step out of the shower wrapped in a towel.

“Do you like the eyeliner?”

I glance down at him as I walk past, my wet feet slapping on the Carrera marble floor. “You know I do. Especially when you’ve been drinking.”

He gives me a smile. “When in Vegas…”

“We’re not in Vegas, you dummy.”

“Tahoe, Vegas, same thing. Slot machines and strippers everywhere I look. That one guy in the show is so gay, he walks on air. I have my eye on him.”

“Oh, God,” I say as I step into the bedroom and hold the dress up. It is the perfect summer dress, classic with a floral pattern. It’s not quite sleeveless—there’s a hint of a ruffle up there. And it’s got two tiers, with the bottom one hitting me just above the knee. If I twirl, and I did twirl when I bought it last night, then it flares out and an interested man might even catch a glimpse of the perfect pink panties. Not too revealing, a lady doesn’t show too much. And I think Cole likes conservative women. Soft, pretty women. Like me. I always have pink on. I imagine him loving pink.

I’m conservative in just the right ways. I like classic things. Especially fashion. And Cole wears classically cut clothes. Not those skinny pants trendy men wear with their suits. No, Cole likes a cut that flatters, but isn’t too flashy. His style says business.

“Did you even hear me?” Claudio is asking with irritation.

“What? Sorry, I was lost in thought. Isn’t this dress perfect? Cole is going to love it!”

He crinkles his nose at me in disgust. “I don’t want to talk about Cole. He’s boring.”

“He’s not boring. We like all the same things. Classic movies, quiet nights at home, and the symphony.”

Claudio snorts at that statement and now I’m annoyed. “I’ve never seen the two of you at the symphony,” he says.

“But he likes it, Claudio. I know him. I’ve seen his playlist at work. It’s all classical music. I bet once we hit our stride we’d frequent the ballet and everything. Oh my God,” I squeal, turning around to look at my BFF. “I bet we go see The Nutcracker together at Christmas.”