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My legs wobbled. If not for the counter and his hard body, I'd undoubtedly be a puddle on the floor.
As it were, I’d have to change my now soaked panties.
Then he left, and I was left reeling from what just happened.
***
“I need an outfit,” I called Kate as soon as I composed myself enough to make a phone call.
Several hours later, my bubbly blond friend arrived with several dress options in hand. Luckily, we were both about the same size. Since she was much better at this dress-up thing, she insisted she help me get ready for the party.
I agreed, not afraid to admit I needed help.
“Try the navy dress first. I think it's going to match your eyes perfectly.” She clapped her hands together as I went to my bedroom to go put on the outfit. “I'm going to open the wine,” she said. I just finished zipping up the dress when I heard the telltale sound of a cork being released from its bottle. It was my second favorite sound. Second only to the glug glugging of wine pouring into a glass.
“Rough day?” I asked as I took a look at myself in my bathroom mirror.
Kate groaned. “Ugh, you have no idea,” she said. “I’m getting a new boss and he can’t even be bothered to remember my name,” she shouted so I could hear her. “But never mind that. How’s the dress?”
When I walked out into the living room, Kate froze, the stemless glass inches from her mouth. She set it down and whistled. “That's the one.”
I looked down at the dress, my hands smoothing it out. “You think?”
She nodded. “I know,” she assured me. “Now take it off and we can drink while you do your makeup. You don’t want to spill on it.”
Kate sat down on the toilet seat, sipping on her second glass of Zin and watching while I applied my makeup. “So, tell me about him,” she said, her voice all moony. Kate had always been the romantic of the two of us. I was more of a realist, especially after Paul.
Our eyes connected in the mirror as a blush came over me. God, I was starting to get it bad. Thank goodness we effectively agreed to stop whatever this was we were doing.
“He fucks like a god,” I told her. “I honestly didn't think it was so easy to get me off.”
She covered her mouth, laughing. “Wow. Why are you trying to end this?” My best friend looked at me, a flash of concern crossing her face. “Seriously Quinn. Do you like this guy?”
I shrugged. “Maybe?” I focused on my makeup, trying to perfect the smoky eye look. “It's fun, you know? We can watch Netflix and eat take out and then bang like bunnies.” Searching for my makeup bag, I tried to find my red lipstick. “Aha!”
Slowly, I applied it to my lips. Kate had gone unusually quiet, so I set down the lipstick, turning to face her. “What?”
“Don't let your past hurt get in the way of your future happiness.”
“Is that a quote from a coffee mug or something?” I deflected, resuming my makeup application.
Kate rolled her eyes. “I know what you are doing. You're trying to pretend that you don't like this guy. Trying to convince yourself, maybe. But I know you better than that. You wouldn't just accept the last-minute invite to a guy's work event unless you liked him. Because who in their right mind wants to attend their own work event, let alone someone else's?”
She had a point.
Blotting my lips, I checked myself out in the mirror to make sure everything was in its place. I just needed to put on the dress and I was good to go.
Hand on my hip, I faced Kate. “I don't know what this is, but I know what it can't be. I'm not ready for a relationship and there is no way Ben would want one even if I were interested.” I shrugged my shoulders, trying to ignore the pang of sadness I felt because what I said was exactly right. “It's a moot point.” I clapped my hands together. “Now, are you going to zip me into this dress or are you just going to sit there?”
She stood up from the toilet and smacked my butt.
“Hey!”
She kept walking into my bedroom. “You deserved it.”
***
At 7 pm on the dot, the doorbell sounded.
