A Solitary Romance: Book 1 in the Only Love Series by Violet Sparks Page B
Authors: Violet Sparks
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placed her choice for her in the room. She reached out and touched the chiffon pleated dress. An exquisite color that could only be described as a shade of shell pink deepened within the many folds of the fabric. She quickly donned the gown with the help of the older woman and was surprised to find it backless. A high, double-ruffled neckline in the front gave the piece a conservative character. There, the garment's edges had been left unfinished and allowed to fray, lending the ruffles a frothy appearance. The Russian tied a bow at the nape of her neck that secured the gown's halter top and allowed its tails to drape down her customer's back. The light material felt like butterfly wings grazing her skin.
"Now you look!" Irina commanded with her gruff manner, placing her hands on the girl's shoulders and spinning her to face the mirror.
Kate gasped. The dress gave her skin a luminescent quality and hugged her curves in all the right places without being too revealing. Cinched at a matching waistband, the fabric hung in folds like the grooves of a Greek column and pooled at her feet.
"You are a flower," Irina pronounced, gathering Katrina's locks into a knot on top of her head and holding them in place with a crystal studded comb she produced from her pocket.
Katrina believed her.
The Russian led her to the foyer, where Kiki's eyes grew wide.
"Approve?" Irina asked her regular customer.
The receptionist nodded, then clapped, then broke into an enormous grin.
"That's it, Kate. You have to get that dress."
Later, over lunch, the girls shared a chuckle about Irina. She'd warned "No jewelry," and advised, "Hair up, nude shoe!" Kiki sprang for the meal, feeling a little guilty about the exorbitant price her friend paid for the vintage gown.
"So, how did that meeting go with Greir and Robert yesterday? Morris seemed happy when he left," the receptionist said.
"It went well. Mike Johnson came through for me, and the honchos from Daud are coming by Tuesday to meet with us. Well, not us , exactly. I passed on the information you gave me about the Malaysians, giving you the credit, and volunteered to back out and let the men of the office handle everything. You might want to make yourself scarce around three p.m. that day, too."
"No problem. I'll cut out early and beat traffic," Kiki said. She continued, "Who's going to be in on the meeting then?"
"Chuck, Robert, and that guy from mergers and acquisitions with the mustache. Greir said he appreciated my willingness to adapt to the situation, as if I had a choice."
"No, but at least you brought it up. You were proactive, and that old duffer will regard you forever with fondness because you suggested it and he didn’t have to." Kiki smiled at her friend.
* * * * *
She met Barry for lunch Tuesday and figured she'd just stay out late in order to avoid the big pow-wow at the office. Just as she guessed, he identified several of her unmarked jewelry pieces, producing old catalogs that documented the items and their makers. As per their usual procedure, the director ordered two meals, which they shared. This day, he chose a salad with grilled chicken and a Spanish flair and steak soft tacos. They skipped dessert but shared tea as he examined the baubles. Later, they went over the artist's revised sketches.
Katrina surprised the director by producing a list of local fabricators capable of making the special case to house the ice display. Her skills as a researcher came in handy again. Barry, delighted with her initiative and the time it would save him, promised to start making calls that afternoon regarding the special case.
Their conversation drifted to personal matters, Barry alluding to the difficulty of finding suitable companions in Los Angeles and Katrina mentioning her business background.
"But don't you come into contact with a lot of people? I mean, in your position, surely you meet many nice
"Now you look!" Irina commanded with her gruff manner, placing her hands on the girl's shoulders and spinning her to face the mirror.
Kate gasped. The dress gave her skin a luminescent quality and hugged her curves in all the right places without being too revealing. Cinched at a matching waistband, the fabric hung in folds like the grooves of a Greek column and pooled at her feet.
"You are a flower," Irina pronounced, gathering Katrina's locks into a knot on top of her head and holding them in place with a crystal studded comb she produced from her pocket.
Katrina believed her.
The Russian led her to the foyer, where Kiki's eyes grew wide.
"Approve?" Irina asked her regular customer.
The receptionist nodded, then clapped, then broke into an enormous grin.
"That's it, Kate. You have to get that dress."
Later, over lunch, the girls shared a chuckle about Irina. She'd warned "No jewelry," and advised, "Hair up, nude shoe!" Kiki sprang for the meal, feeling a little guilty about the exorbitant price her friend paid for the vintage gown.
"So, how did that meeting go with Greir and Robert yesterday? Morris seemed happy when he left," the receptionist said.
"It went well. Mike Johnson came through for me, and the honchos from Daud are coming by Tuesday to meet with us. Well, not us , exactly. I passed on the information you gave me about the Malaysians, giving you the credit, and volunteered to back out and let the men of the office handle everything. You might want to make yourself scarce around three p.m. that day, too."
"No problem. I'll cut out early and beat traffic," Kiki said. She continued, "Who's going to be in on the meeting then?"
"Chuck, Robert, and that guy from mergers and acquisitions with the mustache. Greir said he appreciated my willingness to adapt to the situation, as if I had a choice."
"No, but at least you brought it up. You were proactive, and that old duffer will regard you forever with fondness because you suggested it and he didn’t have to." Kiki smiled at her friend.
* * * * *
She met Barry for lunch Tuesday and figured she'd just stay out late in order to avoid the big pow-wow at the office. Just as she guessed, he identified several of her unmarked jewelry pieces, producing old catalogs that documented the items and their makers. As per their usual procedure, the director ordered two meals, which they shared. This day, he chose a salad with grilled chicken and a Spanish flair and steak soft tacos. They skipped dessert but shared tea as he examined the baubles. Later, they went over the artist's revised sketches.
Katrina surprised the director by producing a list of local fabricators capable of making the special case to house the ice display. Her skills as a researcher came in handy again. Barry, delighted with her initiative and the time it would save him, promised to start making calls that afternoon regarding the special case.
Their conversation drifted to personal matters, Barry alluding to the difficulty of finding suitable companions in Los Angeles and Katrina mentioning her business background.
"But don't you come into contact with a lot of people? I mean, in your position, surely you meet many nice
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