up.
“Ok, ok, hon. Sorry.” She looked at me quizzically. “It’s going to be fun tonight, don’t worry. Come see your dress, I’ve laid it out on the bed.” She started walking to my room, and I followed behind her.
When we got to my room, I couldn’t help but gasp. “Alice! The All Saints dress I love! You mustn’t!” We never discussed the little trust fund that kept her walks on the wild side less dangerous than they might have been and her closet filled with fashionable frocks.
“Of course I must. Hon, you deserve to have it, and it suits you. Come on, look pretty. For me. You’re getting tense again. I think I liked you well fucked better.” She laughed.
“Alice!” I actually yelled.
“Ok, ok, calm down. And I want to do your makeup too. Are you covering up the bite? I actually think it looks sort of hot, but I suppose it’s such a red flag—don’t touch, been claimed. Better cover it.” Alice had returned to her organized self.
“Oh Alice, this dress is really beautiful. I’m going to have a bath, then we can get ready. I’m sorry I’ve been such a bitch. I really don’t know what’s wrong with me. I can’t get my bearings anymore,” I apologized.
She just looked at me and smiled. “Not saying anything.” And winked and left me with the dress.
It was stunning. A tie dyed blue silk, with a slight tulip skirt and a very low cut front. It tied tightly at the waist. Designed to flow over curves, yet look very cool. It was sleeveless to show off a lot of skin. But the leather jacket could cover that if I felt cold or underdressed. And there was a lot of bead work at the front. Pretty. Interesting. Not just all tits out to there. And there were bound to be a lot of girls who were working the naked under the dress style. It was rock and roll, after all.
Yet when I looked at myself, all I could imagine is what he would think of it. He wouldn’t even see it. But if I wore it, for him, would he slide his talented mouth from my neck downwards, or start at the base of the v and work up? Stockings and suspenders? Or was that going to be too obvious? Garters visible through the silk. In some ways, it was made to be worn with absolutely nothing under it. But I wasn’t 17, and nice lingerie couldn’t hurt. Besides, I didn’t really want to be naked. I didn’t know the people, had no idea what it was going to be like, and although I could tell Alice was up to something, I knew I wouldn’t have eyes for anyone there. I’d dance, I’d drink, I’d laugh. But I wouldn’t be where my mind was. With that thought, I stripped off and grabbed a towel. But I caught sight of my body in the mirror. “Oh imperfect flesh,” I quoted out loud. The physicality of things shocked me sometimes, the flaws, the shame. And then other times the body was all that mattered in the world. When the physical just came together so perfectly, a deep voice, a long neck, beautiful eyes. Oh god. Not again. I smacked myself and headed off to the bath.
An hour later, I was putting on the stockings, trying desperately not to snag them. Why did all these things seem so complicated to me? Other women just took them in their stride. I always felt like I was trying to follow some convoluted recipe. Fuck. I sat down on the bed. What was I doing? Playing in the big leagues, when I was hardly out of the farm team. Crazy. I wasn’t going to cry. I attached the stockings, smoothing them out. I put on the concealer and the powder. I powdered my cleavage as well. The brush was smooth and soft, and the sensation, prickly and smooth all at once, was distracting. Alice knocked and came in. She whistled when she saw the stockings.
“Nice one girl. Sexy. He’ll love it.”
“I’ll remember that for when I see him.” I smirked back at her.
“Yes you will. Look, don’t put on the dress yet, I want to do your makeup.” And she sat me down and applied powders and mascara, until the reflection looking back at me seemed an
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