Page 51 of Get Undressed With Me

Brittany nodded, not trusting her voice but knowing she was going to be thinking about this conversation for a while, analyzing everything from his tone to how she asked the questions. For now, she focused on the fabrics in front of her to hopefully inspire the new designs she desperately needed.

After an hour of digging around, Brittany paid for the swatches she had settled on, grabbing a little black lace that had caught her attention at the last minute. She smiled wide in the face of Liam’s complaining about having to open the register for the sale. With a big thank you, they left.

When they arrived back at the condo, Gus had work to do on his laptop, something about the constant report filing that a security officer has to do, and Brittany used the time to focus on her designs… only to come up blank. She had a block, and she didn’t know why. She loved fashion and would often doodle outfits in her spare time. She shared with her followers how to alter thrift store clothes to fit better, or to fit a certain design aesthetic. But for some reason, now that her career was on the line, she was drawing a blank and didn’t know what to do about it. Nothing was feeling right. Nothing was inspiring her. She was going out of her mind.

When she looked up at the clock, it was time to start getting ready for the evening. She put away her tablet where she had been sketching and got up to head toward the bathroom. Gus looked up from where he had been working in the kitchen.

“What’s the plan for the night?”

Brittany hedged. She didn’t want to lie to him, but she also desperately needed a night out, away from Gus and whatever this dumb crush was. But she also knew he wouldn’t want her going anywhere without him, especially not now that her ankle was hurt.

“Depends on what you have planned.”

He shrugged. “I need to meet Val, and I have more questions to ask the flower shop. If you’re planning a night in, I can get that done while you’re safe here.”

She nodded. “Sounds good. I’m going to hop in the shower, so you do you.”

Brittany took her time with the shower, knowing she was avoiding Gus but there was nothing to do about it. She focused on her makeup, her hair, and finally the dress she had brought just in case. It was one she had repurposed from one of her favorite thrift shops. There hadn’t been a lot of the lace left to work with, so the dress was tight and shorter than she usually liked wearing. The lace did cover her body, but the nude underlayer made it seem like she was naked underneath, hints of her curves and skin peeking through the lace. This dress was sex, and it made Brittany feel powerful. Enough to pull on her lowest pair of heels and attempt her ankle, knowing she wouldn’t be able to dance but not really caring. She slipped some fold-up flats in her clutch, along with her lip gloss, and fluffed the hair she had meticulously just curled so it looked beach-kissed. After layering on her Dirty Talk lipstick, Brittany was ready for a night out.

When she stepped out of the bathroom a while later, Gus had gone to meet Val, and Brittany had a brief moment of guilt. He only left because he thought she was staying in his condo, a building that had a secure door. Gus would hate knowing she was going out without him. But Brittany desperately needed to get him out of her head, and so with her teeth gritted, she left Gus a note explaining that she had to go out so he wouldn’t worry, and then headed downstairs.

She had the elevator to herself and strode out onto the street, looking at the cars.

“Woooooo, sexy lady!”

Already smiling, she turned to find Dev and Randall hanging out the window of the rideshare, catcalling her.

“Watch out, Kimball, Brittany came to slay!”

“Shut up, you two.” Brittany was smiling as she said it, carefully walking toward the car and sliding in next to her friends. The car took off the second her seat belt was buckled.

“Seriously, Britt, you’re smoking. Gonna ruin some man’s life tonight for sure.” Randall winked at her. He was completely done up, his shirt one of his own designs fit him to a tee, the front buttons undone down his chest in obvious invitation. His locks were pulled back into a ponytail, and his eyeliner was on point.

“Me? How would they even notice me with you around looking that hot?”

Randall preened as Brittany took in Dev’s outfit. Her style tended toward what Brittany liked to call “50s housewives chic” and tonight’s bombshell wiggle dress was no disappointment, putting her lush curves on display. Dev had worn her hair down, her lips bright red, her glasses making her look cute rather than vamp. Her medical boot was still on, since she still had a lot of healing to do, but the whole outfit was so perfect for Devery that Brittany couldn’t help but smile.

“Dev, you look amazing.”

Dev flicked back her curly hair, her eyes twinkling. “Randall picked the dress. He insisted I follow some awesome advice I got at a panel today. ‘Dress for the girl you want to be,’ right?”

“Damn straight,” Randall said, the two fist-bumping.

Brittany rolled her eyes, even though she was pleased to see her words had touched someone.

“How’s it been at the booth?”

Randall got serious, as he always did when he discussed his business. “Busy. Next year I’m thinking I’ll have enough product to stake out a larger section.”

“He’ll talk your ear off about profit margins if you let him,” Dev warned with a smile.

“I’ll listen to it all.” Randall was one of Brittany’s favorite people, and his success made her happy. He was a man with big dreams and big plans. Watching his mind work was always fascinating conversation.

“So…” Dev gave her a sly look, which was interesting to see on her otherwise guileless face. “Where’s Gus?”

Brittany looked out the window. “I gave him the night off.”

Randall and Dev exchanged a look. Randall answered.

---