Page 6 of Rushed

Keenan

Fuck, that was fun. Troy and his friends are amazing. Even Ty loosened up enough that he gave me his phone number if I ever wanted to hang out. Girlfriend wise, I have no one to confide in, so I happily accepted his offer.

I must admit, I’ve never seen two people so in love as Charlie and Jim are. They make it seem easy, like the way they fell into each other’s sentences, or relaxed against each other’s shoulder with a slight touch of hands. Everything about them was adorable. They asked me to come to Christmas dinner in a few weeks at their place in the Hamptons, and I’m considering it.

Now that I’m sober, it makes me think more about love and dating.

I didn’t have a wedding ring, or a tan line where one would have been when I was found.

Do I like guys or girls? Both? That could turn into a wicked experiment. When was the last time I had sex? I’m gonna think about that one all day.

Today does have an upside as I received more money. It will be going towards my “getting laid” fund, with a side of sizzle. Deciding to quit my moping and wallowing in the idea that my head will clear, I’ve decided that my Charlie isn’t out there. No one is looking for me. No one came, and it’s been months. So I’m getting my freak on. Which means I need a boy toy. Fuck, I need something better to wear to find a boy toy.

The battered and torn jeans, faded T-shirts and ancient sweatshirts will not do. I’ve seen some really nice stores over on Fifth Avenue, and both Troy and Jackson, who goes by Jax, told me my wardrobe was pathetic. They said I needed to correct it immediately, or they would unfriend me. Actually, Jax’s exact words were,‘If you’re gonna pick up Mr. Big, you need to be Carrie.’ So he’s offered to assist me when he gets off work tonight. He works at Saks Fifth Avenue, and has friends over at Nordstrom and Macy’s.

With nothing else to do today, and with a hangover from hell, I decide to lie in bed and read the borrowed book I have on the nightstand. I manage to eat a bit of toast, read through a few chapters, and snooze off and on until it’s time to clean up and prepare for my date with my clothing destiny.

Just before closing time, I step into Saks. Wandering around, petting ensembles, trying on shoes, and inspecting the gracious perfume department, I swing up to the second floor to find Jax.

“Kee, this way.” Turning, I find the vibrant smile I expect. Jax is six-foot-three with a build like a runway model, and facial features to match. He’s dressed in a paisley button-down, black bowtie, and satiny black slacks that showcase what God gave him. Again, the other team won out.

“Hey, Jax. Thanks for doing this. You have no idea what you’re up against, though.”

“You just let me worry about it, Cinderella. I’ll make you the slut of the ball.”

I’m not sure if that’s what I’m going for, but I’ll give anything a shot at this point.

“Let me get a look at what you’re wearing today.” Lifting my battered and torn, lost and found attire, I give Jax a twirl.

“That’s horrific. Did you rob Daniel the homeless guy who stays at the back of the hotel or what?” Looking at him with a pinched glare, he laughs deep. “Come on. We have our work cut out for us tonight.”

Leading me deep into the bowels of the women’s department, we pass a few other employees who slowly attach themselves to our train of shame.

“Keenan, I’ll have you looking like the love child of Princess Diana and Wonder Woman. Now, what’s my budget?”

Embarrassed, I tell him the paltry amount I was given. “They’re giving me twelve-hundred a month for living expenses outside of food and hotel, but they gave me retro pay, which gave me an extra thousand to get me started.”

Stopping dead in his tracks, he pretends to choke, slapping at his chest. With a dramatic sigh, he centers his poise before smiling back down at me. “I should take you to the children’s department. Maybe we can find you a pack of diapers, or a mumu.”

“Be serious, Jackson. There has to be something you can do. I feel worse than a hobo. I need something to get me out of this funk.”

Swinging his hands around, he crosses his fingers. “I’m sure I can find you something to wear, but we can’t get you a complete wardrobe with that stipend. You would need a few years’ worth of payments before I could give you something I’d be proud of. For now, we’ll have to harvest the clearance areas, and we’ll have to downgrade our outfit from Princess Diana. I can do wonders with a woman’s body. And sweetheart, you have a body we can dress to impress. But, with that amount, we won’t get far. You okay with that?”

“I’m okay with anything. You could take me through the lingerie and I’d be more than happy just to find a nice bra set. The torn one I’m wearing has seen better days. Actually,itsbetter days have seen better days.”

Jax kisses the top of my head. “Let’s get started, shall we?”

After sorting through stacks of clearance racks, clearance markdowns, and using his discount promos to get me to the finish line in style, I waded through all the clothing he seemed satisfied with. I had to explain that I was paying with my insurance, not a credit card. At this point in time, I couldn’t imagine paying something off over the next fifteen years, but he wanted me to try on everything. I now know how much Manolo Blahnik’s cost, as well as Dolce, which is no better.

After a few hours of milling about in the lingerie area, I find a new bra set, a sweater, and a thicker coat for the winter. But for clubbing, I need to go retro chic or cheap chic. After this morning’s soul searching, I made a pretty epic decision. Ineedto date. I noticed that the bar two doors down from the Indigo bookstore had a line around the block every night. After talking to Troy, who fortunately knows the owner, I got a pass for tomorrow night, so a housecoat and fuzzy slippers won’t cut it. I’ll venture out to find my inner slut on a budget. There are quaint little boutiques close, Near Nude being one I’ve already checked out. I hope against hope I can find something nice and affordable, but also crude, stunning, and trampy, all wrapped up into one package. I need to make this unassuming girl a stunner.

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