Page 51 of Legal

“I like to eat.”

I closed my eyes, steeling myself.Damn, Chase. What are you doing to me and my head and my… everything?

“Look, bottom line,” he said. “You needed something to wear, and now you have it. You like the dress, and I’m going to like it on the floor. Don’t forget that promise I made.”

He grasped my chin lightly, and I looked at him. I knew he wouldn’t kiss me there in the hallway, but the look alone was enough. He wanted to badly, and that made me hotter than any broken-down air conditioner could ever do.

“I cannot wait to get you alone again, Jillian, but we’re going to try it my way first.”

Fuck it. I nodded. Then gulped. Then gulped again. I had a flood in my mouth. I had a flood everywhere. My body responded to him like it’d been in a severe drought and was overcompensating.

Chase went back to the classroom, and I went back to my car, bag in hand, purple box in bag, lavender dress in box. If it was that freaking important to him, I’d keep the dress. If this dinner out was that freaking important to him, I’d muscle through it. I could bend the rules this one time.

But after that? No more compromising.

After this dinner, the only place I’d show my flexibility would be in the bedroom, and the only bending I’d be doing for him was over with legs spread.

“You look good, Jills.”

I felt good. I swiveled back and forth, checking myself out in the full-length mirror. Perry was bouncing up and down on my bed.

“Likereallygood,” she said. “You’re owning it, Jills. That dress is your bitch.”

Yeah… I had to agree with her. I was kicking some ass right now. Even my boobs looked stronger. How a couple yards of fabric could give me superpowers, I didn’t know, but I was feeling invincible.

“The dress is magical,” I said. There was no other way to explain it. Some fairy godmother created it out of pixie dust and happy angel tears, and it somehow ended up in a little indie dress shop on the east side of Milwaukee.

Stranger things had happened. Consenting to a dinner out with Chase tonight was an example.

“It’s not the dress, it’s you.” I fiddled with my hair, trying to figure out a style that would be in the same league as the rest of me. “You’re… I don’t know, glowing or something.”

“It’s the magic; I’m telling you.” When was the last time I was this gaga over a simple piece of clothing? Sadly, not even my wedding dress.

“There might be some magic going on, but I don’t think it has anything to do with what you’re wearing.” I shook my head. No, she was wrong. I felt beautiful, and it had everything to do with the dress. “And keep your hair down. It suits you better.”

I tousled the strands a bit and peered closely into the mirror, making sure my eyeshadow wasn’t creasing up on me. Wow, even my lids looked higher. That’s it—I was declaring this dress my official outfit from now until forever.

“I love seeing you like this, Jills.”

“Like what?” I clipped the front part of my hair up, just to see how it’d look.

“All butterfly-y, in a good way. Excited to go on your da… uh, dinner.”

I glanced at her reflection. She was leaning back on her forearms, legs dangling over the side. “Perry, if there’s any excitement going on inside me it’s because of what’ll happen later back here. I couldn’t care less about the dinner part. In fact, I’m almost dreading it.”

She held her fist up to her mouth and coughed out, “Bullshit.”

“Hey, whose side are you on?”

“Yours. That’s why I love seeing you like this.” She leaped off and went to my closet. “And I know Stephen will come around eventually.”

“There’s no reason for him to. All his points are valid, and I agree with him.”

“His points are stupid. He’s five years older than me, yet he has a problem because you’re older than Chase? Sounds a little sexist, if you ask me.”

“Five years is different than fifteen, and it’s not the age difference; it’s the age of the guy I’m sleeping with. Which Stephen doesn’t even know I’m doing, and if he did know I was going out with him tonight, he’d have every right to give me a hard time.” Perry had her back to me, tossing around my shoes, but I could sense her eyes rolling. “Stop rolling your eyes. I shouldn’t even be sleeping with him at all, even casually. I’m not using my best judgment, and I should know better.”

Yet, I’d decided to do it anyway. I was currently letting my body call the shots, but it was only on a temporary basis. It’d all be over once either my glands stopped functioning like a teenage boy’s or Chase ran off in search of younger pastures. Whichever came first.

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