Page 68 of Find Me in the Rain
“Oh my God!” I slam the door shut and cover my eyes at the same time. “Lock the fucking door!” I shout at them and book it to my room as fast as possible.
I can hear Char’s giggles as I enter my room, shutting the door behind me. There are so many things I could go through life without seeing. Charlotte bent over with Reed behind her is one of them.
But I will give Charlotte a congrats because Reed is … well, he fits the hockey stereotype when it comes to dick size. But again, something I could have gone my whole life withoutactuallyseeing.
Trying my best to erase the burning image in my mind, I head into my closet to find something that I think will impress Alec tonight. Although I’m sure I could show up in a cinched garbage bag, and he would be happy.
“Let’s start with these,” I whisper to myself as I pull five of my club work dresses off the rack and head to my mirror.
I strip out of my clothes and grab the first dress, slipping it over my head.
When I get it zipped up, Charlotte comes into the room with the biggest smile on her face. “Enjoy the show?” She laughs.
I grab one of my pillows off my bed and chuck it at her. “Shut it!” It takes me a second to realize that she’s just now coming into my room. “Hold the fuck up. Did you guys finish after I came in?”
Charlotte belly-flops onto my bed. “Well, we weren’t about to let you ruin the mood.”
“I can’t believe you.” I laugh and turn to my mirror. “What do you think about this one?”
I examine the dress. Its tight deep red fabric hits right at my fingertips. It has delicate straps that crisscross in the back. It’s really pretty, but I don’t know if it’s the one for tonight.
It would probably be a hell of a lot easier to pick a dress if I knew exactly what we were doing.
Char army-crawls across my bed to my pile of dresses. One by one, she tosses them onto the ground until only one remains.
“This one.” She holds the dress up above her head.
I yank the shimmery gold fabric out of her hand and unzip the red dress in one move. I haven’t worn the gold one yet, so it would still have the feeling of wearing something new.
It’s probably the least modest thing I own. The front of the dress cuts into a deep V about three inches above my belly button. Two thin straps keep it on my shoulders, crossing each other on my shoulder blades, and then it drops into a very low-cut back. The length is not forgiving if I need to bend in the slightest.
He wanted tight and showy. Well, he’s gonna get it.
“All right, now, help me figure out my hair.” I give her a quick twirl as she stands up.
“Thank God. It needs some work.” She boops my nose and drags me into the bathroom.
After forty or so minutes, we leave the bathroom, and I feel a little like a stripper—in the best way. I laugh to myself.
While I did my makeup, Char straightened my hair and pulled it up into a tight, high ponytail, wrapping a strand of my mousy-brown hair to hide the band.
I also went all out with my makeup—smoky eyes and a bright red lip.
Char heads to the bedroom door. “I’m going to put Jack in bed, so he doesn’t have to see his mom dressed like a prostitute.”
“Ha! Funny! An expensiveescort, if anything.” I step into my closet to find some shoes.
Opting to be a little dangerous tonight, I slip my thong off, kicking it onto the floor.
I choose a matching strappy gold heel and slip them on just as I hear the door close.
Adjusting my earring, I head out of the closet. “Wow, he must’ve gone down quick.”
My next step is cut short. Charlotte is nowhere in sight. In her place is Alec with his jaw dropped.
His shoulders are rising and falling rapidly as he finds his words. “I think we should just skip the whole thing tonight”—he takes a step forward, and his fingers trail up my arm, fireworks bursting in his path—“and just stay right”—his burning touch grazes up my shoulder and finds the sensitive spot on the side of my neck—“here.”
My eyes drift shut from his touch, and when I open them again, I swear I can see flames in his gaze.
