“Remind me again why I’m being dragged shopping with you?”
“Because you’re a good friend and I asked you to. Okay, begged you to. And I never beg.”
Ellie and I have been scoping out the shops for over an hour. As much as I love having nice clothes, I despise shopping.
I hate spending hours walking around, checking price tags, fighting for space in changing rooms and dealing with lines at the cash register.
Usually, I get my shopping fix online. I can try things on in the comfort of my home and avoid all the worst parts of shopping.
But today I’ve been forced to venture out. Kit’s party is tonight and I have to have something killer to wear.
This isn’t just my boss’s party. This is a chance to show my worth.
What is the best way into a player’s brain? A cute dress that shows off all the right things.
Okay. So maybe I also want to look fabulous because of that little quiver I had when I left his office earlier, but I don’t plan to follow up on that quiver. My ego simply demands that I try to make him feel something, too.
I grab a silver dress from the rack, holding it up against me. “What do you think of this one?”
“Hmm...let me think...” Ellie pretends to be seriously deliberating, tapping the corner of her mouth. She rolls her eyes and drops her hand. “I think you’ll look hot in it. Just like every single other dress you picked up.”
I toss the dress over my outstretched arm with my other choices. “I have to look spectacular.”
“For a work party?”
“This is different.”
“Why? Because your boss isn’t some old guy anymore? Are you trying to impress him?”
“Yes,” I say honestly, flicking through the sales rack. “He’s not like his dad. His dad had a little more class.”
“So you’re just going to go against everything you believe in? You’re going to get drunk, wear a short dress just to impress a guy you don’t even like, and then what? Are you looking for a raise or...? Admit it. You want him on his back...or you want to be on your back, on his desk...”
“Don’t be ridiculous!” I snap, trying not to let myself get wound up by her words. She just doesn’t understand. I’m not trying to get Kit’s attention romantically. I’m trying to show I can be a part of his world. Then I’ll make him a part of mine.
Work. I’m talking about work.
“Look, I impressed Alastair in other ways,” I tell Ellie, collecting a few more dresses. My arm is starting to feel pretty weighed down. “I’m not after Kit. I’m just trying to appeal to his specific personality.”
“Which is what?” Ellie teases.
“An idiotic player?” We both whirl around to spot Ben behind us, a smile on his face.
“Ben? What are you doing here?” I’m surprised as he greets us both with a nod, his eyes fixing on me. “So...you’re falling for him just like every other woman in the office? I thought you were different, Alex.” Ben smiles as if he’s teasing me, but I’m confused by his words.
“Hey, I thought you liked Kit?” Ellie asks him.
“What gave you that impression?” Ben scoffs, dragging his feet as he follows us as we start around the store again.
“You were letting him lead you around like a puppy at the last party.”
“Maybe that’s how I impress the boss,” he says, clearly taking a jab at me. “See, we don’t all have to buy slinky dresses to do that.”
I look Ben up and down, wondering what’s up with him to be acting like such an ass. “Well, sure. I don’t feel like Kit would be impressed if you showed up in a dress, now would he?”
Ben starts to argue back, but I laugh. “I’m teasing, Ben. Relax.” I smile at him, and he seems to calm down. I turn to the store assistant, showing her the number of items on my hangers. He smiles, nodding.
“All right. There’s space for your boyfriend and friend to sit outside the changing rooms, if you’d like?”
I look back at Ben, realizing the store assistant is referring to him. “Oh, we’re not...”
“Apologies.” The store assistant smiles. “My mistake. Go on through.”
Ben is blushing. I dump my outfits on a chair in the changing rooms, shutting the curtain.
“Look,” Ben says, his voice slightly muffled by the curtain, “I just want to know if you’ve fallen for his charm like all the rest.”
“Why would you think that?” Ellie demands.
“Well, she’s trying hard to impress him at some dumb party. He didn’t even invite her. She was an afterthought.”
That hurts. Why is Ben being such a jerk? And how does he know I wasn’t invited at first? I toss my work dress on the floor, trying not to take the bait.
“Look, this guy is my boss. Unless I quit and find another job, I have to try and be civil to him. You understand that, right? I’m not your boss but you have a team that sucks up to you, too.”
“That’s different.”
“How is that any different at all?”
“Well, we’re friends. We all get along at Cupid’s Arrow.”
“And if tonight goes well, Kit and I will be friends, too,” I say, pulling on one of the dresses. “Or something that resembles friends, anyway.”
“I don’t get you at all,” Ben grumbles.
“There’s nothing to get. I’m just doing my job.”
“Something changed. What was it?”
I don’t want to tell him about my meeting with Kit today. I toss aside the first dress, unimpressed by how it looks, and grab the next one, How should I respond to Ben? How can I tell him that I sensed a shift in Kit? Not a massive one, but enough of a change that I no longer hate his guts. And also, why is he interrogating me?
“Alex? Are you ignoring me?”
“Can you please just drop it?” Ellie says.
I answer Ben then, just for friendship’s sake. “I’m not interested in him in any way, shape or form. He’s just my boss. I have to appeal to his better nature, if he actually has one. What’s so hard to understand?”
“All right, all right. No need to get touchy. Both of you,” Ben gripes.
I roll my eyes. How infuriating. Ben’s the one who interrupted our shopping expedition and started this. I pull another dress over my head, expecting it to be too garish. But when I catch sight of myself in the mirror, I’m almost certain it’s the one.
It’s the silver dress, shiny like my glossy red hair. It’s short, but not too short. Perfect to wear with heels.
I spin around and the dress glistens in the mirror’s reflection. It dips a little at the front, showing just enough to catch the eye, but not so much that men will be staring at my breasts all night. I decide to test it out on Ellie and Ben. I open the curtain and peep my head around.
“What do you guys think?” I ask sweetly. Ellie gasps and immediately nods her head yes. Ben looks up from his phone and his jaw drops. I laugh at his expression.
“I’ll get this one then. Shopping trip over. Thanks for the opinions, both of you.”
When I step out, Ben composes himself a little. “Finally...”
“I’ll see you at the party?” I ask.
Ben stands up, nodding. “See you.”
After I pay for the dress and a matching clutch bag, Ellie and I head to the parking lot. “He definitely has his eye on you,” Ellie declares.
“You’re determined to hook me up with someone, aren’t you? I like Ben. We’re good friends. But that’s all that there could ever be between us.”
On the drive home, I remember how Ben looked at me in that tiny silver dress and smile.
I can’t help but hope the dress has a similar effect on Kit.