He said sexy, so I raid Kaiya’s closet again. She isn’t home, so I did my best to figure out what will constitute as seductive when I’ve no idea where the heck we are going.

I shower, shave, and fix my hair as best I can. Honestly, I’ve been wanting to chop it off because Kaiya is good with fixing long hair. I know how to blow dry and brush it, but that is the extent of my skills set with long wavy locks. The only way to control the frizz without my sister is to braid my hair. I’ve gotten really good at doing that over the years.

With my hair braided tightly down my back, I put light makeup on. A little mascara, eyeliner, and gloss. My panties are black with hot pink polka dots. Not overly sexy, but it works. I put on the matching bra and slip into the slinky black tank top with the scoop neck and wiggle into the tight short red skirt.

“Holy shit Kai,” I speak to the empty room. “This skirt needs some more fucking fabric.” It barely reaches the middle of my thighs, and it hugs my hips like a second skin.

I’m about to change out of it, but Kaiya comes into the room and scares the shit out of me.

“Where are you headed?” She grins, seeing me in her clothes.

“Shit. Back to your closet to find the rest of this skirt. If I bend over to pick anything up, my ass will show.”

She laughs, “Don’t bend over. Make the guy pick up what you drop. It lets them get an up close and personal view of your legs anyway.”

“I’m so out of my element here.” I moan and cover my face. “You want to come with me?”

“Where?”

“I’m meeting Sebastian at a bar called Tailpipe.”

“Be serious.” She laughs. “Jaci, that’s a biker bar.”

“That’s where Sebastian told me to go.” My stomach twists, “Maybe I should text him I’m not feeling well.”

“No. Stop playing it safe Jai. You’ve done so well. Better than I could’ve imagined when I won that date for you. I’m so proud of you for putting yourself out there.” She bites her lip. “This one does worry me though. Maybe I should go with you. Just until I can make sure you’re safe with Sebastian.”

I jump on the offer, so I text Sebastian I’m running a few minutes late and will be there shortly. My fingers hover over my phone debating if I should tell him I’m bringing Kaiya with me. I decided against it just to see how it will mess with his plans for tonight. The way he told me to wait at the bar makes it feel like he plans to leave me sitting there alone for a while, and I want a safety net.

“Wear the skirt Jai. I’ll grab the shoes you should wear with it. Sebastian won’t be able to keep his eyes or hands off you.”

I laugh if only Kaiya knew how little Bas could keep his hands off me even in my jeans and tee shirts. Kaiya leaves the room and comes back with a pair of strappy stilettos that have straps crisscrossing all the way up the foot and wrap around the ankle. They are hot, what I’d describe as fuck me shoes in a book.

Thank goodness one of my girly habits is regular pedicures because these shoes deserve pretty toenails. While Kaiya is showering and getting dressed, I repaint the soft pink nails a vibrant red to match the skirt.

“Kaiya,” I call out when I hear her shower turn off. “We need to hurry.” I slip into the shoes and practice walking. It’s been a while since I wore shoes this high.

“Almost ready!”

“I hate you!” I yell back, and she just laughs.

“Yeah, yeah. I’ve heard that before.” She says walking into the room. Her makeup is light, but she doesn’t need much with her outfit doing all the talking.

“Why didn’t I grab the leather pants?” I groan. My sister looks hot in black leather pants and a strapless purple and black corset. The sweetheart top shows off her breasts by accenting the swells. Neither one of us is overly gifted in that area, we have a handful, but the top makes her boobs look fantastic.

“Let me do your hair really quick. Then we’ll go.” I close my eyes and try to push my insecurities away. Next, to her, I feel like a failure at being a woman. She says the right things, does the right things and knows how and what to wear for every occasion. Hair, makeup, shoes, she knows and cares about all of that stuff.

To me, those things never mattered. I wanted to read about love, lust, deceit, murder, intrigue… I wanted to live in a world beyond our own. To escape reality in the pages of a book and to belong somewhere, because I never felt like I belonged in my own world. It is a small irony that our hometown is Happy Endings, South Carolina. I ended up writing stories with the happily ever after and the town itself brings me anything but happiness.

For the first time in a long time, I want the happy ending for myself.