If the Shoes Fit

by Pauline Lawless

  Niamh, meanwhile, was falling in love with the purple suede shoes. She caressed the buttersoft suede and marvelled at the wide cuff around the ankle.

  “These are seriously sexy. A girl could get into trouble wearing these,” she giggled.

  “Not you, goody-two-shoes!” Val bitchily replied. Niamh blushed and pretended not to hear her.

  “Purple is sooo in this year,” Phoebe announced. She was having trouble deciding between the red, purple and silver.

  Rosie had gone for the grey patent pump which started out a pale grey at the toe, graduating in ever deeper shades to dark grey at the heel. “Gosh, everyone will think these are Christian Louboutin, with this red sole,” she said, lifting her foot to show the others. “And for less than a €100! Nobody will believe me.”

  Grace noticed that Tessa had preferred the classy, sophisticated pale gold sandals. They had a strap across the toe and two narrow straps which criss-crossed the instep and went into an ankle strap. The heels were four inches high and they looked wonderful with her tanned slim legs

  Val had gone for the black gladiator-style platform shoes with studded straps which were currently popular with young women. Grace wasn’t surprised. Val was a bit of a Goth, always dressed in black and slightly dark and menacing.

  Lesley had chosen the silver Sex and the City shoes. The flashier the better for Lesley, Grace thought. If we had one covered in crystals or diamante she’d have gone for that. Grace shuddered at the idea.

  Amber, ever the extrovert, had, as she’d expected, fancied the red strappy kid shoes.

  “These should be a doodle to sell,” Amber remarked, convinced that no woman could possibly resist them once they laid eyes on them.

  The biggest surprise of all was that Niamh had gone for the sexy purple suede. Hmmm . . . Grace thought, I never would have expected that.

  And Phoebe . . . well, Phoebe was Phoebe and still couldn’t make up her mind!

  There was an atmosphere of excitement in the room all afternoon and Grace finished up early, to allow them time to get home and prepare for the dinner that evening. Tessa had arranged to stay with Amber, as it would have been too far to travel down to Kildare and back and too expensive for a taxi.

  Chapter 14

  When Niamh arrived home that evening, she was surprised to see Gavin and the kids having their tea. She wondered what had got into him. Gavin didn’t do cooking – he left that to his mother and Niamh – unless you counted toast, which he generally burnt to a cinder. This usually meant that the windows had to be left open for hours afterwards, to get rid of the smoke and the horrible smell. This evening he’d got it right and he’d also opened a tin of beans, which was his other culinary talent.

  He gave her his lopsided smile and pushed back his long blond hair.

  “Surprise! I thought I’d give you a chance to get ready for tonight, so I collected the kids from your mam’s and made their tea.” He looked absurdly pleased with himself, like a small boy waiting for a pat on the back.

  Her heart melted. “Oh, Gav, pet, thank you so much. That was so thoughtful.”

  He could be wonderful sometimes. She really did love him. She sat down with them and heard the day’s news from her children, smiling at Gavin fondly as they prattled on.

  “And Daddy is going to wead us Willy Wonka tonight,” Rose told her.

  If only it could be like this all the time! Bridget had gone to visit her sister so they were just like any normal happy family.

  “What have you got there, babe?” Gavin asked when he saw the boxes in the hall.

  “These are the shoes I’ll be selling. I had some job getting on the packed Luas with them,” she laughed.

  She showed him the shoes and he was silent for a moment.

  “Don’t you like them?” she asked, with a worried look.

  “They’re beautiful,” he said with awe, lifting the purple suede shoes out of the silver satin-lined box. “And seriously sexy,” he added.

  “That’s exactly what I said when I saw them,” she laughed. “And that’s not all,” she told him, her eyes glowing. “I won this bottle of champagne for having the best business plan of anyone. Can you believe it? And they’re all much older and more experienced then me.”

  God, she’s so hot when she’s excited like this, Gavin thought, pulling her to him. “Good on you, babe! Maybe this job will work out after all, even though Ma thinks it’s crazy.”

  “Well, it’s not. We’ll show her when we move out to our own place,” Niamh answered with more vehemence than she’d intended.

  “Yeah, I met Andy today and told him what you’re doing and he thinks it sounds great.”

  Now she understood Gav’s change of heart. Andy was his idol. He’d played soccer for Ireland and now owned a chain of pubs in Dublin city. Where Gav was concerned, Andy’s word was law, so if Andy approved of her job, then it was okay. He was such a kid sometimes but she wouldn’t look this gift horse in the mouth. Thanks, Andy!

  She got the children ready for bed before getting showered and dressed for the evening. She was wearing yet another Oxfam dress. This time it was a Chinese style dress in a purple and gold print. With her petite figure, she looked a dream. Luckily she had her new purple shoes to go with it. They were beautiful and made her feel quite sexy. They were so high, yet soft and comfortable.

  “You look pretty, Mammy,” Ian said showering her with kisses when she went to say goodnight to him.

  “Bootiful Mammy,” Rose lisped.

  Lily couldn’t be outdone. “Mammy weally pwetty.”

  “Thank you, my munchkins,” she said, kissing them goodnight.

  Gavin whistled as she came down the stairs. “Wow! I hope there won’t be any guys there tonight. If there is, they’ll all fancy you like mad.”

  “Don’t be silly,” she said, putting her arms around his neck.

  “I’ll be waiting for you tonight, babe,” he said huskily, kissing her deeply.

  Luckily, Bridget wasn’t there to see them.

  Oh, God. We have to get out of this house. Everything will be perfect then, Niamh thought as she waved him goodbye and got into the taxi.

  Tessa gave a low whistle as she arrived at Amber’s apartment.

  “Wow! What a divine place, Amber. And what a wonderful view!” She looked out over the marina. “It’s like a picture postcard with all those pretty yachts.”

  “Yes, I love it here. I bought it with my divorce settlement,” Amber replied, pouring them both a glass of Pinot Gris.

  “You live here alone?” Tessa asked, taking in the very feminine décor. “No man around?”

  “You must be joking!” Amber replied, taking a sip of her wine. “I’ve given up on men.”

  “Have you not been dating since your divorce?” Tessa was curious.

  “No way! I’m finished with men – forever.” Amber made a cutting motion with her hands.

  “Oh, don’t be daft,” Tessa replied, not believing her. “Forever is a long time. You’re young and beautiful and Carlo really likes you, you know.” She glanced at Amber to gauge her reaction. “I’ve seen him looking at you. I can tell he’s interested.”

  “No way would I go there. Not in a million years,” Amber said adamantly. “The last thing in the world I need is an Italian Casanova.”

  “Mmmm, this wine is delicious,” Tessa said, sipping blissfully. “Seriously, I don’t think Carlo’s like that. I think he’s sweet and genuine and ohhh soooo sexy. I wouldn’t charge him a penny,” Tessa drooled. “If I wasn’t with George . . .”

  “He’s all yours,” Amber replied. “Be my guest.”

  Tessa was surprised at the bitterness in her friend’s voice, although she’d known some girls who’d gone off the deep end after a divorce. Still, Amber had got this divine pad out of it. That was something!

  They finished their wine and went to the bedroom to prepare for the evening. Tessa was gobsmacked when she saw her friend’s shoe-room.

  “My God, Ambe
r, you’ve more shoes here than the whole flipping shoe department of Brown Thomas!” She gazed around, not able to believe her eyes. She flitted from shoe to shoe admiring, exclaiming, and occasionally taking one down.

  “I’ve never seen so many red shoes in one place,” she gasped. “Dorothy, eat your heart out!”

  Then she spotted the boots. “Oh my God, I’ve died and gone to heaven. These boots are divine. And your bags . . .” Amber had opened up the cupboard where all her bags hung on hooks, colour-graded, as were her shoes.

  “I thought I had a good collection but I’m only in the tuppence-ha’penny place compared to this!” Tessa exclaimed.

  Amber had to drag her away to get showered and dressed or they wouldn’t be ready when the taxi arrived.

  Amber was wearing a mid-calf, gold silk sheath dress with slits up to mid-thigh. It shimmered as it clung to her curvaceous body and flashed a glimpse of tanned, toned legs when she moved. She wore matching Manolo Blahnik gold sandals and no jewellery except for gold drop earrings. Her hair fell softly in curls to her shoulders. She was pure golden glamour.

  “Poor Carlo. You’ll break his heart tonight,” Tessa remarked.

  Amber gave her a mock slap. “You don’t look too bad yourself.”

  Tessa was wearing a white, off-the-shoulder gypsy blouse over an incredibly soft, short beige suede skirt. She had matching knee-length, beige suede stiletto boots which emphasised her long, bare, tanned legs. She had worn her hair up for most of the week but tonight it hung straight and shiny and she wore big gold hoops in her ears. She was a master with the make-up brush and Amber marvelled at the way she wielded it. The way she had done her eyes made her look more exotic than ever.

  They were just ready when the taxi arrived and they set off in high spirits for La Stampa, which was the restaurant Grace had chosen for the evening. Every head in the room swivelled to look at the two beautiful women as they made their entrance. All the women envied them and all the men fancied them. They greeted the others and accepted a glass of champagne from Carlo. He did the hand-kissing thing again, but this time Amber snatched her hand away.

  “You look beautiful tonight,” he whispered. She pretended not to hear and, leaving Tessa with him, moved away to join Grace.

  “You both look sensational,” Grace said, hugging her. “In fact, everyone looks extremely glamorous. It’s amazing what we women can pull out of the hat when we want to,” she laughed.

  There was a very attractive man talking to Niamh and Rosie. Grace brought her over and introduced him as her husband, Massimo, who had flown in from Rome, especially for the evening. He was charming and very chic and Amber found herself warming to him. He didn’t make her feel uncomfortable, as Carlo did.

  Val arrived just then and made a beeline for Carlo. She was very heavily made up and the purple hair was spiked on top of her head. She was wearing a ridiculously low-cut, tight black dress. Amber was afraid that her huge boobs would pop out at any moment. She felt a bit piqued as she saw Carlo leaning towards Val, smiling.

  “Don’t tell me that he’s interested in that tart,” she whispered to Tessa, who was beside her.

  “Well, you don’t want him, so can you blame him?” Tessa replied. “She’s certainly making it obvious that she fancies him.”

  Somehow, this bothered Amber.

  Pete was hugely looking forward to the night. In fact, he couldn’t believe his luck. He’d been doubtful about taking on this job but Grace, whose brother Tim was his best friend, had persuaded him to do it and boy was he glad that he had. So many gorgeous women! Tim was convinced that his friend was a sex-addict, like David Duchovny and Michael Douglas (before he met Catherine Zeta Jones, of course), but Pete knew it wasn’t about the sex.

  Pete loved women – all women – whatever their age, shape or size. He loved the way they thought. He loved their idiosyncrasies, the very things that often drove other men mad. Growing up with five sisters and a mother, who had all doted on him, had given him a deep understanding of what made women tick. And women of all ages recognised this and responded warmly to him.

  As he looked around the room he saw that he was spoilt for choice.

  Tessa was exotic and a stunner – and boy what legs! But he had a strange feeling that she could read him like a book. She understood men. She’d been around the block and some. No doubt about it!

  Amber was glowing tonight. What a body! He liked a woman who looked after herself. And what a personality! She would be good company but he could tell that she was wary of men. Well, he was confident that he would be able to soothe those fears.

  Niamh was a cutie. The way she looked at him with those big emerald eyes! She was so young and vulnerable, appealing to his protective instincts. But underneath it all, he knew she was a little sex kitten. He had a great instinct for this and he was never wrong. Yes, he certainly fancied her!

  Rosie was a lovely lady and very maternal towards him. Although some of the best sex he’d ever experienced had been with older women, he’d heard she’d been recently widowed – and well, he wasn’t a complete cad!

  Val was another kettle of fish. Hard as nails, but fond of sex too. He’d been very surprised to learn that she was Niamh’s sister. They were very different but they obviously both shared a healthy sex drive. Val would be easy. Niamh would be a challenge and he was never one to resist a challenge. My God, Val was certainly letting it all hang out tonight, he thought, as he caught sight of her rigout.

  There was no sign of Phoebe or Lesley yet.

  Phoebe was a nut case – completely off-the-wall. One of the very few women who didn’t hold some kind of attraction for him.

  As for Lesley – she scared the daylights out of him. Nothing soft or feminine about her! He’d watched her at the training and had seen how focused and ambitious she was and he knew that she would let nothing get in her way. She would chew him up and spit him out, without a thought. She had an obsessive personality – the type that could easily become a bunny boiler. He knew that she was married but she’d never let that get in her way. She was dangerous which made her all the more exciting. And she was damn sexy. Whew! He got a hard-on just thinking about her body.

  Pete joined Amber and Tessa, filling up their glasses and letting his eyes move slowly up and down their bodies.

  “Wow, you two make a stunning pair. Are there two lucky men waiting at home for you? If so, I’m madly jealous of them.” He smiled that boyish smile of his, as Amber giggled.

  “No one waiting for me, I’m afraid,” she said.

  Tessa didn’t bother replying. She suspected that it wouldn’t matter a damn to him whether there was or not. If he wanted someone, he would go all out to get them. She saw that he was flirting with Amber now, who seemed to be responding. I have to get her away from him, she thought. She needn’t have worried. He was one of those people she detested, who look over your shoulder constantly to see if there is anyone more interesting around. It seems there was! She saw his eyes widen as he excused himself and left them, mid-sentence.

  Tessa turned to see what had distracted him to find that it was Lesley, who had just arrived.

  “He’s cute, isn’t he?” Amber giggled. The champagne was having its effect already.

  Lesley was wearing a pale blue, satin trouser suit which clung like a second skin to her every curve. The blue matched her eyes exactly and under the jacket she wore a black strapless corset which showed off her ample endowments. Her hair hung in loose curls on her shoulders which emphasised her pale, pretty face and of course she had on the ubiquitous sparkly shoes – blue with the diamante she loved so much. Damn it, but she was sexy!

  Tessa could see that the men’s eyes were all drawn to her. Pete was already pouring her a glass of champagne as Carlo and even Massimo went over to greet her.

  “What does she have that we don’t?” Amber asked, ruefully.

  “She oozes sex, that’s what. Stupid men can never see beyond that,” Tessa replied as Niamh and Rosie join
ed them.

  All four grudgingly admitted that Lesley did look good, although none of them would ever have worn anything so tacky.

  They were on their third glass of champagne when they were called to their table. Amber wangled it so that she was sitting as far away from Carlo as possible. He was so damned attractive and she was afraid of the feelings he aroused in her. She was afraid of what might happen after a few more drinks and she didn’t trust herself. Val was directly across from him and Lesley was beside him. I’m sure he’s happy – Amber couldn’t help thinking – surrounded by all that cleavage!

  Phoebe, as usual, was late.

  “Wants to make a grand entrance, I suppose,” Tessa laughed.

  She wasn’t far wrong. They were looking at the menu when they heard her.

  “Helloo, everybody! Sorry I’m a little late! Hope I haven’t missed anything.”

  She was wearing a red off-the-shoulder dress with a huge frill at the neckline which exposed quite a lot of her enormous bosom. The full skirt was frilled and flounced, which made her look even more plump than usual. Her hair was tied up with a red rose and she had big hoop earrings. Roaring red lipstick and nail polish completed the look.

  “Where does she get them from?” Amber asked.

  “She’ll get up on the table and do some flamenco for us at any moment,” Tessa whispered and indeed she’d hit the nail on the head. That’s exactly what Phoebe looked like.

  The others giggled as the champagne was now taking effect. Even Grace found it hard to keep a straight face as she introduced Phoebe to her husband.

  What on earth does he think of us? Amber wondered.

  They had a truly great night. The food was fantastic and Carlo had ordered wonderful wine to go with it – Italian, of course. Amber was amazed to hear Tessa speaking to him in Italian.

  “How are you so fluent?” she asked her.

  “My mother was Italian,” Tessa explained. “She spoke it to me all the time but sadly she died when I was ten.” The girls heard the catch in her voice.