Tammy looked at him across the table and smiled. He was just so handsome and so sexy and he made her so happy.
“Yes,” she said. “Yes, I want to move in with you.”
“Oh, my God.” He jumped up and picked her up out of her chair. She squealed as he kissed her. Their kisses grew deeper and harder and hotter and he wrapped her legs around his waist and cupped her ass in his hands. She felt his cock hardening and she moaned as he rubbed her sex. Tammy tried to focus.
“OK, OK,” she said. “But before we go celebrate, I need to tell you one more thing.”
Rob sat down in her vacated chair, still holding her against his body. Unable to stop herself, she gyrated her hips on his lap. He closed his eyes and tried to keep some control.
“OK. Tell me fast,” he said. “Because I’m going to fuck you right here in this kitchen in a minute.”
She gasped as he ground her hips down on his cock. Her breasts tingled and she felt her juices pooling between her legs; it was her body’s usual helpless response to him.
“Forget it,” she said. “I’ll tell you later.”
He growled and lifted her unresisting body in to his arms. They barely made it to the bed.
**
A week later, Tammy was at Open Skies for a long weekend with Julie. The women were sitting in Julie’s office with their shoes off and their feet on the furniture, chatting away.
“So, you’ll live with Rob, but keep Frank and Christine’s place as your design studio?” Julie’s mint-green eyes were sparkling. “That is such a great idea!”
“Yeah, I know.” Tammy almost hugged herself with joy. “My business is actually going OK now. It took a while, but I’m working all the time now. And my inspiration has really come back – I can sit up until two o’clock in the morning sketching ideas.”
“When you’re not being kept up half the night by Rob. Am I right?”
The two best friends shared saucy grins, both of them totally satisfied with the men they shared their beds with.
“Ummm. Excuse me? Julie? Tammy?”
Tammy and Julie glanced up to see Vicky in the doorway of Julie’s office.
“Hey, Vicky.” Tammy smiled. “What’s up?”
“Oh, nothing much.” Vicky was fidgeting. “I was wondering if I could ask you two for help with something?”
“Yeah, of course. Come on in.”
Vicky entered slowly. Julie looked at her and wished that she didn’t look so sorry about simply walking in to a room… Vicky always seemed to be on the verge of apologizing for something, even when she had done nothing at all wrong.
“Sit down,” Julie invited her.
“Oh! Oh, no, thank you. I don’t want to take too much of your time. I know you’re both very busy.”
“We totally are not,” Tammy said. “We were just talking about going back to the Big House and opening some wine and gossiping about men all night.” She cocked her head at Vicky. “You wanna come?”
Vicky blinked. What?
“Erm. Thank you, but I don’t have any man to gossip about, I’m afraid.”
“Sure, maybe not now,” Tammy said. “But I’m sure that you have a past – everyone has a past. You can gossip about those men!”
Huh. I wonder what these two glittering and gorgeous young things would say if they heard that Carl was my first and my only. And that I hate sex, and that he beat the crap out of me for being so lousy in bed. That he twisted my arm so hard one time when he was forcing me to go down on him, he snapped my shoulder. I don’t suppose Jake and Rob behave that way, so I don’t imagine they can relate all that much.
Aloud, she said, “My romantic past is boring, I’m sorry to say.”
“Aw,” Tammy said. “What a shame. Anyway, what did you want to ask us?”
“Well, I don’t want to take your time, so if you can’t help me, it’s OK. I mean, it’s really OK.”
“Vicky,” Julie said gently. “What do you need our help with?”
Vicky was turning red. “Ummm. With – with a make-over.”
They both stared at her, completely stunned.
She reddened even more in the face of their obvious shock and started edging towards the door. “You know what? Never mind… please forget that I ever brought it up. It was stupid, and you both have much better things to do with your time…”
“Whoa. Hold up,” Tammy said. “Just – just wait. OK?”
“OK.”
“So – let me get this straight. You want me and Julie to help you with your hair and makeup? Clothes, too?”
Vicky nodded, her fingers twisting in humiliation. Julie and Tammy were looking at each other in that totally unnerving way that they had: the two of them could have entire conversations without uttering a single word.
Without any warning whatsoever, Julie and Tammy burst in to whoops. Vicky jumped about three feet in the air.
“Of course we’ll help you!” Tammy said. “We have been dying to get our hands on you!”
“You – what?”
“Oh, my God,” Julie said. “I mean, look at you – tall and slim and gorgeous, with those eyes and lips! And, of course, that stunning hair!” She shook her own sexily.
Despite herself, Vicky laughed.
“Yeah. You are just beautiful, but you’re hiding it under those prim and proper clothes and no color and always wearing your hair all tied back and up.” Tammy’s eyes were sparkling with enthusiasm. “I have been itching to get my hands on you and put you in some color. Greens, yellows, maybe even pink, if it’s the right shade.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, really.” Tammy was bursting with excitement. “So! When do we go?”
“Uh. Well, when you have time –”
“Tomorrow!” Julie said.
“But – but aren’t you busy tomorrow?” Vicky faltered. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all.
“Nope. I’m up here for three days, just hanging out, and we were planning on going shopping anyway,” Tammy said. “You come with us. Oh! And we’ll call right now and make a hair appointment for the morning. Right?”
“Ummm… I’m not sure that… I mean, I think it’d be better if… ummmm…” This is escalating rapidly.
“OK, hang on a sec,” Julie said. “Wait up.”
“What?” Tammy asked.
“What’s wrong, Vicky?” Julie asked. “Tell us.”
“Well,” Vicky said. “The thing is – I’m on a bit of a budget.”
“Right. You told me you send money to your Mom every month, I remember,” Julie said, “So, do you need to save up for a few weeks?”
“Oh. Oh, no. I’m fine to go tomorrow. But the thing is, I have a set amount and I know that some hairdressers are reasonable and some are insane. Maybe, you can just – you know… pick a reasonable one?”
Julie studied her tight, worried face for a second and then she smiled. “No problem. You leave it with me, alright? I promise I’ll find someone not too expensive. OK?”
“OK.” Vicky took a deep breath. OK.”
“Great!” Tammy said. “So… we’ll leave Open Skies at nine o’clock tomorrow morning, and we shop. And don’t fuss about your budget, Vicky.”
“Why not?”
“Because you, girl, are going to look incredible on almost nothing at all.” Tammy winked. “Trust me on this.”
**
Vicky stared at her reflection in the mirror. My God. Really? That’s me?
They were in to the third hour of shopping and bags were scattered around her newly-manicured feet in smart new high heeled boots. Tammy and Julie were standing behind her, looking her up and down.
“So, what do you think?” Tammy said. “I was right about the pink, yes?”
“Yes,” Vicky said, still staring. “Yes, you were. I never
thought I could get away with it, not with my hair color.”
“You can,” Tammy told her. “You look great.”
Normally, Vicky would have rebuffed the compliment, played it down, denied it. But today – today she didn’t. Today, she agreed with Tammy. Today, she did look great.
Her hair was cut to just below her chin, in a sassy and sleek bob. The cut accentuated her delicate heart-shaped face and brought out her round eyes and generous lips. The stylist had wanted to color it and make it more blonde, but Julie had put her foot down: she and Vicky both loved the natural gold and red highlights. The stylist had pouted but in the end, she had admitted that the color was perfect as it was.
Her manicured nails were painted a soft cream – Julie had advised her to keep the colors neutral and subtle, though Tammy had pushed for fire-engine red nails – and her face was made up lightly. After listening to the arguments put forth by both Tammy and Julie, Vicky had opted for freshness over flash. Her eyes now glowed with a whisper of brown eye shadow, her cheeks were brushed with a gentle rose, and her lips had a slick of daring peach gloss.
The hair and makeup was just the beginning. Delighted by the success of the beauty salon, Julie and Tammy had treated her to a quick brunch of fresh fruit, coffee, and blueberry pancakes with golden syrup, and then hustled her to the clothing shops. And here they were, three hours later, trying on colors and cuts and styles that Vicky would never have even looked at twice before this morning.
She twisted and turned in the dusty rose suit, admiring her slim calves in the snug pencil skirt, loving the trim waist on the jacket.
“I love it,” she said. “But how much is it?”
“On sale!” Tammy brandished the price tag. “Seventy percent off!”
“Wow,” Julie said. “I wonder if they have it in my size?”
Vicky was amazed at how adept Tammy was at sniffing out a bargain. She had taken Vicky’s budget as set in stone and delivered the goods: Vicky had the bare bones of a great professional and personal wardrobe and still had money to spend. She glanced down at the bags at her feet and smiled. Tammy had found her fun and flirty things, as well as some nice pieces for work which still had color and flair. Vicky was thrilled.
“OK,” she said. “I think that’s about it, right?”
“You think?” Julie said. “Even though you still have some money left in the budget?”
“Well, yeah.” Vicky looked at the bags again, mentally running through what was in them. “I mean, I have all I need. Right?”
“Nope,” Tammy said. “I deliberately kept a bit aside.”
“For what?” Vicky asked.
“Lingerie!” both women said together.
Vicky blushed. “Oh. Oh, no. I don’t need any lingerie.”
“Honey,” Tammy said. “We have been watching you dress and undress for hours now, and we know that you need an upgrade on the underclothes.”
Vicky blushed more deeply.
“Look, Vicky. We don’t want to embarrass you,” Julie said. “But the fact is, with some of these blouses and dresses, a strapless bra is needed. So let’s go and get you a couple, and while we’re there, we can look at what else they have. OK?”
“OK,” Vicky mumbled.
Entering the lingerie store was a terrifying experience for her. Everything was so – so aggressively sexy. Vicky stared around at the items on display and wanted to crawl in to a hole and disappear.
Julie steered her over to one of the far walls and pointed out the strapless bras. “OK, you need one in white and one in black. Do you know your size?”
Vicky nodded. “I’m a 32B.”
Julie turned and scanned the shelves of strapless bras. “OK. Here’s your size.” She grabbed one in white and one in black. “You want to try them?”
Vicky went in to the changing room and drew the curtain tight, making sure there were no gaps. I don’t want them to see my back and ask questions. She started to undress.
Tammy appeared from around the corner, carrying an outrageous purple piece of lacy nothingness.
“So, what do you think about this?” Tammy asked Julie, holding up the purple lingerie. “Too much?”
Julie examined it. “You may well kill Rob if you show up in his bed wearing this.”
“So – it’s not too much?”
“I think it’s just the right amount of too much,” Julie said. “Try it on.”
Vicky got in to the black bra and stood looking at herself in the mirror, astounded. Her breasts were pushed up and in, and it changed the whole look of her upper body. She looked – curved. Womanly. Beautiful. She pushed her shoulders back, saw how confident and self-assured she appeared now. She turned and looked at herself from the side. Hmmm. Not bad.
With regret, she put her old bra back on – I am going to burn this thing in the fireplace the second I get home – and got dressed again and emerged from the changing room.
“How were they?” Julie asked.
“Perfect,” she said.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
Tammy opened the curtain on her dressing room and struck a dramatic pose. “Ta-da! What do you think, ladies?”
Vicky blinked in astonishment. Tammy was standing there in the sexiest scrap of nothing-much that Vicky had ever seen, but nothing about it was slutty or cheap. Instead, Tammy just looked… well, she looked delicious. The cut was high on the thighs, accentuating her slim legs and making them seem even longer. Her small breasts were pert and perky in a bodice, her nipples peeking through the delicate lace. The color perfectly picked up her dazzling eyes, and her black hair cascaded over her creamy shoulders. Any straight man would be walking on his knees to just touch her once in that thing.
“Oh, my God,” Vicky said before she could stop herself. “You look amazing!”
“Really?”
“Oh, God. Yes. Rob will go crazy if he sees you in that.”
“Well, that settles it,” Tammy grinned. “I think I can say that this is one time when I agree that less is definitely more!”
Laughing, Vicky nodded and then suddenly – for no reason at all – she felt teary. Tammy noticed her face.
“Hey, Vicky. What’s wrong, sweetie?”
She shook her head, feeling stupid. “I don’t know.”
Julie gently put her arm around Vicky. “A bit overwhelming? All of this?”
Vicky looked at them and saw the kindness in their eyes. “Yes. It’s just – this is the nicest and best thing to have happened to me in… well. In a very long time.” Very long.
“It’s our pleasure. Believe me.”
“Thank you.” She smiled at them now. “Thank you so, so much. I can’t tell you what this means to me – this whole day.”
“You’re welcome,” Julie said.
Tammy nodded and then she saw a man staring at her, his mouth half-way open, taking in her legs and arms and cleavage. She winked at him and he blushed and scurried away.
“OK, I’ll just get changed, shall I?” she said.
Vicky and Julie laughed.
“We’ll just wait over by the check-out, OK, Tammy?” Julie said.
“Sure. I’ll be there in a sec.”
As they were standing waiting for Tammy, Vicky dared to look around at some of the display models. Her eye was caught by a gorgeous mocha bra on one and a sheer green teddy on another. “Oooooh.”
Julie followed her gaze. “You want to try them on?”
Vicky nodded; she didn’t blush this time.
Chapter Five
On Monday morning at eight o’clock, Vicky stood in her bathroom and examined her reflection.
Her hair was sleek and shiny and her face was carefully made-up. She had worked on her eyes this morning and they were dusted with a gold shadow so they glowed warm and lovely out from her face.
Her lips were softly pink, her cheeks too.
She had on the rose suit today, and she had put a crisp white tank top on underneath. Her breasts were raised and curved in the strapless white bra, and her legs looked impossibly long and slim in her new chestnut high heels. A spritz of light perfume, a delicate gold bangle, a pair of simple gold drop earrings, and she was ready to go pitch for the marketing campaign.
She shouldn’t look this fresh and bright this morning, she knew: she had been up most of the night, changing the whole concept of her pitch. Her original idea had been good, she knew, but yesterday at brunch, she had been inspired by something else. As soon as she and Tammy and Julie had returned to Open Skies, she had rushed back to her apartment and sat in her favorite chair with the mountain view and scribbled out four pages of notes. She ate in her own kitchen and unpacked her beautiful new clothes, and then opened her laptop and started all over again on her presentation for the summer campaign.
The idea had come to her at brunch. Their water had arrived with ice cubes in the glasses; the ice cubes had delicate mint leaves frozen inside them. They had all exclaimed how cute the idea was, and they watched eagerly as the ice melted. It was a kind of game, waiting for the mint to emerge from the ice. And as she stared at her own ice cubes, using a straw to break the ice a bit, ignoring Tammy’s teasing that that was cheating, she had a burst of inspiration.
Vicky gave her hair a final swipe with the brush and then double-checked that everything was in her bag. Laptop, printed notes, a few visuals. It wasn’t as polished as she’d like it to be, but she was out of time. The pitch meeting was scheduled for 9:00, and she wanted to eat first.
She chose her breakfast and sat down to look over her notes again. She was half-done eating when a shadow fell over her papers. She squinted up and saw Phil standing there, his eyes very wide.
As always, her heart sped up just a tad when she saw him. Her hand automatically went to her hair to check that her bun was still in place but then she remembered: the bun was gone. She raised her chin.
Phil was gaping at Vicky. Oh, my God! Look at her.
Her gorgeous hair was cut to just below her jawline and he noticed for the first time that her face was actually a perfect heart. Her lovely eyes sparkled and shone, and her mouth was curved and generous. Her legs were hugged by a snug little skirt and the jacket accentuated her slim shoulders and pert breasts. She looked radiant.
Open Eyes (Open Skies) Page 7
