by Wolfe, Lacey
Alyssa’s mouth still wasn’t working and she was thankful when Julie spoke, “I won’t keep her out too much. Besides, if she does read this book, what does she get?”
Connor grinned at Alyssa and then Julie. “I take her out.”
“She’ll get it read. Don’t you worry.”
Connor laughed. “I’ll be in touch soon.”
Alyssa nodded and Julie kicked her leg under the table. “Uh, yeah. Sounds good.”
After Connor left, Alyssa slowly turned back to Julie, knowing her friend was going to have a few questions. Julie didn’t even have to ask. Alyssa could read the expression on her face.
“Well.” Julie arched a brow over the rim of her coffee mug.
“We’re just friends.”
Julie clapped her hands together and leaned back against the booth. “Just friends, my butt.”
“No, really, it isn’t like that. He’s seeing someone.” Alyssa sighed. “He’s always seeing someone.”
“Maybe he wants to be seeing you.”
“Wouldn’t that ruin our friendship though? His relationships never make it.”
“He hasn’t found the right one. It could be you.”
“And if it isn’t?”
Julie groaned. “You’ll never know if you don’t try. Now let’s go. We’re heading over to my cousin Ava’s shop.”
Bare Necessities, the town’s lingerie shop. What in the world did she need there? “I don’t need anything.”
Julie stood. “Maybe not yet, but you will. Besides, the sexier the underwear you have on underneath, the more confident you’ll feel.”
“How so?”
“Because only you know what you’re wearing.” Julie took Alyssa’s hand and dragged her out of Luigi’s. Alyssa had never stepped foot into Bare Necessities, but it looked like today, she would be.
Chapter Three
The bell above the door rang, welcoming Alyssa and Julie into Bare Necessities. A beautiful, dark-haired woman appeared from the back and approached them quickly, throwing her arms around Julie. Alyssa had only seen Ava a time or two—since they both seemed to work around the clock at their stores. Ava was married to the town’s sheriff Seth Hampton. Lucky her. He was quite the catch.
“To what do I owe this honor?” Ava asked.
“Alyssa has a date Friday. A first date,” Julie told her.
“Oooh, and how much do we like this guy?”
“Uh, it’s not really a date-date. We’re just friends and it’s a bet,” Alyssa said.
“A bet?” Ava arched a brow.
“Yeah, it’s silly and you’ll laugh and realize then how silly it is that I’m here in the first place.”
Ava shrugged. “You never know unless you tell me.”
“He likes a genre—sci-fi—that I don’t read. And he has a book he wants me to read and I’ve agreed several times and didn’t read it. Well, he’s given me the time limit of Friday. If I read it, he’s taking me out and if I haven’t, I’m taking him out. So as you can see, it’s not a date. Just friends,” Alyssa explained.
“Huh.” Ava scratched her head. “I think it’s an excuse so he can go out with you.”
“So do I,” Julie chimed in. “And if you’d just seen the way I saw him looking at her, you’d see why I know it’s more.”
Alyssa held her hand up. “Okay, let’s not get carried away.” She couldn’t let her mind go there.
Julie and Ava laughed before Julie spoke again. “I brought her here to find some sexy panties for this date.”
“Yes, sexy panties are a must.” Ava nodded and studied Alyssa. “With your skin tone, I think we should do some deep purples.”
Ava took Alyssa’s hand and guided her over to a table, where a variety of lacy panties lay. Some were boy-cut, some had absolutely no back but a thin string, and some had a little more to the back than the fine string. Alyssa picked up a pair of the hipsters They’d sit low and cover her butt at least. But minus a small piece of fabric in the middle, the whole thing was see through. She’d never worn anything quite so revealing before.
“Those are very sexy. We have a matching bra to it as well,” Ava said.
Alyssa set the panties back down and wondered if it was really worth it. There was no way her and Connor were going to be hitting the sack—even if it was a real date. So why go to the trouble?
“Does it help if I tell you we’re having a sale?” Ava smiled and pointed toward a sign in the window.
Alyssa wasn’t sure what would help.
Julie came up to Ava. “You’ll be glad you got them, I promise. After I had Lila, I wore frumpy granny panties and sweats all day. Ava convinced me to at least start wearing pretty stuff underneath. And before long, I wore my usual clothes everyday and feeling attractive again.”
But Julie was attractive. Alyssa highly doubted she ever had a bad hair day. Alyssa didn’t compare to the women she stood here with or the women Connor usually dated.
“How about I buy them? My treat,” Julie offered.
“Oh no, it isn’t that I can’t afford them.”
“I insist, since I’m the one who dragged you in here. Ava, I want to get her the matching set as well as the same set in red for me.”
Ava nodded and asked Alyssa her different sizes. After she gathered the items, she measured Alyssa to make sure her sizes matched. Then they met her at the counter, where Ava folded each item and wrapped it in tissue paper before placing it into a bag. She spritzed it with a floral spray and began to get Julie’s order together.
After that, she handed both bags to them. “Enjoy.”
“I always do,” Julie said.
“Enjoy your evening Friday, even if it is just two friends,” Ava added.
“Thanks. I will.” Alyssa stood back as Julie hugged her cousin bye.
After their little shopping venture, they parted ways. Alyssa knew she needed to get home and start reading. If it was a book she didn’t like, it was going to take her all week to get through. How awkward would it be if she hated it? She wasn’t going to think about that. Connor had great taste. He wouldn’t have asked her to read something if it was bad.
* * * *
Alyssa practically had to force herself to put the book down later that day. She kept flipping the pages, having to know more. It was nothing like she usually read and wasn’t sure she could read too many books of this genre and ever be able to sleep again, but man, this was a good book. She had just hit the halfway mark when her stomach demanded she pay it some attention. So did Zoe.
In her small kitchen, she took out a bag of chips for herself. Zoe followed her back to the couch, obviously hoping for a bite as well. The cat sat still, staring at each chip as it went from the bag to Alyssa’s mouth. Letting out a sigh, she handed the cat a chip. Zoe wasn’t the skinniest cat and her vet constantly reminded her that Zoe didn’t need any human snacks, but how was the vet to know? Her kitty only got one life. It was best that she enjoyed it. And with that thought, she handed Zoe another chip. “That’s it.”
After her snack, she settled back onto the couch with her book and got lost in the magnificent plot.
* * * *
A few days had passed since Connor had seen or heard from Alyssa. Their date was tomorrow. He wasn’t sure he could wait until then though to see her. Once he made it into town, he was going to pop by for a quick chat. Typically a drive through Brookfield was fast, but for some reason, today it was stop-and-go. Most likely a log truck was up ahead.
Whether Alyssa read the book or not, he planned on paying. In his mind it was a real date. He hoped Alyssa knew it was and not a “just friends” evening. He wanted to take the next steps with her.
Brakes flashed in front of him and he pressed his, coming to a stop. What the heck was going on? At this rate, he wasn’t going to get to stop by The Reading Corner. It was going to be straight to the office for boring business meetings.
Placing his Bluetooth headset on his ear, he dialed Alyssa. She answered ri
ght away. “The Reading Corner.”
“Hey, how are you?” he asked, wondering if she’d recognize his voice.
“Connor, hi. I’m good.”
He imagined her behind the counter with her dark hair up in a tight bun. “Great. Our date’s tomorrow. Have you read the book yet, or are you waiting until the last minute?”
She giggled. “I read it Monday after my afternoon with Julie.”
He grinned. “Well, what did you think?”
“I liked it—a lot. I was blown away by the plot and I couldn’t put it down. I think minus food breaks, I read it straight through.”
He laughed and was glad she’d liked it. “Will you read more?”
“I don’t know.” She paused a moment before she spoke again. “I think I’m going to bring you a book tomorrow to read. A historical romance.”
Oh, yikes. He wasn’t crazy about romances and he figured a book from the eighteen hundreds would be even worse. “Oh, yeah, great.”
“Don’t think you’re getting out of it. Same deal, buddy. Dinner. Unless, of course, you have a date or something already planned.”
He loved the sound of the nerves that entered her voice. He was used to women feeling confident around him, but Alyssa was so innocent. “No plans, so it looks like next Friday is yours as well.”
“If something comes up, just let me know.”
“Alyssa, nothing is going to come up. I want to have dinner with you.” He waited for a reply, but she seemed to have gone silent. “Traffic is starting to move again. I’m not sure what’s going on today, but hopefully it gets moving or I’ll be late for a meeting.”
“I won’t keep you,” she said.
“No. You helped pass the time and make this that much more enjoyable.”
“I’m glad.”
“I’ll be by to pick you up tomorrow. Seven good?” He stared ahead, trying to see what was going on as he approached the bridge into town.
“Perfect. I have my assistant closing up.”
“Great. I’ll see you then. Bye.” He pressed the end button.
Traffic began to move a little more. Staring ahead, he saw there’d been an accident and of course, everyone had to rubberneck and see who and how bad it was. He couldn’t judge them, because as he passed the scene, he did the same exact thing. Thankfully, it appeared to be a small fender-bender. No one was hurt.
Once he was past the mess, the flow of traffic picked back up and he was able to make it to the office in time. Even though he didn’t get to see Alyssa, just talking to her had put him in a better mood. He couldn’t wait for their date, not only this Friday, but the following as well.
Chapter Four
Alyssa stood in front of her full-length mirror, gazing at her image. Currently all she wore was her new panty set. Turning to the side, she studied herself. She went up on her tiptoes and turned to see herself from behind. Her calves looked sexy and the way the panties hugged her butt made it look amazing. She giggled and walked away. She hated to admit that Julie and Ava had been right. And when she put the black dress over her underwear, only she would know, but it gave her an extra bit of confidence.
She put the sweater dress on, a pair of leggings, and then her boots. They hadn’t had a fresh layer of snow in weeks, but there was still plenty of it around. And when the sun went down, the temperature dropped quickly.
In the bathroom, her make-up was done. All that was left was her hair. Right now it sat as it always did. On her shoulders and straight. She didn’t have time to curl it but also didn’t want it to look the way it always did. She pulled out two bobby pins from the drawer and pulled her hair back from the side, putting the pins in place. She could now see her hoop earrings a little better. This would do. After all, they were just friends.
Alyssa shut the lights off as she made her way to the living room to wait. Zoe was on her heels, meowing the whole way.
“Mommy’s going out tonight. I won’t be gone long, I promise.” The cat rubbed against her legs and then stood, putting her front paws on Alyssa’s leg. “I’m not picking you up. You’ll get hair all over me.” Alyssa reached down and scratched the cat’s ears, which seemed to satisfy her for now.
Zoe walked off with her tail high up and disappeared back into the bedroom. Alyssa smiled. She loved that cat, but man, had she picked one with such a unique personality. She’d been a stray and only seven months when she got her. But Alyssa couldn’t imagine her life without the furball.
Knock knock.
He was here!
Alyssa’s heart beat so hard, she could barely hear herself think. She picked up her purse, checked inside to make sure she had everything, and then answered the door. Connor stood there, looking absolutely breathtaking. He wore a button-down white shirt and a pair of khakis. His hair had the messy just-out-of-bed look. And she swore she saw a sparkle on his teeth as he grinned at her.
“You look beautiful,” he said as he stepped back for her to come out.
Oh no, not her. She didn’t compare to him one bit. She closed the door behind her and held the railing on the fire escape. This was the one downfall to living above her shop. She didn’t have an official front door.
At the end of the stairs, she turned to Connor to see which way he was going to lead her. His hand touched her lower back and she bit her lip to avoid groaning.
“This way.” He led her in the direction of his car.
Once she was inside, she let out a sigh before he climbed in on his side. Connor started the car, but before he pulled out of the parking spot, he looked at her. “You make me nervous when you’re quiet.” He reached out and laid a hand on her thigh. “You can be yourself with me tonight, like you are any other time. It’s just me.”
He squeezed lightly and then removed his hand, placing it on the steering wheel. Oh, yeah, she could not be herself. She was nervous.
“Where are we going?” she managed to say.
“If I tell you, it won’t be a surprise.”
“Have I ever told you I don’t like surprises?”
Connor chuckled. “We’re going into the city to The Sun House.”
The Sun House! The place spun in a circle over the city as you ate. It was said that by the end of dinner, you would have done a full circle around. “Oh gosh, Connor, no. That’s really expensive.”
“But so good.”
“Yeah, but you’re not going to walk out of there without spending over a hundred.”
At the stoplight, he looked toward Alyssa. “When’s the last time someone took you somewhere nice?”
Never. She’d never been anywhere but places around Brookfield.
“Let me treat you, please.”
She gazed into his eyes and nodded. If she was going to eat at The Sun House, she didn’t want it to be with anyone but Connor.
Once they arrived at the restaurant, the hostess led them to their seats. Connor had reserved a table by a window. As Alyssa took her seat, she looked out at the city.
“I can’t really tell we’re spinning. Is it not on tonight?” she asked, feeling naive.
“It’s on. It moves slowly so you don’t get sick. That would be bad business, after all.”
Alyssa glanced up at him. “Do you come here a lot?” Of course she wasn’t the first woman he’d brought here. It was probably his go-to date.
“I’ve been here once or twice.” He opened the menu. “For business.”
Was he telling her the truth? And what right did she have to feel a pang of jealousy? None whatsoever. They were just friends, as she continued to remind herself. Connor would never see her in the same light as he did the women he dated. She was plain compared to them.
The server appeared for their beverage order. She looked over the drink list and decided a soft drink was her best option. But before she could answer the server, Connor was ordering a bottle of their best white wine. God, this man must be loaded! Why in the world was he living in Brookfield?
“I’m fine with a soda,” sh
e said.
“We’re not drinking soda tonight. We’re going to do this right.”
The server asked if they were ready to place their order for food. Alyssa shook her head. She couldn’t get over the prices. Forty-two dollars for a chicken plate. Did they raise the chicken themselves? With that bottle of wine, she was sure at this point Connor wasn’t going to walk out without paying two hundred dollars. The tip alone would push them over the mark.
Enough. She had to stop worrying about it. Obviously Connor was doing well for himself and he wanted to treat her to this place. Otherwise they wouldn’t be here. Hopefully he didn’t expect her to take him to the same type of place next week if she had to treat him.
After a few more minutes, the server returned. She decided to order the chicken and Connor ordered salmon. He also requested an appetizer.
“I’m starving. I was with clients all day. I didn’t get time to really eat.”
“I imagine that can happen.” She knew nothing about the stock market.
“Panic sets in when the Dow drops.”
Alyssa nodded. “That equals money loss, right?”
“Not always, but yes, typically.”
The server returned with their wine and poured some in their glasses. They each reached out and took a sip. Could he possibly be as nervous as she was? Yeah, right. He was a playboy after all.
“I don’t want to talk about my work.” Connor set his glass back down. “Anything interesting going on at your shop?”
“Just preparing for an author to visit for a signing.”
“Oh yeah, that’s exciting. Hope she isn’t a diva and demands only blue candies to snack on.”
Alyssa giggled. “I doubt it. I’ve met a few authors in my days. They’re pretty down-to-earth people.”
“Is that so? I guess I thought they were all rich.”
“Yeah, right. Even if they’re New York Times bestsellers, it doesn’t mean they’re rolling in the dough.”
“Who is this author? Anyone I’ve heard of?”
Alyssa winked at him. “Actually, you will after this week.”
