“Yes, Mrs. Gherring! I have just the right thing for your friend. She will look stupendous!”
Anne was soon encased in a black dress with a sheer sequin-embellished silk yolk and long sleeves. The sheer silk continued downward, supporting a bustier paneled bodice, so the sides and back of the dress were also sheer. The formfitting jacquard skirt fell to her knees.
“Stunning!” declared Alphonzo, as the salesladies exclaimed.
“I don’t know. An awful lot of this material is kind of see-through.” Anne crossed her arms over her chest.
“There’s nothing hanging out that shouldn’t be,” declared Gram.
“Only because I don’t really have much to hang out.”
“We’ll take it,” said Gram. “And she’ll take a pair of your uncomfortable shoes.”
Anne entered the lobby and strode toward the elevator, wrestling with her new dress and shoes. Before the doors closed, Steven somehow materialized beside her.
“New dress? For tonight I assume?”
“Yes.” Anne refused to meet his gaze.
“Did you have a good time with Henri last night?”
“Yes, I did. And did you have a good time with Ellen?”
“Yes.”
They rode for a few moments in silence. Then he moved in front of her, forcing her to look at him. “I just want to know something… When Henri kissed you…” His sky-blue eyes penetrated her with an intensity that burned into her soul. “When he kissed you, did it affect you like this?”
He reached out to take her face between his hands, capturing her lips with his. With her hands still gripping the dress hanger and shoe bag, she was powerless to stop him. Not that she wanted to. Somehow both forceful and gentle at the same time, his lips claimed hers, and she relished the feeling. For a moment, she forgot all about her responsibilities and obligations and the fact that she ought not to be kissing Steven Gherring. All her good sense must’ve gone down the drain, along with her loyalty and integrity. But in that moment, there were no decisions to be made. There was only Steven Gherring and the kiss that rocked her world.
As the bell rang and the elevator came to a stop, Anne jerked away.
I can’t believe I did that!
Shaking her head to clear it, she pressed a hand against her racing heart. “Why did you kiss me? What about Ellen?”
Her respect for him dropped a few notches. He’d put her in a compromising position. For all practical purposes, she’d just betrayed her friendship with Ellen.
“You’ve obviously made your choice.” He gestured toward the open door, a scowl on his face. “Go. Have fun with your Frenchman.”
Still stunned, she stumbled off the elevator with her clothes. Before the doors closed, she heard him say, “I don’t dislike Henri anymore—I hate him.”
Sitting on her couch, lost in confusion, her phone interrupted her reverie.
“Hi Johanna,” she said without enthusiasm.
“What is wrong, dear? You don’t sound like yourself?”
“Nothing really. I just… nothing makes sense anymore.”
“Does this have anything to do with Henri and the Christmas party tonight?”
“Maybe. We broke up last night. So I’m not going with him.”
“You’re going with Mr. Gherring?”
“He’s going with Ellen.”
“He told you that?” Johanna made a tsk-tsk sound. “I believe Mr. Gherring is toying with you.”