Firefighter's Virgin

“So, then you have to wear something sexy,” she said. “How about this dress?”

She held up a slinky dress with lace edging. I raised my eyebrows. “Are you serious?”

She looked at the dress again. “Uh yeah, why? What’s wrong with it?”

“It looks like something you would wear under your clothes,” I pointed out. “It looks like a camisole.”

“I don’t know what that is, but I do know that this dress is the hot new trend these days,” she pointed out. “Outerwear that looks like underwear.”

“Is this actually a trend, or just a Kardashian trend?”

Missy smiled. “They’re the ones setting all the trends in the first place.”

“I’m not wearing that,” I said firmly.

“Well then, show me your options.”

Biting my lip, I turned away from her and pretended to root through more racks. “Uh… I haven’t found anything I like yet.”

“Bull,” she said immediately. “You lost interest three stores ago.”

I laughed. “You know me too well.”

“Do I need to remind you that you’re the one who wanted to go shopping?”

“I just wanted to pop into a store, grab one or two things, pay for them, and get the hell out,” I said. “Simple, easy, and quick.”

Missy rolled her eyes. “You sound like a dude. That’s how they shop.”

“I think they’re on to something.”

“Bite your tongue,” she said, sounding scandalized.

“Maybe I should just wear the red dress again?” I suggested.

“He’s seen you in that twice already.”

“So?”

“So, it’s too early in this relationship for you to stop trying,” Missy said firmly. “You need to buy a couple of new things, especially since your style has changed a little.”

“I don’t have the money to spend on a new wardrobe.”

“You’re thrifty, aren’t you?”

“My thrift has a purpose,” I pointed out. “I work and save so that I can collect money to travel, not to blow on clothes.”

“I feel as though in this instance, clothes are more important right now.”

I laughed. “Please…”

“If you’re having money trouble, you could always ask your parents?”

“No,” I said firmly. “Not a chance. I don’t want to be a drain on their resources.”

“I doubt they would think of it that way.”

“Of course, they wouldn’t,” I said. “But they’ve done a lot for me. They worked extra hard to make sure that I wouldn’t feel poverty the way they did. Now that I’m out of their house, I want to be able to stand on my own two feet without having to ask them for help.”