Chapter 46 – Mindy #3
The pink dress is indeed very edgy. It has an empire waistline, and the bottom half is completely shredded, flashing skin every time I move. Luckily there are tiny matching shorts that cover my lady bits.
“It’s super cool,” I tell Gianna. “Maybe a movie star could pull this off, but I don’t think it’s for me.”
“I agree,” she says, bobbing her head. “Let’s see what crazy thing Tora has to say about it.”
He doesn’t disappoint. Covering his mouth, he says, “Oh my. It’s giving…” He draws out the last word, rolling his hand in the air while he thinks. “It’s giving Barbie doing the walk of shame after a one-night stand with a rabid hedgehog.”
Gianna and I double over with laughter, and even Tilak cracks a smile, his eyes crinkling behind his glasses.
“What do we have left?” Tora asks.
“Just the white Grecian style,” Gianna replies over her shoulder as we retreat back into the dressing room.
“Oooh, another white one. I’m excited,” he calls.
I stare at the last dress on the silver rack. It’s absolutely stunning, but I’m not sure about it. Until I put it on.
The neckline comes up into a point beneath the hollow of my throat, where a matte gold ring slips through the fabric and snaps around my neck.
The bottom hem falls below my knees, and a wide gold belt cinches my waist to accentuate my hourglass figure.
Slits rise on each side, stopping just below my hipbones.
“Dear. God,” Gianna breathes, and I nod, unable to think of any words today because I think I’m in love.
She follows me out into the staging room, and Tora and Tilak both gasp. Like honest to goodness gasps with their hands over their hearts.
Tilak makes a circle in the air for me to turn, and do, making one full rotation. Tora holds up one hand as if about to make a proclamation.
“It’s giving…”
We all wait with bated breath until he pitches his voice up about eight octaves and sings, “Goddess.” Complete with jazz hands.
A grin spreads across my face. “I literally feel like a goddess in this dress.”
“So this is the one?” he squeals.
“This is the one.”
He does a little wiggle dance. “Devereaux and I worked on this design for weeks. We debated on the fabric forever because this style is generally made with something flowier, but he insisted he wanted to try it with a luxe fabric.” He fingers the dress almost reverently.
“This is a raw Eri silk imported from India, made by the Philosamia ricini species of silkworm.”
He and Tilak begin circling me like fashion-obsessed predators, assessing as they speak back and forth. “Gold matte shoes,” Tilak mumbles. “Open-toed.”
“Yes, and hair up because her shoulders are so feminine.”
“We should probably take up this bottom hemline by about an inch so it falls more naturally.”
“She’ll definitely have to go commando because these slits go all the way up to her yes ma’am.”
“Agreed. We’ll need gold earrings that match the choker and belt.”
Tora taps his lips and looks up at me. “Hmm, a dusting of gold shimmer across her cheeks and maybe some gold extensions in her hair.”
I meet Gianna’s gaze with wide eyes, and she shakes her head like, “This is normal, just let them go.”
People start appearing almost out of nowhere, like they dropped from the ceiling like Tom Cruise in that Mission Impossible movie. The fabric fairies return with stacks of shoe boxes and jewelry while a seamstress puts me on the center pedestal thing and starts pinning the hem of my dress.
Thirty minutes later, we’re back in the limo sipping champagne in celebration. Gianna had handed over her dress that needed some seamstress work, and they assured us they would have our dresses and my accessories delivered to our hotel by tomorrow at noon.
“Well, that was fun!” Tora chirps. “Let’s do it again next week.”
I groan. “You exhaust me, mister man.”
“Oh, I never get to play stylist. I’m always slaving away in the dungeons, helping Devereaux select the proper threads and notions for our creations.”
Gianna rolls her eyes. “There is no dungeon at Bouvier, you goofball.”
Tora scoffs. “Excuse me, ma’am. Have you been to the mail room?” He shudders comically.
Gianna and I burst into laughter, but Tora is unimpressed with our hilarity. “I’m starving. What are we eating tonight?”
“We’re planning to go somewhere family friendly for dinner,” Gianna says to me. “If you’re okay with that, you and Remi are welcome to join us.”
“Oh, we’re supposed to eat with his mom.”
Gianna’s face lights up. “I adore Ophelia. You know how I told you a bunch of the society women are sometimes ugly to me?”
I nod and Tora mutters, “Jealous, gold-digging hags.”
Gianna giggles and continues. “Well, Ophelia is not one of them. She’s genuinely one of the kindest women I know.”
“I get that,” I say. “She’s been nothing but nice to me and seemed really glad when she saw Remi and I holding hands this morning.”
“When I said keep your circle close, definitely include Remi’s mom in that circle.”
I cross my legs and relax into the seat, taking a sip of my champagne. I love Gianna and Tora, and I hope Remi is up for eating with the Bouvier clan tonight so I can get to know them better.