Chapter 20
Nala stepped onto the porch, closing the door behind her instead of in Robin’s face. What the fuck! She had yet to see any of the people from the club outside of its confines. Yet here Robin was, dressed like she was ready to attend an expensive luncheon after Sunday Mass.
“You ready to go? Oh, didn’t you know I was coming? You’re dressed like…”
She looked up and down Nala’s ensemble, a simple hoodie and jeans combo.
“Never mind. Do you want to change before we go? I can wait in the car.”
Robin gestured to the Rolls-Royce idling on the street. Oh my God. What was going on?
“I… had no idea you were coming. Nor that you knew Varen.”
“She and Lucian have recently started doing business together. Varen called and asked if I would be able to take you out shopping for a day. Said you were… not so into it, but needed a new wardrobe… and thought maybe you’d like a friend to help?”
Nala couldn’t help but slightly grin. She’s ditzy, but she seems genuine.
If Nala had learned anything since moving back to Portland, it was that people could be faker than money sharks in Vegas.
But when you found a good soul who clicked with you – or as much as one could with Nala – it was best to hold on to them.
“It was very nice of you to come out here from…”
Robin perked up. “Oh! We live down on the South Waterfront. It wasn’t that far to come out this way. The bridges ain’t nothing this time of day.”
“I’m sure.” Nala pulled her hands out of her hoodie pocket and placed one on the door handle. “Give me a few minutes to put on some shopping clothes.” Whatever those were.
Robin went to wait in the heated car while Nala perused her slim selection of cute clothes. Cute clothes that wouldn’t leave her to freeze and drown in the rainy weather, anyway. Are jeans too uncouth? Most of hers were second-hand. So, probably.
The best she could do was her nicer work trousers and a dark blue blouse that made her look more chic than homeless. Please fit into the Portland aesthetic. It was her best bet because she could never hope to dress like Robin in her slinky red dress and bold makeup.
“Hey, girl, let’s go!” The car door opened and enticed Nala to come inside. “I know all the best shops. Ms. Lake gave me her credit card for safekeeping. You’re so lucky! Ten thousand spending limit!”
“Ten… thousand?” Nala had barely shut the door behind her and buckled her seatbelt when she heard the news. In the front seat sat a dapper man with white gloves and a black, flat-topped hat. The moment Robin told him to head Downtown, the car pulled away from the pot-reeking craftsman house.
“What? Does she usually give you less?”
“Well…”
“Hm.” Robin crossed her slender, waxed legs.
I need to shave mine. She started shortly before going to The Raven for the first time, and she still wasn’t used to it.
It was a miracle Varen never mentioned her stubble.
Yet here Nala was, staring at a woman’s smooth legs.
“No matter. We’ll get you squared away. She said that you have a big business dinner tomorrow night, and you need a new outfit. She also mentioned getting other similar outfits and some… well, you already know.”
Nala caught a hint of blush on Robin’s face. “No. What? She hasn’t told me anything other than something about a dinner.”
“Oh?” Robin’s lips were especially pretty when she formed that round letter. “She said you wanted to go to that lingerie boutique. You know, the one.”
“No, I don’t.”
“Um… okay.”
What are you doing? Don’t blow your cover, girl. “I don’t go shopping much.” Nala forced a placid countenance to save her friendship “And I only moved here a few months ago. So, I’m afraid I don’t know much about what’s available, shopping wise.”
“That explains a lot,” Robin muttered, studying Nala’s clothes again.
“You’re always done up so pretty – albeit simply – for the club. I figured it’s what your Mistress liked best, but now I see you are plain styled. Not that it’s a bad thing!”
She held up her long, manicured nails in defense.
“It really suits common styles around here. At least you’re not lumberjack-chic, though. There’s only so much I can do with that.”
Robin grinned. “I have a degree in fashion consultation and cosmetology, you know.”
“I had no idea.”
“Yup. That’s how I met Lucian.” Robin tossed her hair behind her shoulders as they approached a bridge into Downtown.
“His daughter is thinking about going into cosmetology and stopped by my school a long while ago. He came to pick her up while I was stepping out… the rest is history. Guess I’m his type to make him stop and look.”
“He has a daughter?”
“Yes. Eighteen, from his ex-girlfriend.”
“He doesn’t look old enough to be a father of a teen…”
“To be fair, the mother was close to the same age…”
“I see.” Teenage Lucian knocking up his equally teen girlfriend of the time didn’t seem too farfetched. “Do you get along well with her?”
Robin shrugged. “Well enough. She lives with her mother in Colorado, so I don’t see her much. I don’t really feel like a stepmother, which is fine with me. I’d rather be like a big sister.”
All right, that’s weird.
“Do you have kids? Or does Varen have kids?”
Nala pursed her lips. “I don’t have kids. We don’t have kids,” she corrected herself. I don’t think she has children. Did Varen want them? Did Desirée want them, and were they planning to have kids by thirty-five? They could afford it. Not many, like Nala, could say that.
“You two haven’t been together that long, have you?”
“What gave that away?”
“You’re both a bit reserved, even around each other. Plus, the way you both talk about the other is as if you’re talking about a distant roommate instead of someone you’ve been with for a long time. Not that it’s bad. It’s rather obvious that you’re still getting used to each other.”
“I suppose it hasn’t been that long in the realm of the world.”
It was about a month since they met, Nala falling down the stairs of The Raven and Varen grabbing her in time.
Everything changed after that. The Aviary.
The bondage. The sex. Nala always knew she liked it a little rough, a little dangerous – and Varen offered both.
Underneath that cool exterior lurked a beast waiting to take her to new heights.
Nala still didn’t know how to process it.
“So! First, I’m going to take you to my friend who is a personal stylist. I’ve already called ahead to her office. Since I don’t know you that well, Gale, I thought it best to get a professional opinion instead of going by intuition alone. You game?”
“Couldn’t be more game.” It sounded like torture, but Nala couldn’t be picky right now. If she had to choose, then a personal stylist was probably better than going by Robin’s tastes alone. I could not pull off her look. Varen would laugh before refusing to let Nala get in her car.
They pulled into a parking garage in the middle of Downtown, the driver letting out both Robin and Nala before the former took the latter by the arm.
Like a couple of perfect – albeit polar opposite – besties, they walked into a nearby building and took an elevator up a few floors.
When they stepped into a stylish, pristine office covered in gilded mirrors and marble tiles, Nala instantly noticed Varen’s building across the street.
For some reason, nerves took her stomach.
“Georgina!” Robin exchanged kisses on the cheek with a woman emerging from a back office.
Lacquered nails, tight stockings, stiletto heels, and a body full of Gucci took in Nala without a second look.
“This is my friend Nigh… Gale. This is Gale.”
She sent an apologetic look. We still don’t know each other’s real names.
“What can I do for you, Gale?” Georgina’s voice was buttery, reminding Nala of the fresh biscuits her mother used to pull out on rainy Sundays.
“She needs a new formal wardrobe,” Robin interrupted. “She’s got a big business dinner with the likes of Varen Lake tomorrow.” She removed Varen’s credit card from her wallet. “Ms. Lake will be taking care of all associated costs.”
“Ah.” Georgina snatched the card without a second thought. “This is good. Any instructions?” She still looked at Nala, but it was clear that her ear was open to Robin, the woman running this show – and running the cards coming in Georgina’s direction.
Robin produced a small, handwritten list of items she probably jotted while on the phone with Varen.
What were they saying about me? Did she really call this woman up to discuss my fashion sense?
Varen’s new business relationship with Lucian must have been good for the girls to be going out for shopping and new hair.
“She has asked for darker colors, particularly for the formal wear. Black, blues, some deep purples, and reds. She’s also made a point to ask for her hair to be cut no shorter than two inches, to account for any split ends.”
Nala picked up a clump of her hair and looked at the ends. Were they split? She had no idea. Most of these terms were like Greek to her.
“I can work with this.” Georgina tentatively extended her hand and fingered Nala’s hair before looking over her current clothes.
I bet she can tell how cheap they are… Not ideal in the least, but hey, Nala was here to spend Varen’s money, apparently.
“Yes. I know where to start. Meet me downstairs in fifteen minutes while I arrange things here with my assistant.”
Nala had never been on a shopping spree of this caliber before, and she wasn’t sure she could ever survive another one.
Boutiques, department stores, and even private collections from Portland designers sped by for the rest of the afternoon.
Nala’s tired legs carried her from one location to the next, where Georgina and Robin discussed what colors and cuts were best for her skin and frame.
They agreed that Varen had good tastes in colors.
The black, dark blues, and crimsons were the biggest hits, with a few white pieces a respectable distance behind.
They dressed her in body-hugging dresses, loose and tight bodices, and skirts that flared out above her knees.
Many gowns and skirts had to be tailored to her height – a first in Nala’s short life.