I laughed. “Will you come with me?”
“Of course,” Leah nodded. “I would have come whether you wanted me there or not.”
“We’re going to have to go through your suitcases to pick something,” Leah pointed. “Do you know in which bag you packed your formal wear?”
“Formal wear,” I repeated. “Who am I, the Duchess of Cambridge? I don’t own formal wear. I own a couple of dresses that I can dress up, but that’s as far as it goes.”
“Fine, fine,” Leah said impatiently. “Let’s see what we can do… consider me your fairy Godmother for tonight. It’s my duty to make sure you look ravishing.”
“No need to overdo it,” I said. “I still don’t know what I want out of this night.”
“Meaning you don’t know if you want to make him eat his heart out or if you want to fuck his brains out?” Leah asked.
&n
bsp; I rolled my eyes at her description. “That’s quite the summation.”
“Just call me Ms. Eloquent.”
We got to work, looking through all my packed boxes and suitcases to try and find the perfect thing to wear, but in the end, Leah vetoed everything I held up for her inspection.
“You know what?” she said. “Forget this. You hop in the shower, do your makeup and wait for me.”
“Where are you going?”
“I’m going back to my hotel,” Leah replied. “To dip into my own luggage… I think I have the perfect dress for you.”
“That’s completely unnecessary—”
“Don’t even bother arguing with me,” Leah said firmly. “We’re doing this my way. I need to change and get ready too if I’m coming with you anyway, so it works out. I’ll be back in about an hour or so with your outfit.”
“Ok,” I said, deciding to let Leah guide me here.
While she was gone, I hopped into the shower and had a nice long bath. Then I blow dried my hair to a glossy sheen, put on my makeup, making sure to keep it simple and classy, then I slipped on an oversized t-shirt and went to the living room to wait for Leah. She took one hour and forty minutes and by the time she walked in I was impatient and very nervous.
“Where were you?” I asked.
“Sorry,” Leah said. “It took longer than I expected.”
She had slipped on a black mini with wedge heels. It was an understated and slightly forgettable look, but I had a feeling she had done that purely for my benefit. I took the dress she handed to me and stared at it. It was a strapless white dress with a small V at the neckline that I was sure would highlight my cleavage. The dress itself was figure-hugging, with a hemline that toed the line between modest and mini.
“Don’t you think this is a little much for an art exhibition?” I asked.
“Nope,” Leah said shortly. “Put it on.”
I went into my room and slipped it on. I had to call Leah in to zip me up at the back, but once she had finished I had to admit, her choice had been spot on. The dress was simple, and the color was inconspicuous. But perhaps therein lied its charm. It hugged my figure perfectly and accentuated what little cleavage I had. It made my legs look a foot longer than they really were and it made me stand out without trying too hard.
“Wow,” I said, staring at my reflection in the mirror.
“Told you,” Leah nodded. “You have to learn to trust me.”
I smiled. “I will never doubt you again.”
“Shall we?”
I gulped and nodded. “Let’s go.”
By the time we got to the gallery it was almost ten o’clock, and the place seemed relatively crowded. People were milling around holding champagne and wine as they chatted with one another and took in the artwork that had been displayed around the gallery.