Nothing could’ve prepared me for what I see, and with that, her desperate cries for help make perfect sense.
“What the hell?”
Hollis is standing in front of her bed, her dress halfway up her body like it’s eating her alive. Something has gone terribly wrong as the ruched fabric bunches up around her torso, just below herribs while the sleeves somehow hold her arms hostage straight above her head as though she’s stuck in a straight jacket.
My gaze drops lower, because, well, I’m a man and I can’t quite help myself.
The only thing covering her from the waist down is a thin pair of black lace panties that leave very little to the imagination , her ass cheeks out on full display.
I force myself to look away. She’s in a vulnerable position and I refuse to be that guy.
“What happened?” I ask, tilting my head to the side, doing my best to give her at least some semblance of privacy and respect.
“What do you think happened?” she asks, helplessly wiggling. "I'm stuck!”
“Okay, so what can I do?” I ask, hoping to balance the fine line of being helpful without coming across like some overly eager creep.
“Get me out of it,” she huffs. “Duh!”
Letting out a breath, I move toward her. “Okay, so I’m going to—” I start.
“Fletch. Stop overthinking and just get this thing off me,” she directs, trying to come across as threatening, but given her state, it’s a little hard to take her seriously.
Nodding, I place my hands on the soft fabric and do my best to lift it up the rest of the way. Okay, so it’s not just her being a drunken klutz. This thing really is stuck.
Taking a step back, I reassess the situation until I finally find the culprit. The zipper is stuck. With a few strong and not-so-graceful tugs, it finally gives way. With a sigh of relief, I grab the hem of the dress and carefully slide it up over her sides and over her head.
Not exactly how I hoped my first time undressing her would go, but at least she’s now free.
“You did it!” Hollis celebrates as she turns to face me, completely bra-less as I’m given the perfect view of her round, perky breasts.
“Shit, Hollis,” I curse, closing my eyes as I turn, even if I’m pretty sure that image will forever be seared into my brain.
“Oh, come on. It’s nice like you haven’t seen a pair of tits before,” she scoffs.
She’s not wrong. I’ve seen more than my fair share, but hers… hers are by far my favorite. I just wish it had been under different circumstances. I highly doubt sober Hollis would be as cool with me getting a glimpse of what I just saw.
“So, you all good now?” I ask, turning to face the door.
“Yeah. I have it from here,” she says. A loud yawn follows, then a soft thump—one I can only assume is her falling onto the bed.
I dream of knowing what Hollis looks like, practically nude and sprawled out on the bed, but I refuse to let my mind go there or contemplate what’s happening behind me.
“In that case, I’m thinking it’s officially time you go to bed, and I head out,” I say, desperate to make my escape.
I know myself, and would never take advantage of her, but, if she remembers this in the morning, I’m going to guess she’s going to have some regrets. I don’t want to give her any reason to add more to that list.
“Fine,” she sighs dramatically. I hear the sheets wrestling as she seems to pull herself under the covers. “I’m decent now.”
I’m scared to look, but I do it anyway, slowly glancing over my shoulder. Relief surges through me when I find her with a large white comforter pulled up over her chest.
She still looks sexy as hell, but at least I no longer feel like I’m doing something naughty just by looking in her direction—well, mostly. My body is certainly reacting to the image, but at least not like before.
“Okay, well, you have a good night, okay?” I suggest, inwardly cringing at how pathetic I sound.
Did I really just say that? It sounds like something I’d say to my nana, but Hollis has thrown me off my game.
She smiles. “You too, Fletch. Thanks for saving me, and for all the drinks. It was actually pretty fun. I don’t think I’ve let loose like that in a really long time.”
