"I’ve never had one. I always wanted one as a kid. And I never had the space in any of my Manhattan living situations. This place is big enough. I could have three and just sprawl out on them."
"You are very easy to please," Garrett said against my neck.
I snorted. "You got me off in like three minutes this morning. I am a simple, simple creature." I sipped my drink. "This is nice. This is exactly what I needed."
"I know you said you’re simple," Garrett said after a moment. "But I did have an actual plan for this evening."
"A party?"
"A charity ball."
"You want me to be your bland socialite plus-one at a charity ball?" I said with a laugh.
"Not if you’re going to be that way about it," he said.
"Are you kidding? Of course I want to!" I exclaimed. "A sexy cocktail dress, smoky eye makeup—I'm down!"
"Well, too bad, it’s not a bland function—it’s a costume ball."
"Even better. Oh, shoot! I should have bought something at the costume shop," I said. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"This is a little more high-end. I had costumes shipped over here," Garrett said with a slight smirk.
"You did?" I said, jumping up.
"They’re in the master bedroom."
"Is this some ruse to get under my skirt?" I asked, hands on my hips.
"I mean, always, but no, there is legitimately an outfit in there. And mine as well."
Leading me to the master suite, Garrett opened the closet. It was legitimately bigger than any of the Manhattan apartments I’d stayed in.
"Geez, you have a lot of suits," I said, running my hands through the perfectly ordered racks of clothes.
"Can’t have too many suits."
A deep-purple dress on a padded hanger swung from a wooden hook in a wardrobe. Garrett handed it to me.
"Hopefully this fits. I got your measurements from Dottie when she was making the costumes."
The dark-purple dress had a Spanish influence, with ruching and black-lace edging.
"Bathroom is through there," Garrett said.
The bathroom was even more impressive than the closet. It had a huge tub. Just to see if I could, I stepped in and stretched out full-length.
"It would be like a coffin except it’s a tub," I said aloud.
"What?" Garrett yelled through the door. "Does the dress fit? If it doesn’t, there is a limited time frame to make other arrangements."
"I can’t tell if you care if it fits or if you’re trying to find an excuse to watch me get dressed," I said. "These things take time. I have to do my hair and makeup first."
Because the dress had a Spanish vibe, I put my hair half up in a side bun. Then I did heavy, dramatic makeup with a smoky eye. Satisfied, I shimmied into the dress. It had a built-in bra. I was a little worried it wouldn’t hold everything up. Especially with all the cake I’d been eating, I was extra busty.
"I think you need to help lace me up," I said, opening the bathroom door.
Garrett came over to me and laced up the corset. I adjusted the dress then slipped on the black stiletto heels.
