Mimi did a twirl. “You think so?”
The dress almost looked like armor, and yet it had movement. Small bronze discs, each about the size of a silver dollar, were linked together by tiny loops of metal. A nude lining made the dress look sheer, but it really wasn’t, meaning nothing showed where the gaps between the discs were.
The dress defined Mimi’s shape without being vulgar. The spaghetti straps and straight neckline showed some skin, but not too much. The hem hit right above her knees.
“It’s perfect. It shows off your figure without being cheap. And it’sinteresting. Likeyou,” Harper emphasized.
Mimi was all smiles. “Thanks. It is kind of different, right?”
“Very different. That’s the kind of dress that will get mentioned on social media. Who’s the designer?”
Mimi shook her head. “Someone I never heard of. Someone new.”
“How are you styling it?”
Mimi shrugged. “I guess some high heels?”
That felt expected to Harper and expected was boring. Expected didn’t get talked about and Mimi needed good press. “What about those tall black stiletto boots you have? And a black boyfriend blazer. I know you have one of those. The Dolce & Gabbana one with the leopard liner.”
Mimi made a face. “Boots and a blazer? Don’t you think that will cover most of the dress up?”
“You’re showing a lot of skin in that dress already, even though I know it’s lined, you look nude underneath. I think the jacket and boots will give you a more powerful look.” Power was something Mimi always talked about. How she never felt like she had any. How the men around her controlled everything. “You could at least try it.”
Mimi nodded quickly. “I like the idea of looking more powerful. Hang on. I’ll get the jacket and boots.”
She disappeared again, returning with both items in hand. She sat to put the boots on, then stood, slipped into the jacket and backed up so Harper could see her.
Harper smiled. “I love that. It’s sexy and powerful and interesting and not a person in that building will be able to look at anything but you. This is an outfit that will get talked about.”
Mimi laughed. “Well, who could ask for more than that? Thank you so much. I feel ready now. I really do.”
“You’re going toslay.”
Mimi shot both fists into the air. “Slay all day!”
“I’ll be watching,” Harper said.
“Thanks. For everything,” Mimi said. She returned to her chair. “I’ll talk to you soon, all right?”
“Yep.”
“Have fun on your vacation! Bye-bye!”
“Bye.” Harper tapped the button to exit the call and sat back. Was that what she was doing? Vacationing?
She guessed it was. In a way. But vacations came to an end. And that was something she wasn’t ready to think about.
ChapterThirty
Frankie closed her laptop, pleased with the amount of work she’d gotten done. She was less pleased about how long she’d been sitting. She stood up, stretched, and decided that much inactivity was not a good thing.
She felt her age. She needed to move. To get some exercise. She might need the money these illustrations would bring in, but she couldn’t sacrifice her health and mental wellbeing by spending her entire summer vacation doing nothing else.
“Come on, Archie. Let’s see if your mama is ready to go for that walk. It’ll do all three of us good.”
Archie got to his feet, did a slow, downward-facing dog stretch, then came to stand beside Frankie. He smiled, tongue out, ready to go wherever she was going.
She grinned at him, giving him some pets. “You’re such a sweet boy. If I could afford it, I’d get a doggy just like you.”
