Something in Red
"Hello. I was wondering if you could help me. I am attending an embassy party tonight and I am looking for something in red. I don't usually wear red, but I think red is the way to go tonight. Now it can't be any red dress, no I really need it to knock a man dead. You see, this man, well he, he is the man I love. We have been getting closer and I want to look as beautiful as possible tonight. Can you help me?"
The young clerk looked at the trim woman and smiled, "Come with me. I think I know just what you need. I just got this new dress in and I think it would be perfect for you. It is strapless with some sequins. Go ahead and undress in here while I get the dress."
She waited for the clerk looking in the mirror at her frame. She was never conscious or had a problem with her body before. She knew she was still had a great figure for a woman with two growing boys, but for some reason tonight she wanted to be the only woman he would ever want to look at.
Looking at the dress the clerk had just brought her, she began to rethink her idea. The clerk saw a small glimmer of fear and went into action. "No, I saw that small glimmer of fear, I won't have it. You are so beautiful that this dress can only enhance all you have to offer this man."
She stood still as the clerk helped her with the dress, "Now, this back is made for any chest size. It is a corset style tie in the back so it can be as tight and fighting as you need, without the unbreathable confines that a corset has. He will be able to twirl, dip, and waltz if he chooses with you. Look for yourself, you look beautiful. Would like our boutique to also do you hair and makeup?"
"Thank you so much, but I think the dress is all I am going to need. I still have to go back to work after I leave here. I think this dress is exactly what I was looking for."
That evening as she walked in the embassy she saw him immediately. His back was to her. He was giving instructions to the other agents as to their duties. All the younger men that he was speaking to turned their attention to her as she walked closer to them; all of them turning their attention to her.
She blushed as he turned to see who or what was so important that made all nine men ignore him as he gave them their security details for the evening. He saw the blush rush from her neck to her face as his eyes skimmed over her.
"Hello, did I miss anything?" She asked in a soft voice. The agents at once all fell over themselves to let her know that she hadn't missed anything important. She smiled at them and then turned her attention to the man that she really wanted an answer from. She wasn't getting a read on him. She didn't miss his once over of her with his eyes before turning away with his agent persona in place.
"Okay, you all can put your eyes back in your head, it is only Amanda. You see her every day at the office. Now as I was saying…" He forged ahead handing out the security assignments and when he was done he turned to see Amanda walking out the French doors that lead to the courtyard. He headed her way just as Francine walked up asking if he had seen Billy. He explained the last time he saw Billy was with the Prime Minister.
He saw her standing at the courtyard steps. The sun was just beginning to set and the last of the day's rays hit the sequins as well as the diamond hair clasp, giving her the look of an Angel. He walked up behind her, placing his hands at her waist and his lips on her neck.
"You know it isn't fair when you dress like this at a working event."
"Why is that?"
"It's simple when you look this beautiful; I have a hell of a time doing my job. I am supposed to be protecting the Prime Minister's wife. How can I do that when I have to make sure no one is trying to take you from me?"
Something in Green
Slamming her station wagon in park, Amanda stormed into the small dress shop where she had bought her red dress just two months ago. The clerk remembered the woman that just stormed in and stood waiting for her to finish her sale. She saw controlled anger in her beautiful deep brown eyes. Smiling at the woman she said, "Hello, do you have another party to go to?"
"Yes, this one is just an afternoon garden party. I had a dress all ready but the cleaners lost it." Her short answer was nothing compared to the breathless explanation of two months ago. The clerk recognized more than Amanda realized as she guided her to the fitting room. She undressed and waited for the clerk then was surprised that all the garden cocktail dresses in her arms were the color of green.
"I know I said it was a garden party, but that didn't mean I wanted to blend in with the shrubbery."
"I don't you could ever blend in at any function. Something tells me you stand out at events and if I understand your tense body language, it tells me that someone will be at this party that used to be involved with Mister Red Dress, correct?"
Amanda picked her nails and looked at the floor. She didn't think she was that transparent. "If I am so transparent to you, why is he clueless?"
"Well, in my opinion it is because God gave men two heads and only enough blood to function one at a time. It just isn't always the only on top of their shoulders. Could she only be a friend?"
"She is a friend, but she was something more at one time." She admitted.
"Then I think that this jade dress, pumps, and purse are just what you need. Just don't be too hard on him when he comes back around."
Francine arrived to find Amanda talking with Billy. She was amazed at how her fashion had improved in the last three years since working at the agency. It made her feel pretty good to see Amanda looking more the part of an agent than that frumpy housewife wardrobe that she insisted on in the office.
"Amanda, don't you look nice, dear." Francine said.
"Thank you, Francine. Have you seen Lee? I have a message for him."
"No, but I need to get with him when he does arrive. He left his tie at my place the other night when he was there preparing for today."
"I'll be sure to tell him." Amanda stormed off without really paying attention to where she was going. She turned a corner and ran right into Fred.
"Fred, I am so sorry, I never even saw you." She apologized.
"That is okay, I saw you and you can run me over anytime you want." Fred responded to her.
"Fred isn't statements like that the kind that get you visits to HR for sexual harassment?" Lee asked as he walked up seeing his girlfriend in the arms of another man, not any man but a buffoon of a man.
"Calm down, Stetson, she didn't take me seriously and besides she is only your partner."
"Partners back each other up, that is what I am doing."
"Lee can I talk to you for a minute in private? I have a message from Mr. Melrose." Amanda saw that look of raw jealously in his eyes and started to wonder if she had misunderstood what she saw the other night.
"Sure, see you later Fred." Lee waited until Fred was out of ear shot before he tore into Amanda. "What the hell are you doing in the arms of Fred Fielder? Not only in his arms but dressed like that?"
"You have no room to talk about clothing choices! At least I still have my clothes on, unlike you who left his tie at Francine's! In case you're wondering I saw you two together at Randy's, on the dance floor, while you kissed her."
Lee smiled at her and pulled her in his arms and said, "Did we look this?" He whispered in her ear.
She shivered as she felt his breath touch pass her ear, "Yes, just like this."
Moving to her neck Lee whispered, "Well, this is the perfect way of passing information to someone if you don't want to be heard by everyone in the bar. I did take my tie off at her place when we were going over plans for today and she needed some advice about an ex of hers that has been coming around, you know, like a brother."
"Yeah, well if memory serves me correctly, your past relationship with Francine isn't in a brotherly form now is it?"
"No, no it isn't. My past with her is anything but brotherly. It has gone from flirtation, to a time together as lovers, and then it was and has only been friendly and brotherly. I don't know if you know this or not, but I have been seeing this amazing woman for a while now and it is kind of cute when she gets jealous. It makes me feel less weird about all the men I get jealous over."
Something in White
She drove around in the January snow and slush as she made her way to just about every boutique in the Georgetown and DC area. Tuning down a side street she saw the familiar building, thinking to herself that if this place didn't have what she needed then she was just out of luck.
"Hello. I haven't seen you lately. How are things going?" The young clerk was now a mother to be.
Holding her left hand up, Amanda proudly displayed the shiny diamond on her finger. "Things are going really well, except we are getting married in a little less two weeks and I have nothing to wear. We are just going to a justice of the peace so I don't need anything like a traditional gown, but I do really want something in white still."
"I have some wonderful pieces for you to try on. You know where the dressing room is at. You can just go back and I will go get them for you."
Five minutes later, Amanda was in the process of trying on different styles of dresses, but it seemed that none seemed right for her. She was just about to concede when the young clerk came in holding a garment bag over her arm.
"Okay, I have found your wedding attire. It is in this bag. I am asking that you trust me. It is a very nice white dress suit, which has a skirt not pants. I want you to not look at it until you are getting ready for your ceremony."
"Are you sure?" Amanda asked.
"Let me ask you this, have I been wrong yet? I may be making a big assumption here but you are marrying Mr. Red Dress, right?"
Amanda didn't even have to say a word to confirm her suspicions. "I trust you very much and I promise I will not look until I am getting ready."
The knock on the door startled her out of her thoughts as she heard Lee said, "Amanda, he is going to leave."
She opened the door stepping out and adjusting her jacket.
"You look beautiful." Lee said as he handed her a bouquet of simple yet colorful flowers.
"You do too." Smiling she ran her fingers over his tie, still not fully believing that not only was she getting married again but it was to Lee Stetson.
Something in Blue
She felt foolish. She was sitting in her car in the middle of the hot July afternoon while her son of seven months slept peacefully in the cool air conditioned Jeep. She was about to pull away when she saw the clerk of the dress shop redecorating the window display. Amanda thought it couldn't hurt to go in and say hello at least. She was so friendly.
The clerk saw her sitting in the car and wondered if she was going to come in. She noticed car seat that was in the back of the Jeep and already had an idea of what the nice customer was in need for. She was hopeful that she would come in.
The chimes above the door alerted one of the other clerks in the shop but Amanda just smiled as she walked toward the clerk in the window.
"Hello. Do you remember me?" Amanda asked as she carefully placed the still sleeping baby on her shoulder.
"Of course I remember you. I must admit I can see why you haven't been in a so long. He looks very handsome."
"He has his father's eyes and his chin, by the way, what did you have? The last time I was here you were pregnant."
"I had twin boys. I am currently working on baby number three. I am about nine weeks along. I take it from the size of him, it is time for some new bedroom attire, am I right?"
"Yes, I am looking for something in blue today. Lee loves me in blue." Her eyes seemed hopeful today.
"Then blue it is. I have some great pieces over here to the left, let me show you."
Amanda looked at all the beautiful gowns and teddies but she didn't think she could wear them. She was still very conscious of her scar and ever since William was two months, Lee hadn't seemed all that excited about their alone time.
"You don't seem to like anything I have here today. I'm sorry." The clerk felt bad.
"No, no I love it all actually. I just don't know how comfortable I would be in any of it. You see, I was accidently shot and almost died on our honeymoon. I have a lovely scar on my chest to prove it." Amanda moved her shirt over to show the clerk.
The clerk just smiled, "I would like to point out that if he is here then I am sure your husband has seen this scare before and it didn't turn him away."
Looking away to check on her son that was resting on the small couch in the dressing room, Amanda sadly admitted, "Well, I have to admit that in the past few months, Lee hasn't had a lot of interest in me it seems. It is strange before we married and after I had healed we had an almost a teenage like response to one another. We couldn't get enough of one another. Even when I was pregnant, it seemed he wanted me more than before. Recently, it seems like both of us are just going through the motions."
The clerk left and quickly came back with dark blue satin and laced, spaghetti strapped, lower cut night gown with a matching lace robe. "Try this one. My mother told me after I had the twins that things would be different with my husband. I didn't believe her. They are as you should know already from your two older children. We get tired, our bodies take so long to get back to whatever our new normal is, and routines are adjusted. You just have to realize you aren't the only one that had a baby. He did too. He may be thinking he might hurt you, that your body isn't ready for what you had before."
Amanda smiled at the clerk and followed her to the register to pay for her purchases with hopes that her streak wouldn't run out and the clerk would be right. She arrived at home to find her mother and stepfather sitting at the table drinking coffee. "Okay, give him up." Kurt said.
"Yes, we have him already packed and ready to spend the next few days with us at the cabin. Now don't worry about anything and let Lee know that we know he wanted to see his son, but we were talking and we think he needs to see you first."
Later after dinner, Amanda slipped away from Lee as he watched the evening news. She went and showered then pulling out her latest purchase she began to prepare her mission of taking back her husband. She walked into the living room, took the remote from his hand and turned the television off. She walked to the records and pulled out a romantic jazz record.
Lee watched as his wife walked across the room to find a record. The dark blue satin simmered as she walked. He stood to follow her and as she turned he heard her suck in her breath at finding him so near to her.
"May I have this dance?" He took her in his arms and stayed wrapped in her embrace until the sun broke through their bedroom window the next morning.
Something in Red
"It is our tenth wedding anniversary. We are having a party with all of our friends and family. I can't believe we have been married for ten years. I still find myself in awe of him. He has his moments, but I guess you could say I do too as well. We go to high functions all the time, but I really need something that is going to make him see less wrinkles and curves, that I didn't have when we met."
"You know I have the perfect dress for you. Being that this is the season of Valentines, I just received a full load of red dresses. Maybe Mr. I Love Blue needs reminded of how you look in red."
Smiling at her statement Amanda responded by saying, "Lead the way."
In the dressing room Amanda fell in love with the very first dress. "I'll take this one."
"Really, I thought you might but I wanted to be sure. Are you sure you don't want to see the others?"
"No, no this is it. Thank you so much." Amanda went and paid for her dress and after Amanda had left the clerk had been cleaning the dressing room when she found an envelope resting on the couch. She opened the envelope to find an invitation to the party. She marked her calendar. She was ready to meet this man.
The woman arrived at the hotel and as she and her husband walked into the ballroom, she was surprised to see her own father and mother in the room. She was headed for them when she noticed the decorations about the room, trains, red Shriner hats, scarecrows and crowns. Her father noticed her and asked, "Casey, what are you doing here?"
"I was invited by one of my customers. I have had this customer for years."
"Ladies and Gentlemen, if you would please take your seats I would like to introduce the couple of the hour, my mother and father, Amanda and Lee Stetson." William handed the microphone back to his older brother, Jamie.
Casey watched as Lee came out in a very well fitting tux from the right side of the room while Amanda entered in from the left. Her hair was resting in a French twist. She wore a strand of pearls and Casey saw as Lee took his first glimpse of his wife in her new dress. His breath caught and as the music started Lee took her hand, bringing it to his lips as his other arm slipped to her waist ; feeling her bare skin at the small of her back.
Casey tore her eyes from the couple and looked at the scarecrow on her table. Leaning into her father, "Daddy, this is Scarecrow and Mrs. King?"
"Yes, they have been one of my finest agents."
"You told mommy so many stories of their love story. You saw it from the beginning didn't you?"
"Yes, theirs is a story that is beyond time." Billy watched the couple dancing and smiled.
"I love you Mrs. Stetson, your dress is beautiful, but it has never been the dresses that have made you attractive, it was always the woman in the dress that made them shine."