---9---
"I don't think this could possibly look worse," Kate said with frustration to a salesgirl in Baron's. She had previously tried on four dresses, and was now five for five.
"Ms. Roberts, that's exactly how the dress was supposed to look," the salesgirl replied with a cold attitude, her nose straight up in the air. "We only got six of them, and the other five flew off the rack before we could blink, but I suppose it does require a certain...taste."
"OK, A) don't use the phrase 'off the rack' in my presence if you ever want me shopping here again, B) I won't buy this dress because it's cut all wrong, the color is atrocious and it saddens me to think that there are five idiots in this world who don't know that." She dropped the dress in a clump on the counter, applied her shades and walked out.
Another salesgirl approached. "What are you doing? Do you have any idea what kind of commission you could've made off her?!?!"
She grabbed an espresso from Java and sat at a nearby table. Dropping her bags, she exhaled loudly, and flipped her hair back from her face. Searching for the perfect fall weekend wardrobe was an excruciating process. I wish this could just be over already, she thought. Over. It echoed in her mind as she stirred the contents of her cup. A tricky word that sounded so defined, but couldn't be further from it. Her phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Hey, it's me. What're you up to?" Roman asked.
"Hi, I'm just at Java Cafe grabbing my daily dose of caffeine. Then it's back to shopping."
"Mind if I join you? I just wrapped a case, so I'm calling it a day."
"You want to shop with me?" she said completely astonished.
"I want to do everything with you," he replied.
"Smooth."
"Yeah, dya' like that one?"
She laughed. "OK, well I'll be in Ballistix."
"Gotcha'. Be there in a few."
She downed her coffee, collected her things, and scooted off to her next destination.
Ten minutes later, she found herself back at square one: coming up empty- handed in a dressing room. With a large "no" pile on the floor, she picked up her last hope, a black off-the-shoulder cocktail dress she spotted in the window on her way in. She zipped it up and stepped out into the store to utilize the mirror. She wasn't sure about the final results, and made a face.
"Buy it," she heard and looked up to see Roman in the mirror behind her.
"I don't know," she replied still looking in the mirror.
"Well, if you don't, I will."
"Something tells me you wouldn't look much better," she replied in a smug tone.
He laughed, "You're probably right."
"So, do you wanna go to lunch or something?"
"Well...I'm not particularly hungry, so how 'bout you tell me a little more about this 'or something'?"
"How 'bout you help me shop and we'll see..." She started to walk back into the dressing room, but stopped when she noticed his closeness behind her.
Spinning around, she asked, "What're you doing?"
"Helping you shop," he answered in a mischievous tone. He was so close, he was practically pushing her back into the fitting room with him.
"You can't come in here."
"Says who?"
"Roman, someone will see you."
He looked around the room. One saleslady was ringing up a customer across the room. The other was grabbing her things to leave. "Nope. Coast is clear."
"Roman, stop. You can't." She put her hands to his chest, pushing him out the door. Him, being the stronger one of the two, won the battle.
Once inside with the door closed, he threw the lock. Kate began protesting in a low, hushed voice. Roman motioned with his hands for her to turn around. She gave up the fight that she didn't particularly want to win and let him unzip the back of her dress. He began by kissing her neck down to her shoulder. He slid the dress off and massaged her back softly with his hands. She relaxed, her head tilted to one side, eyes closed. She exhaled deeply as he moved lower, kneading with his hands over her lower back and waist. This was an intensity that neither of them could break away from. After he reached around, unsnapping her bra, she once again realized where they were, and being the sensible one, turned around.
"Roman," she whispered. "We can't do this here."
He stared into her eyes, then kissed the side of her face, moving to her ear to whisper back, "If we're together, we can do anything." How did he always do this to her? Knowing some of the most cultured, well-bread, powerful men in the world, how, she wondered, could such a simple man, who has lived such a basic life thrill her like no one she's ever known? Once again, her mind told her to put a stop to this. Not just this potentially damaging social situation, but this closeness to someone that took away her control.
Everything else inside her said something completely different. She wrapped her arms around his neck and together they fell into a kiss beyond any of their experiences.
Ten minutes and many intimate moments later, they slyly slipped out of the dressing room and headed straight for the counter. Kate ran a brush through her hair and Roman cleared his throat, both looking around to see if anyone had picked up on their little secret. The saleslady's refusal to make eye contact gave them their answer. Kate's phone rang shortly after, and she was soon rambling about business to one of the company's accountants right up until they left the store, slightly lowering the level of awkwardness.
He laughed quietly to himself after he had walked her to her car.
"What?"
"They knew," he said as he loaded her bags into the backseat.
"No, they didn't," she tried convincing herself out loud.
"Come on!"
"God, I can never go back in there again," she closed her eyes and covered her face with her hand, smiling.
"Sure you can. If you have a platinum credit card, they don't care what you do."
"Roman, you're killin' me." She threw on her shades, and glanced at her watch. "Geez, it's only four o'clock and I'm already tired. God, I can't wait to go away next week." She gave him a short, but deep kiss. "I have to go. Dinner plans with Lucas."
"OK," he said. "Give me a call if you get a chance."
"I will," she said with a smile, kissed him quickly, and got into her car.
"Oh, and Kate." She looked up at him. "Thanks for letting me tag along. If anyone could get me to enjoy shopping, it'd be you."
She smiled again. "Anytime."
As she drove off, he stuffed his hands in his pockets, and mustered up a smile of his own.
"I don't think this could possibly look worse," Kate said with frustration to a salesgirl in Baron's. She had previously tried on four dresses, and was now five for five.
"Ms. Roberts, that's exactly how the dress was supposed to look," the salesgirl replied with a cold attitude, her nose straight up in the air. "We only got six of them, and the other five flew off the rack before we could blink, but I suppose it does require a certain...taste."
"OK, A) don't use the phrase 'off the rack' in my presence if you ever want me shopping here again, B) I won't buy this dress because it's cut all wrong, the color is atrocious and it saddens me to think that there are five idiots in this world who don't know that." She dropped the dress in a clump on the counter, applied her shades and walked out.
Another salesgirl approached. "What are you doing? Do you have any idea what kind of commission you could've made off her?!?!"
She grabbed an espresso from Java and sat at a nearby table. Dropping her bags, she exhaled loudly, and flipped her hair back from her face. Searching for the perfect fall weekend wardrobe was an excruciating process. I wish this could just be over already, she thought. Over. It echoed in her mind as she stirred the contents of her cup. A tricky word that sounded so defined, but couldn't be further from it. Her phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Hey, it's me. What're you up to?" Roman asked.
"Hi, I'm just at Java Cafe grabbing my daily dose of caffeine. Then it's back to shopping."
"Mind if I join you? I just wrapped a case, so I'm calling it a day."
"You want to shop with me?" she said completely astonished.
"I want to do everything with you," he replied.
"Smooth."
"Yeah, dya' like that one?"
She laughed. "OK, well I'll be in Ballistix."
"Gotcha'. Be there in a few."
She downed her coffee, collected her things, and scooted off to her next destination.
Ten minutes later, she found herself back at square one: coming up empty- handed in a dressing room. With a large "no" pile on the floor, she picked up her last hope, a black off-the-shoulder cocktail dress she spotted in the window on her way in. She zipped it up and stepped out into the store to utilize the mirror. She wasn't sure about the final results, and made a face.
"Buy it," she heard and looked up to see Roman in the mirror behind her.
"I don't know," she replied still looking in the mirror.
"Well, if you don't, I will."
"Something tells me you wouldn't look much better," she replied in a smug tone.
He laughed, "You're probably right."
"So, do you wanna go to lunch or something?"
"Well...I'm not particularly hungry, so how 'bout you tell me a little more about this 'or something'?"
"How 'bout you help me shop and we'll see..." She started to walk back into the dressing room, but stopped when she noticed his closeness behind her.
Spinning around, she asked, "What're you doing?"
"Helping you shop," he answered in a mischievous tone. He was so close, he was practically pushing her back into the fitting room with him.
"You can't come in here."
"Says who?"
"Roman, someone will see you."
He looked around the room. One saleslady was ringing up a customer across the room. The other was grabbing her things to leave. "Nope. Coast is clear."
"Roman, stop. You can't." She put her hands to his chest, pushing him out the door. Him, being the stronger one of the two, won the battle.
Once inside with the door closed, he threw the lock. Kate began protesting in a low, hushed voice. Roman motioned with his hands for her to turn around. She gave up the fight that she didn't particularly want to win and let him unzip the back of her dress. He began by kissing her neck down to her shoulder. He slid the dress off and massaged her back softly with his hands. She relaxed, her head tilted to one side, eyes closed. She exhaled deeply as he moved lower, kneading with his hands over her lower back and waist. This was an intensity that neither of them could break away from. After he reached around, unsnapping her bra, she once again realized where they were, and being the sensible one, turned around.
"Roman," she whispered. "We can't do this here."
He stared into her eyes, then kissed the side of her face, moving to her ear to whisper back, "If we're together, we can do anything." How did he always do this to her? Knowing some of the most cultured, well-bread, powerful men in the world, how, she wondered, could such a simple man, who has lived such a basic life thrill her like no one she's ever known? Once again, her mind told her to put a stop to this. Not just this potentially damaging social situation, but this closeness to someone that took away her control.
Everything else inside her said something completely different. She wrapped her arms around his neck and together they fell into a kiss beyond any of their experiences.
Ten minutes and many intimate moments later, they slyly slipped out of the dressing room and headed straight for the counter. Kate ran a brush through her hair and Roman cleared his throat, both looking around to see if anyone had picked up on their little secret. The saleslady's refusal to make eye contact gave them their answer. Kate's phone rang shortly after, and she was soon rambling about business to one of the company's accountants right up until they left the store, slightly lowering the level of awkwardness.
He laughed quietly to himself after he had walked her to her car.
"What?"
"They knew," he said as he loaded her bags into the backseat.
"No, they didn't," she tried convincing herself out loud.
"Come on!"
"God, I can never go back in there again," she closed her eyes and covered her face with her hand, smiling.
"Sure you can. If you have a platinum credit card, they don't care what you do."
"Roman, you're killin' me." She threw on her shades, and glanced at her watch. "Geez, it's only four o'clock and I'm already tired. God, I can't wait to go away next week." She gave him a short, but deep kiss. "I have to go. Dinner plans with Lucas."
"OK," he said. "Give me a call if you get a chance."
"I will," she said with a smile, kissed him quickly, and got into her car.
"Oh, and Kate." She looked up at him. "Thanks for letting me tag along. If anyone could get me to enjoy shopping, it'd be you."
She smiled again. "Anytime."
As she drove off, he stuffed his hands in his pockets, and mustered up a smile of his own.