Time for a couple of girlfriends to go shopping...

As she reread Booth's text about the party they were to attend during the upcoming weekend, Brennan groaned in frustration. "Festive casual? What does that even mean?"

After conducting some rather extensive internet searches and coming up with few concrete answers, she decided to consult a more reliable source of information.

Five minutes later, she was standing in the doorway of Angela's office, nervously chewing her lip. "Hi, Angela. Um...are you busy?"

"Hey, Sweetie." Looking up in surprise, Angela shook her head as she logged off from her computer. "It's nothing that can't wait. What's up?"

Brennan entered the office and slumped onto the sofa. "Well, I'm going to a party with Booth this weekend…"

"With Booth? As in another date? Oh my God. Finally!" Angela's excited squeal was practically deafening as it bounced off the walls of her office. "I knew you two would get together! I knew it! I knew it!"

Rolling her eyes at her friend's childish behavior, Brennan waited for Angela to calm down before continuing. "It's not really a date, per se. He has to go, and he wants someone to attend with him, that's all."

Moving to sit across from her friend, Angela wore a happy smile. "Yeah, but the 'someone' he wants to bring is you! Come on, Brennan! Don't tell me that you don't think this is a big deal…"

"It's not, really. We've already had a couple of 'dates'…" Brennan stopped suddenly as she realized she hadn't let Angela in on that bit of information. "As I'm sure you remember, we went out to dinner together last week…"

"And?" Angela glared at her friend as she threw up her hands. "Aren't you going to tell me what happened?" Angela stopped suddenly as she realized what Brennan had said. "Wait a minute...you said dates, right? As in plural? As in more than one? That's wonderful…"

Brennan shrugged a shoulder, trying without much success to hide her happy smile. "Not much of note happened at dinner. We talked about a lot of different things, we went for a walk, and overall, we had a nice time." Studying her nails, she attempted to change the subject. "Anyway, I'm not here to discuss my dates with Booth, Angela. I want to talk about something else. I need to ask you a question about the dress code for the party." She groaned in frustration as she held up her phone. "The invitation says 'festive casual', and I have no idea what that means."

"I thought you said you didn't need any help with your wardrobe choices when you went out with Booth., " Angela teased. Seeing Brennan's annoyance, she tried to suppress her grin as she thought over her friend's question for a minute. "It probably means you're supposed to wear a Christmas sweater with some slacks, but I'm betting you don't have a Christmas sweater, do you?"

Brennan threw up her hands in frustration. "No, of course not. To begin with, I don't really celebrate the holiday, and those sweaters are always so ridiculously garish…"

"No sweater? Not a problem." Rising from her chair, Angela grabbed her jacket and purse. "We'll just go shopping to find something for you to wear to the party, and while we're out, you can tell me all about your first date with Booth. Come on...chop chop, Sweetie…"

Sighing softly, Brennan frowned as she rose from the couch. "We had dinner together, Angela...it was nothing exciting, really..." At least nothing I want to share with Angela….not yet. Like Booth says…'what's ours is ours'...

Oooooooooo

"Maybe I could just wear jeans and a red sweatshirt...and one of those silly seasonal headbands with reindeer antlers on it, or perhaps one of those necklaces that's made out of Christmas light bulbs. That's festive..." Slightly irritated by being shanghaied from work, Brennan muttered to herself as she sat in Angela's car. "This is a waste of time…I have work to do..."

"No, it's not a waste of time." Angela's tone suggested that she might be addressing a naughty child. "Listen, you need to think about Booth, okay? As an FBI Special Agent in Charge, he has a reputation to uphold, correct? And going to this party will help him maintain that reputation…" She made some air quotes as she spoke. "...his so-called alpha male status...so he can stand out from the herd and be noticed by the big shots."

"That's true…," Brennan admitted. "He's said as much…"

"And, whether you like it or not, as his date, you have a responsibility to help him maintain his image of respectability…and his status within the FBI's hierarchy...so you need to dress appropriately for this party. You need to look nice." Angela paused to glance at her friend. "You understand that, too, right? After all, it's basic anthropology."

"Yes, of course." Brennan giggled softly. "When he asked me to go to the party with him, he said that as an alpha male, he needed to arrive at the party with the most attractive date possible...and he said that was me."

So Booth's laying it on thick, eh? That's good to know. Nodding, Angela drummed her fingers on the car's steering wheel as they waited at a stoplight. "Okay, then...if that's the case, I know where we need to shop for your outfit. If you're going to a party, you need a party dress...one that'll impress Booth and everyone else…"

Brennan sighed in frustration. "I don't need to impress Booth, Angela. He already thinks I'm beautiful…"

"That's true, Sweetie, but we're gonna put some icing on that cake…"

Brennan's brow furrowed. "I don't know what that means…"

Angela laughed as she pulled her car into a parking lot. "I think you'll figure it out soon enough."

Oooooooooo

A door chime sounded as the women entered a small boutique, which appeared to be lacking both customers and the proprietor. After a minute or two of silence, Angela called out, "Francine? Are you here?"

"Oh, Darling, I'm so sorry!" A woman who appeared to be in her sixties came hurrying out from between a set of lacy curtains. "I was on the phone with Pierre. He's having such difficulties dealing with Carlos…"

"I'm sorry to hear that." Smiling kindly, Angela gently embraced the woman. "But Pierre is a big boy, and he needs to figure things out on his own, right?"

"I suppose…" Francine sighed sadly. "I know I shouldn't meddle, but…sometimes I can't help it. Poor baby...Carlos is being quite recalcitrant."

"Well, this should make you feel better. Here's a distraction for you, okay?" Angela pointed at Brennan. "My friend needs a party dress."

"Hmm…" Studying Brennan with a practiced eye, Francine pursed her lips. "She's tall and has an excellent figure, so dressing her shouldn't be too difficult. What's the occasion, my dear?"

Before Brennan could answer, Angela rushed to explain. "She's going to a Christmas party with her boyfriend...it's being held by his boss…so it needs to be something sort of conservative but with kind of a funky vibe."

"Hmm…" Francine pursed her lips slightly as she looked around the shop. "An office holiday party. I see…that narrows it down."

"Actually, the man I'm going with isn't my boyfriend.," Brennan began, only to be interrupted once again by Angela.

"But she'd like him to be…" Giggling, Angela dodged an angry nudge from Brennan's elbow. "...and he wants her to look good so he can impress the other guys there…"

"Angela!," Brennan hissed. "You make the whole situation sound so crude!"

Francine chuckled as she pulled some dresses from a rack. "In the game of sexual attraction, my dear, we're all allowed to be 'crude' once in a while. Come...let's have you try on some clothes."

%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Wearing only her bra and panties, Brennan stood in the dressing room with her hands on her hips, glaring at Angela. "I don't have time for this! I need to finish my journal article!"

"Oh, come on. It'll only take a few minutes, okay? Besides, some things are more important than work…"

Francine came in carrying in some selections for Brennan to try. "Since it's a Christmas party, I suggest you try on the red one first. I think it'll look smashing on you."

Brennan grimaced as she stared at the tiny garment attached to the hanger. "It looks like a tank top…"

"Oh, it'll stretch. It's a bodycon knit…it's meant to be snug." Taking it from the hanger, Francine gestured for Brennan to lift her arms over her head. "Here we go…"

After much tugging, the dress was finally pulled down over the scientist's hips to a mid-thigh length. "Well?" Francine pointed at the dressing room's full length mirror. "What do you think?"

The bright red halter dress clung tightly to all of Brennan's curves, leaving very little to the imagination. "Um…," she said, slightly anxious as she smoothed the dress over her torso. "...what kind of undergarments would I wear with this?"

"Oh...preferably, none." Francine giggled at her customer's surprise. "Okay, maybe a thong and some pasties…in case it gets cold, you know. I sell some that work well under clingy clothes like this. They're practically invisible." Taking a step back, she smiled. "What do you think? I absolutely think you look amazing…you definitely have the right sort of figure for this dress."

Angela agreed. "You do look hot, Sweetie...

Unconvinced, Brennan studied her reflection. "It fits...sort of…" She scrunched up her nose as she tugged on the dress's hem. "...but I don't know if I'd be comfortable wearing this to an FBI office party…"

"Hmm." Angela tilted her head to one side. "Yeah, you do have a point...and I bet Booth would be real uncomfortable, too, if you know what I mean…" She chuckled as she pointed to her crotch. "...and that kind of discomfort might be 'hard' to hide…"

Rolling her eyes at Angela's joke, Brennan shook her head. "I don't think this is exactly what I had in mind. I think I need something a bit less...sexually stimulating…"

After trying on several dresses and finding nothing that pleased her, Brennan was about to give up when Angela came into the dressing room. "Before we go, try on this one...and then if you don't like it, we can leave, okay?"

The dress was made of crushed black velvet. The fitted empire bodice had a very low cut U-shaped neckline with elbow length sleeves, and the short skirt flared gently over Brennan's hips. The hem hit a few inches above her knees, showing off her long legs to perfection.

"Oh, Angela...I love it…" Brennan beamed as she looked at her reflection. "...although I wonder if it's 'festive' enough…"

"Well, you can add some bling with some jewelry...and you can maybe wear a pushup bra so that more of your cleavage shows above the neckline, which will make Booth feel festive, alright, and…" Angela held up a package. "...and here's a secret weapon..." Giggling, she winked at Brennan. "You're gonna drive Booth crazy with your 'festive' outfit...in a very respectable way…"

Brennan giggled as well. "If you say so…" She turned to Francine. "I'll take this...and the red dress, too. I think I may need that one later...to help Booth celebrate Christmas in a most entertaining way…"

Angela gasped in surprise. "Really?"

"Perhaps...although I might wait until New Year's Eve to wear it. We'll see." Stepping into her slacks, Brennan zipped them before reaching for her blouse. "Now...let's go see if Francine has a pushup bra in my size…"

They found a black lace bra with a matching thong, which Angela insisted on buying for Brennan. "Trust me...it's going to enhance that dress…"

"But Booth won't know I'm wearing the thong, so what difference does it make?" Brennan shook her head at Angela's crazy ideas. "I don't understand…"

"You'll feel pretty, so you'll be more confident. Besides, how do you know Booth isn't going to see it? After all, you might leave the party early…"

"Angela!" Brennan laughed softly. "I highly doubt that will occur, but, perhaps it would be fun to wear these undergarments for a special occasion…"

Angela rolled her eyes. "Yeah, it'll be fun alright..." Especially if Booth reacts the way I think he's gonna react...that'll make it a real special occasion... She pointed at a rack of shoes.

"You've got some black stiletto heels, right?"

Brennan's forehead furrowed as she looked at Angela. "Stiletto heels? Oh...I'm not sure. Anyway, I was thinking I'd wear my black ballet flats…"

"Nope...not for this party. You need something fancier than flats….like maybe these." She showed Brennan a pair of ankle strap sandals, complete with rhinestone embellishments and spiky three inch heels. "See? They'll add to the festive vibe you're going for." Angela picked out a box of the correct size. "Okay...we're set. Let's go."

After making her purchases, Brennan followed Angela out to the car. "Do you really think Booth's going to like my black dress? Maybe it's not appropriate for a Christmas party. Perhaps I should invest in a holiday sweater just to be on the safe side..."

Angela laughed out loud as she started the car. "I thought you said you weren't concerned about what Booth thinks of your clothing choices…and if you want to help him stand out from the crowd, shouldn't your choices be a little bit more...unpredictable?"

"Well, most of the time I'm not concerned about what he thinks, but Booth said it was important that he made a good impression at the party, and I want to help him achieve that goal."

Yeah, right...and she probably doesn't realize it, but she wants to make Booth crazy with lust, too. "Trust me, Brennan...by the time we finish getting you ready for the party, you're gonna make a good impression on everyone!"

"Really?"

"Yes, of course, really. Now...let's go grab a bite to eat before we go back to work."

"Okay…" Settling back into the passenger seat, Brennan sighed quietly as she stared out the window. Life was so much easier when I didn't have to make a good impression...


Bodycon knits are designed to hug a person's curves very closely. There are pictures of bodycon dresses on the internet.

If you have time to review, I'd appreciate it. Laura.