"Okay, suck it in," I grunted, the golden cords wound tightly around my fingers.
Andy took a breath in and made herself as thin as possible. I pulled hard and got out another couple of inches. Taking the window of opportunity, I quickly tied up the strings into a bow.
"Okay, try that."
"Holy moly, I can barely breathe," she gasped, lightly touching her stomach.
"I thought you said this dress fit!"
"It did!" she argued. "When I went to Ellie's wedding in October."
"October? "
"Oh, hush, not all of us can look amazing in everything we touch," she laughed, which unfortunately made the strings in my hands shorten.
"Please. You look fabulous, I'm just worried about any internal damage being done," I mused, finally getting the corset-style dress tied with a bow in the back.
"Well, if I do die from internal bleeding, I died looking pretty," Andy sighed, reaching up and fixing her pink hair. "Ready to go?"
"Just need my lip gloss," I said, taking it from the dresser.
She waggled her eyebrows. "Meeting your Mr. Kingston in secret tonight?"
"I wish. But no, my lips are just horrifically chapped."
"And I know I've asked, but you're sure that you don't want me to secretly arrange for you two to meet in a third, undisclosed location?" she said, putting her earrings in.
My heart leapt at the idea, but I quickly flattened any hopes and dreams. "Thank you, but it's too risky. Especially right now. Besides, I'm seeing him on Monday."
"Lil, you can't even talk to him. Literally, any contact has to go through your lawyers. Not romantic," she pointed out.
"You don't have to remind me," I sighed, grabbing my purse and heading for the door. Andy followed me, saying, "I know, but if you're desperate."
"I am. But I'm also refusing to be stupid," I said firmly. "Logan and I are going to get out of this mess, and we're going to do it the right way."
Andy gave me an encouraging smile, or perhaps it was pity. "You poor souls."
She drove us to the restaurant, a place called Kensington that had been newly opened by her good friend Blake. Apparently the place was a big deal; the chef had worked at several Michelin-star restaurants before coming to Blake, and there were rumored to be a handful of celebrities present at the opening event tonight.
"And you're sure I'm dressed up enough?" I asked for the dozenth time.
"Yes, Lil, I promise. You look both like you belong in Blake's tax bracket and smoking hot," Andy said very patiently.
I wasn't entirely sure she was telling the truth. My dress was a long slinky black thing that was only held up by one strap. The material was bunched at the opposite hip as the sleeve, with a long slit going up my leg. Not exactly too revealing, but a lot more...let's say interesting than my usual scrubs or jeans.
Going up to the restaurant, we were stopped by a man who was definitely security. He looked like he ate bricks for his afternoon snack. "ID?"
Andy and I passed ours up. He took a long look at the picture, then at us before gruffly saying, "Ma'am, how old are you?"
"Twenty-five," I said weakly.
YOU ARE READING
Full Strength
RomanceCOMPLETED: Logan Kingston is convinced he's done playing hockey. After all, he's got about nine broken bones, from his pinky toe to his pelvis. He's trying so hard to rest and follow doctor's orders, but it's a lot harder than it looks. The pain jus...
