Second-Hand Dresses

Chapter 15: Sweets

The ideal Woman of Society is slender and elegant, with a narrow waist and shapely thighs. She does not present feminine nature lasciviously nor does she have the appearance of a man. The Woman knows that her flawless skin and golden hair is precious, a gem to only be shared with the man she marries.

—Kiss of the Golden Lips (Act 1, Scene 14)

Frustrated with her lack of progress on Nirih's dress, Lily had switched over to the other dresses. She figured if she could finish those, then it would be easier to focus on the critical one. Of course, that assumed she didn't have the same difficulties with those.

It was early morning, about an hour after opening, and Lily was pleased that she had made progress on almost all fronts. Three of her dresses were up on the wicker forms that were adjusted using strings and straps to fit the measurements of the young ladies who would wear them. The other four were in various states of being assembled along with a stack of notes of designs, ideas, and details near each one. She needed more tables.

Nirih's fabrics were on a small table in the corner. Lily hadn't even gotten to sewing more than a few pieces before giving up. It was frustrating but she couldn't let it dominate her.

She tore her eyes away from the temporarily abandoned outfit and returned to cutting out the pieces for a third week outfit. It was a simple one, only a day's worth of work. She was tempted to cut corners but knew that her reputation wouldn't survive if anyone found out.

Lily stopped enough to sip on a glass of wine, it was from the bottle of Larvin 1508 that Kendrick had left in her store. She smiled, her lower lips caressing the edge of the glass. The memory of Kendrick's buttocks in her chair had warmed her thoughts for a few days and she wasn't ready to let that image dull her fantasies.

Still smiling, she set the glass carefully on the edge and returned to cut along the chalked outline of the pattern. The images of Kendrick's body mixed with flashes of Hasan's kissing and touching, swirling together into a heated distraction as she worked on the dress.

The door creaked open. "Hello?"

Lily was ripped out of her heated daydream. With a gasp, she straightened up.

"Lily?" It was Mindil.

Guilt smacked Lily across the face. She tried to compose herself but it was hard with a flush on her cheeks and a heat boiling inside her. The dampness of her daydream slid along her senses, teasing her still even as she smoothed her dress.

It took her a moment to regain her voice. "Tadame Mindil da Kasin?"

Mindil entered the work area, the green ends of her blonde hair bouncing with each step. "Good morning. You know, you don't need to be formal with me. No 'tadame' or 'Kasin' is needed between friends."

She wore a white ankle-length dress trimmed in yellow flowers with a matching pattern around a V-neck collar that empathized a deep cleavage. A waist-level band of flowers drew the attention to her curves. The design was almost scandalous because it revealed her wide hips and even the swell of her belly. Like the previous visit, Mindil wasn't wearing a corset or fabrics intended to force her shape into an hourglass.

In her mind, Lily knew that others saw Mindil as fat and uncouth, but in the moment, she couldn't see that. Instead, all she saw was a curvy woman who held herself with a confidence that few debutantes even had a prayer of duplicating.

Mindil twirled around, the hem of her dress rising up to show that she wore no stockings. "Do I meet your approval?"

A pang of surprise and guilt surged through Lily. "I–I didn't mean—"