Authors: Stephanie Morris
He paused for Gaia’s response before continuing. “Good. I have a huge favor to ask. Keirra and I will be joining a few friends for dinner tonight. However, Keirra doesn’t have anything to wear.”
Eric chuckled and looked at the phone before putting it back in his pocket. She looked at him with puzzlement.
“What happened?”
“Nothing. Gaia and the rest of my sisters will be here shortly to take you to find something. I say you have about thirty minutes to get ready before my sisters show up.”
Keirra nodded. She was already dressed. All she had to do was put on her shoes. Exactly thirty minutes later, she found out Eric had been right on with his guess when the doorbell rang. Eric opened the door, and his sisters entered the house noisily. They greeted him before turning their attention to her. Each of them hugged her, and she couldn’t help but smile.
“How long do we have to get her ready?”
Eric looked at his watch. “From the time we need to leave till now you guys have four hours total.”
Gaia grinned. “We will see you back here in two.”
Keirra’s lips had barely touched Eric’s before Gaia, Irene, and Marianne were rushing her out of the house. They loaded her in Gaia’s SUV.
“Where are we going?”
Gaia laughed. “The question should be where aren’t we going. There are a few places we have in mind. We are going to start at the mall, but I don’t think we are going to find what we need there.
There is also a boutique I have in mind.”
Keirra could only nod as Gaia backed out of the driveway. “Well, I have to be honest. I’m not a shopper. That duty falls on Kristen’s shoulders.”
Irene laughed. “That is okay. We are, and by the time we get through with you today, you will be one as well.”
Keirra smiled. If Kristen could see her now she would probably laugh. Gaia made it to the mall and found a good parking spot. They made their way into the mall.
“Is there any particular color you like?”
Keirra shrugged her shoulders. “When my sister picks something out for me, she always chooses the color green or purple.”
Marianne tilted her head to the side as if trying to imagine her in the colors. “I can see those colors on you. Normally a darker shade of green or purple right?”
Keirra laughed. “My sister Kristen would love to come shopping with you. I think the two of you, actually all of you, would have fun.”
Eric’s sisters laughed at her as they entered the mall, and Gaia led everyone in the direction of a dress shop. Keirra walked around the store listening to the sisters’ tips before picking out a few dresses she wanted to try on. She made her way to the dressing room. After trying on the four dresses, she frowned.
They were all nice, but not what she was in search of. Gaia, Irene, and Marianne agreed with her.
She redressed, and they left the store.
Gaia checked her watch. “There is one more store I think we should check out before we go to the boutique.”
When everyone agreed, Marianne led everyone to another store. They had barely been in the store when Keirra spotted the dress that was for her. She went to the rack and picked up the spearmint-colored, knee-length, chiffon halter-back dress.
“I love this.”
“Good choice,” Gaia stated.
Keirra searched for her size on the rack before picking up the dress. She went into the dressing room. As soon as she did, she knew that the dress was hers. When she stepped out of the dressing room, Gaia, Irene, and Marianne confirmed what she already knew.
“That looks great on you,” Marianne replied.
Keirra smiled. “I am getting this one.”
She went back into the dressing room and took the dress off. A look at the price tag made her feel faint. She redressed and exited the dressing room. Gaia took the dress out of her hands.
“Now we need accessories.”
Keirra reached out and caught Gaia before she could run off. “The dress is a little out of my price range.”
Marianne laughed. “Don’t worry about the price of the dress.”
Irene put her arm around Keirra’s shoulder. “My little brother is funding today’s shopping spree. So tell us, is there anything else you need to go with this lovely dress?”
She hesitated at the thought of Eric spending so much money on a dress. It was a sweet gesture that was appreciated. Marianne read the apprehension in her expression, and she gave her a gentle smile.
“My brother just wants to make sure you have a good time tonight, so let him spoil you by doing this one little thing.”
Marianne’s simple words affected her in a positive way. She had never really splurged on herself, and she definitely hadn’t dated anyone who had wanted to splurge on her. Everything about Eric was genuine, and if he volunteered the money to purchase an outfit for her to enjoy herself, she wasn’t going to argue the point. She looked at the three expectant faces before her and smiled. “Okay, I will take the dress, and I need a strapless bra, but I will pay for it.”
His sisters exchanged a look between them before nodding, and Gaia grabbed her hand. “That is fine. We will grab one of those as well.”
They purchased the dress before heading to a lingerie shop. She picked up the strapless bra that she needed, and they bought it as well, which caused another argument that she lost because she was outnumbered, and they threatened to call Eric and tell him that she was being uncooperative. The threat alone was enough to make her give in. She also saw where Eric learned his negotiation skills from for his sisters were definitely professionals.
“Now we just need accessories,” Irene added.
“I have a purse,” Keirra interjected with a look of horror at the thought of having to search for another. The one she had was good enough. She hardly carried it, so it was in good shape.
All three sisters burst out laughing. Gaia shook her head. “You have a lot to learn about accessories.”
By the time they left the mall, she had. She had everything she needed for the night. When they climbed into Gaia’s SUV, she almost freaked out at the amount of time that had elapsed. It didn’t seem as if they had spent over two hours in the mall shopping, but they had. When they pulled into the driveway, Eric opened the door. He was looking at his watch as they walked up the driveway.
“You guys cut it pretty close, didn’t you?”
Marianne gave him a kiss on the cheek. “If you had truly been worried, then you would have called.
Besides, when you see Keirra, it will be worth it.”
Gaia slapped Eric’s hand when he reached out to touch the shopping bags.
“No peeking. You will see what we bought soon enough.”
Irene took Keirra’s arm. “Now we are going to go upstairs and start getting ready.”
Eric gave them his most pitiful look, and even Keirra found herself rolling her eyes.
“Can I at least know the color to see if I have a tie that matches?”
“Green,” all three of his sisters replied in unison before pulling Keirra up the stairs.
“We will use my old room,” Irene volunteered.
They entered the room and closed the door. When all three women turned to face her, she smiled.
“Thank you guys for all of your help.”
“Who said that we were finished?” Marianne asked.
Keirra laughed as she shrugged. “Well, you guys have already done so much, and I just assumed that you were finished.”
Gaia shook her head. “We are going to stay and help you get dressed.”
Keirra smiled. “Well I need to get my toiletry bag from the room.”
Irene volunteered to get it. Marianne turned back to look at her. “Well that is taken care of. Now you aren’t shy, are you?”
Keirra shook her head. She had dressed and undressed in front of her sisters, and as much time as she had spent with the trio lately she considered Gaia, Irene, and Marianne like her sisters. Gaia handed her the bag that had her underwear in it.
“We will be waiting for you out here.”
She nodded and walked into the bathroom. Once she stepped from the tub she dried off and slid into the underwear. Marianne had talked her into buying a pair of underwear that matched the strapless bra. A glance in the mirror told her that Eric would probably give up enchiladas at Sam’s Café at the chance to see her right now. She wrapped the towel around herself and opened the door to the bathroom. Gaia, Irene, and Marianne were standing there expectantly. They handed her the dress, and she slipped into it quickly. As soon as the dress fell into place she knew she had made the right choice. The dress had been made for her. It hugged every curve it was supposed to.
Irene laughed. “Eric isn’t going to let you out of the house.”
Keirra laughed. “He isn’t going to have a choice. I am starving.”
The women shared a laugh before Irene handed her the new shoes. She slipped into the shoes and immediately fell in love with them. Marianne rubbed her hands together in anticipation.
“It is time for hair and makeup.”
By the time they finished, Keirra had tears in her eyes, and they had a minute to spare. She was embarrassed at the unexpected emotion and tried to hide it unsuccessfully.
“Don’t cry on us. We won’t have time to fix your makeup,” Gaia scolded her playfully.
Keirra laughed. She felt beautiful, very beautiful. Gaia showed her how to blot her eyes without ruining the makeup. When Marianne returned, she had in her hands the simple necklace she had picked out. As simple as it looked in her hand, once it was around her neck, plain wouldn’t describe the necklace.
“You look so beautiful,” Irene said around a smile.
Marianne grinned. “Yes, you do. Now we need to get you downstairs so you can leave our brother speechless.”
Keirra nodded, knowing what Marianne said was true. Each of the women gave her a kiss on the cheek. “You come downstairs after us.”
Keirra watched the three women leave the room. She took a deep breath before standing. Never would she have thought she would be this nervous about impressing Eric. Standing up, she smoothed her dress before heading out of the room. She reached the top of the stairs and stopped.
Eric was speaking with his sisters, but as if sensing she was near, he looked up, and his eyes landed on her. The expression on his face was priceless. He broke away from his sisters and moved toward the bottom of the stairs.
“You look beautiful,” he whispered.
“Thank you.”
Eric took her hand in his before turning to face his sisters. “Thank you all for your help today. We have to get going. I will talk to you guys tomorrow.”
He led her toward the door, and she turned to thank Gaia, Irene, and Marianne once more.
“You are more than welcome. Just promise us you two will have a great time.”
They left with the promise that they would. Eric assisted her into his SUV. She couldn’t help but to notice how sexy he looked himself. He had on a dark, charcoal-colored suit with a white shirt and a green tie that almost matched her dress perfectly. He couldn’t have planned the outfit better. The drive to the restaurant was a short one.
“Have you ever been to Tomás’ before?”
Keirra smiled at his question. “We left Atlanta when we were ten.”
Eric grinned. “Well then, you are in for a treat.”
He pulled up in front of the restaurant and let valet take his SUV. Taking her hand in his he led her into the restaurant. They were led to the table where six other people were already seated. There were handshakes, hugs, and cheek kisses going all around the tables as she was introduced to Santos, Christy, Oscar, Ramona, Harris, and Mirabel, all of them friend’s he’d had since college.
The meal was entertaining, and she felt welcome within the group. Sitting and listening to their stories had her laughing. One of the things she picked up on was that the Eric she knew was the Eric he had always been. She liked that. At the end of dinner, Eric made her get a decadent chocolate dessert she didn’t need, but he split it with her, which eased her guilty conscious somewhat.
“We need to go dancing,” Mirabel said.
Both Keirra and Eric paused in the middle of the bite that they were taking. She shrugged because she really didn’t care. Right now, she was having a good time with Eric, and she wasn’t ready for it to end.
Keirra looked around the club that Eric and his friends had brought her to. She wasn’t even certain that it could be called a club. It looked to be more of a bar with an intimate dance floor, intimate being the key word. The few people that were on the dance floor were a moment away from being arrested. Their dancing could only be described as provocative. She could see why though. The beat of the music was addictive, and she found herself swaying to it on occasion. She took another sip of the fruity concoction that Eric had ordered for her. The name of the drink had slipped her mind, but it was good. She was taking her time in drinking the alcoholic beverage because she wasn’t a heavy drinker by any means. A glass of wine or one beer was normally what she had, and she could count on one hand how many she’d had for the year. Her attention went to Oscar and Ramona as they stood and headed for the dance floor. The couple moved together in unison so closely that she turned her attention to Eric to give them the privacy she felt they needed.
He had undressed slightly since they left Tomás’s. His suit jacket was in the SUV along with his tie.
He had unbuttoned the top two buttons on his shirt, which revealed silky chest hair that she liked to play with when she and Eric lay in bed at night. She liked the look on him. He was a sexy man, and there was no denying it. A few moments later, a popular song by Shakira that she liked came on. She couldn’t help but to sway to the song. When she looked up she found him smiling at her.
“Do you want to dance?”
It was hard to hide her surprise. Not because she had never danced with him, but because she had never danced with anyone to Latin music. She had danced by herself in private, but that wasn’t an option here. She shook her head. “I’m not really sure about this. I have never actually danced to this music with anyone before.”
Eric smiled. “That doesn’t matter. We danced well together the last time, so this should be easy.