Various States of Undress: Virginia (16 page)

“What's going on up here?” he asked, his smile getting wider. And faker.

“Nothing,” she said quickly and stared at him, her heart racing. A grin—a silly one, probably—lifted her lips. “Hi.”

“Hi,” he replied and walked over to straighten the pen behind her ear. “It was lopsided.”

“Oh.” She patted the side of her head. “Thanks.” She stepped around him to grab her notebook.

Ruston cleared his throat. “Mr. Cameron, may I speak with you?”

“Sure,” Dex said easily. “Virginia, will you join us?”

“Okay.” She fell into step beside him and got into the elevator, her heart thudding as she forced a smile at Eddie. “Hey there. What's up?” she asked.

“My spirits, since you got in my car, beautiful.” Eddie winked.

Ruston, who lingered just outside the doors, folded his arms. “I changed my mind. Whatever I need to discuss can wait. I have some business to take care of in the stockroom.”

“Good, then that's where we'll go.” Dex pulled him into the car. “The three of us will have a chat.”

Oh no
. Virginia closed her eyes for a moment. “Great,” she said, faking enthusiasm. After they reached the first floor and walked into the stockroom, Dex shut the door. “Let's hear it.”

Ruston jumped right in, speaking in rapid fire. “Miss Fulton seems to think that she can wave a magic wand and change decades of history into . . . into . . . what, I don't know because she won't tell me. She has no frame of reference for dealing with the mature customer, and she doesn't seem to care to learn. Plus, she insulted my rear end.”

“I see.” Dex pressed his lips together. “I brought copies of the final prospectus for the new Lilah's this morning. They're on my desk, Ruston, and you're free to take one. Read it. Learn it. Love it—or not. Your job is to supervise the staff and make sure day-to-day operations run smoothly. If you choose to get on board with the changes, then we will be thrilled to have your input since your experience is invaluable. Otherwise, stop sulking. How does that sound?”

“It sounds like nothing has changed.” Ruston glanced at Virginia and then raised his chin. “But as long as she agrees to respect my experience, I'll do my best.”

Virginia felt a swell of victory, but then Dex touched her arm and she looked at him. He wasn't smiling. “Virginia, Ruston's butt isn't up for discussion. Also, you should follow him around one day and learn about techniques for selling to the, ah, older customers. You can't approach them as you would a college student.”

“Indeed not,” Ruston interjected.

Virginia chose her words carefully. “I'm well aware of that.”

“Have you ever sold a dress to an old lady?” Dex asked, chuckling.

“Have you?” she shot back.

Ruston flicked a finger in the air, gesturing between them. “Odds are, neither of you have, and I'd like to see you both try.”

Virginia looked at Dex. “I'd like to see that too. “Care to make a bet?”

“What do you mean?” He smiled at her uncertainly.

“We both try selling today. Ruston keeps track and, at the end of the day, I'll come out on top.”

Dex folded his arms and stared at her for a moment. “Okay. What does the winner get?”

She shrugged. “What do you want?”

“Hmm.” Dex tapped his chin. “I'll choose a head-to-toe outfit from Lilah's current selection, which you will wear out in public. Let's say dinner, tomorrow night.”

Virginia gasped. “That's harsh.”

“But hilarious. What do you want?” Dex grinned.

She thought for a minute and then brightened. “Oh, mine is simple. You can choose your own outfit, but you'll wear it to go dancing with me.”

“That's evil,” he said, stepping close to give her an intimidating look. “I don't have any dancing shoes.”

“So get some.” She smiled. “Unless you're chicken.”

Dex touched the tip of her nose with his finger. “I'm going to mop the floor with you.”

“There's a lot of floor out there. Better get busy.”

“Ahem,” Ruston said. He looked over his glasses, first at Virginia and then at Dex. “Shall I put out the sandwich boards advertising a discount sale?”

“Oh. Brilliant idea!” Virginia clapped her hands and noticed a small smile of pleasure on Ruston's face. It was a small step, but it was a step, and she could do even better. She could wear a smock. Swallowing her horror, she nodded at him. “Give me a smock. Him too.”

Dex took a couple of steps back. “Oh, hell no. I'm not wearing one of those.”

“All of my staff wear them, and we have them in men's sizes.” Ruston trundled to a closet and emerged a moment later with two white smocks on hangers. “These should do.”

Virginia put hers on, snapped it up, and stuffed her notebook into a pocket. “Go ahead, Dex.”

“Dammit,” he muttered and allowed Ruston to help him slide his arms into the smock. Then he glared at Virginia.

She burst out laughing.

“You ready?”

She walked to him and held out her hand. “Good luck.”

“Same to you.” He shook her hand and then pressed his thumb gently into her palm, teasing with little circling motions. When her mouth dropped open slightly, he grinned. “Game on, sweetheart.”

Virginia pulled her hand away and strolled casually out to the sales floor. She nodded at Doris, whose beetle-like eyebrows shot up. “Hey, Doris. I'm going to be helping out. You want to be my wingman?”

“Wingman?”

“Err, wing lady. Give me the inside dirt on customers?”

To Virginia's surprise, Doris beamed. “I'd love to, Miss Fulton.”

“Great.” Virginia watched Ruston and Dex walk by on their way to the main entrance, each of them carrying large placards reading L
ADIES DRESSES ARE HALF OFF
! T
ODAY ONLY
! Then she read it again. “Oh no. Those signs need to ‘accidentally' go in the Dumpster. Lilah's isn't a strip club.”

“Pardon?” Doris came to stand next to her.

Virginia smiled. “Nothing.” Glancing over the sales floor, she spotted a tiny old woman who was fingering her way through a rack of nightgowns. “What do you know about her?”

Doris shook her head. “She always browses. Never buys.”

“Okay.” Virginia began to make her way over to the woman, but before she could get close, Dex burst through the doors and practically ran to the old lady. “What can I help you with?” he said, way too loudly. The woman sucked in a breath and scuttled away, straight toward Virginia.

“Oh, what a lovely purse.” Virginia put her hands over her chest and pointed to the woman's large penguin-printed bag. “I hope you don't mind if I ask where you bought it.”

The woman smiled. “Oh, thank you. It's just something I picked up at Jack's Ninety-Nine Cent World.”

“Reaaaally? You're a bargain shopper for sure.” Virginia winked. “Were you aware that our ladies dresses are half . . . are fifty percent off today?”

“Oh my. No. Where are they?”

“Come with me.” Virginia led the woman across the sales floor, sticking her tongue out at Dex as she went. He shook his head.

After making a sale of not one but two dresses to the lady—who, incredibly, had not recognized her—Virginia resumed her position by Doris, watching the door as several customers walked in. “The signs must be working.”

“Mmm,” Doris agreed. “They usually help but never enough.” She put her hand to the side of her mouth and muttered, “If you ask me, the scary window displays cancel out the signs.”

Virginia thought about Doris's admission as she watched Dex accost two more customers. This time he managed to work in a little of his abundant charm and he hooked them. Damn. She turned to Doris. “Those window displays are going to change soon.”

“Oh, good.” Doris smiled. “I'm glad you're here, no matter what Ruston says.”

Virginia smiled back. “Thanks.” It was encouraging to know that she had at least one salesperson on her team. Maybe it wouldn't be so rough when she decided to start moving in some new stock to test the waters. Dex had said that she was free to experiment, but with Ruston acting like a guard dog, it had been much easier to leave things be. It was obvious that he wasn't going to change his mind about her until she showed that she could cater to seniors, and if she could prove herself to him today—and then move that stock in next week—perhaps she could break down his defenses, little by little.

“Hey, Doris,” Virginia said slowly, “Would you be interested in working late on Thursday? I'm planning to redo the windows as a kind of experiment. Oh, and clear out the lingerie section and arrange some new stock I've ordered. It would have to be kept quiet, but I'd love to have your help.”

Doris's eyes lit up. “I've been waiting for someone to say something like that to me for years. Of course, I will.”

“Great!” Virginia squeezed her arm. “Now let's go kick Dex's ass.”

For the rest of the morning, and then through the busy lunch hour, Virginia sold her heart out, signed a few autographs, took the smock off to pose for a few photos, and then sold some more. Doris stuck to her like glue, whispering tidbits about familiar customers, and by midafternoon, Virginia was sure that she'd outsold Dex at least twice over. She'd kept an eye on him, and, while he'd been charming and chatty, he hadn't escorted people to the register half as often as she had. But every time he'd glanced at her, he'd had a smug smile on his face. She was a tiny bit worried about that. It was time to distract him.

She walked over to where he stood with his eyes closed, his back to a pillar, rolling his neck on his shoulders. “Tired?” she asked.

“Not at all.” He stood up straight and grinned at her. “How are you holding up?”

“I've never felt more energetic,” she lied. “Listen, I've been meaning to ask you . . . my dad is going to be in town on Sunday, and I wondered if you'd like to meet him.”

Dex's eyes widened. “Uh . . . meet the president of the United States?” He laughed softly and nodded. “Sure.”

“Oh, good. You'll need to have a more thorough background check, though, and soon. You can chat with Muscles about it.” She pointed at Muscles, who stood next to the door.

“Okay,” Dex agreed. He headed in that direction.

She cracked a smile just as Dex looked over his shoulder, and he saw. A second later, he was shaking his head and walking back to her. “I see how you are. Trying to occupy me so you can steal my customers.”

She giggled. “Maybe.”

“I'm not falling for it.” He leaned in close, and his wolfish smile made her heart flip over. He might not have fallen for that, but was he falling for her? At that thought, her heart flipped over again and she broke eye contact. Maybe he was genuinely interested in something long-term. Virginia hadn't given any thought to that possibility since she'd been so caught up with how quickly her life was changing. Opportunity had presented itself, and, for once, she'd grabbed at it. She felt overwhelmed yet proud of herself. She felt appreciated, yet she still doubted her ability. And deep down, she knew that her swirling emotions reflected exactly how she felt about Dex—which was exhilarated and excited—threaded with desire and need. Was she falling for him too? She couldn't dwell on it right now, so she returned his playful smile.

“My dad really is coming to town, though.”

“And I'll be glad to meet him,” Dex said. “But first, I'm going to crush your sales.”

“That's so not going to happen,” she said and spun around in search of fresh customers. She found some, and then more, and by the time the store closed at six, she was inexpressibly grateful it didn't stay open until nine like a lot of department stores. Her feet were killing her, and her back throbbed. She needed some food, a Big Gulp-sized glass of wine, and someone to give her a massage. Correction—Dex to give her a massage. Oh, God. His massages were amazing, especially when he replaced his hands with his tongue, and—

“Are you going to be a sore loser?”

Virginia sucked in a breath and turned to smile at Dex, who looked about as tired as she felt. His smock was wrinkled and his eyes were a bit puffy. She wanted to reach up and smooth the skin underneath them with her fingertips, but she folded her hands instead. “You won't find out whether or not I'm a sore loser because I'm going to win, and you're going dancing.”

He rolled his eyes. “Not a chance.” He yanked off the smock and threw it on a display case. “Ruston? Do you have the totals?”

Ruston held up a finger and then punched numbers on a calculator near the register. Finally, he looked up. “Mister Cameron sold two thousand four hundred sixty dollars' worth of merchandise.” Then his eyes went big. “Oh my. We need to keep that half-off sign out on the sidewalk permanently.”

“I'm not so sure about that,” Virginia said quickly. She turned to Dex, trying to look like a good sport because there was no way she'd sold that much. Not with the sale prices of the dresses around fifty bucks apiece. “Congratulations.”

“Thanks,” Dex said. “I just took Ruston's advice and steered people toward the accessories. They're impulse buys, you know.”

Ruston gave Virginia a huge smile. “Let's look at your numbers, shall we?” He turned back to the calculator, whistling. After a moment, his whistling slowed down and fizzled out. “What in the world?” He shook his head and punched at the calculator again. Finally, he looked up with a pained expression. “Miss Fulton's total is two thousand eight hundred ten dollars. She—she beat you by four hundred, sir. A clear victory.”

Virginia pumped a fist in the air. “Woo-hoo!” Next to her, Doris clapped and then, after a moment's hesitation, gave her a high five. “Thank you so much, Doris.”