Solo and the City || Season One: Lights, Camera, Action

Chapter Six

"And he just... tapes them?" Robin asked incredulously. "And they don't know about it?"

"He implied that some of them did, but I'm pretty sure he's not tellin' 'em," Carrie clarified. "If they figured it out, they did it on their own."

"That's gross," Robin observed, taking a deep breath as they walked into the fashion show.

She was not entirely sure about the outfit Samantha had dropped off for her that morning. It was a little daring for her, but she'd figured there wasn't a better place to be daring. That was the whole point of wearing a commissioned piece. She was basically a walking advertisement. The designer wanted her to be noticed.

But now that she was here and everyone was looking at her, she was thinking she might have made a mistake. She didn't know if they were staring because they liked the dress, or they thought someone her size shouldn't be wearing the dress, and she didn't like not being able to make that distinction.

She reminded herself that last week, she'd told her friends that she wasn't going to let anyone make her feel insecure. It was time to put her money where her mouth was, so to speak.

It wasn't that she thought she looked bad. It was just that the Dior dress was both short and sleeveless, and she probably wouldn't have chosen a piece that was both those things on her own. It was pulled tight across her chest and bottom to highlight the denim effect of the navy blue fabric too, so it left very little to the imagination.

She was glad, at least, that they'd sent along minimal accessories for it. They clearly wanted the dress to be the main event. She was wearing patterned blue velvet laced ballerina flats and long gold earrings, and her dull blue saddle bag purse had gold accents to match.

She found herself wishing she still had the leopard blazer they'd included as a jacket, though that would defeat the purpose of showing off the dress.

"I'm going backstage. Into the wild," Carrie joked.

Robin laughed. "I'll go find Samantha and catch up with you later."

She weaved her way through the crowd, looking for their seats and willing her dress not to accidentally slip and expose more of her than she intended to. Flashes went off around her as photographers took pictures of various personalities and what they were wearing.

It was impossible not to bump into people. She turned to brush past a large group, then looked back when someone grabbed her arm gently.

"Robin? How lovely to see you here."

She found herself staring up at the smiling face of Napoleon Solo. As she stared, he began to blush, and she realized that he was scanning her.

He swallowed and his hand tightened on her arm. "You look absolutely stunning," he murmured.

It was her turn to blush as he delivered the compliment. "Thank you," she said demurely, looking him over in return.

He was, as usual, wearing a three-piece suit, but it was a step above the others she'd seen. The color was actually similar to her dress and had a subtle wide check pattern.

"You look quite dashing yourself," she managed to get out.

"You're too kind," he brushed away the praise, stepping closer to her, standing beside her so he could bend down and speak closer to her ear. "Are you here with your friends?"

She shivered as the low hum of his voice vibrated through her. Somehow, he made every gesture feel intimate. She liked that.

"Carrie's backstage and Samantha has seats for us somewhere," she explained. "I was looking for her."