Everett Holden had sworn to live the rest of his life a single man, but his plans are disrupted when he finds himself sharing an apartment with his best friend's ex - the one woman he detests with every fiber of his being yet simultaneously desires...
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"ARE YOU READY?"
My heart is hammering in my chest as Izzy leads me blindfolded to the mirror inside her store. She would only let me see the dress once I put it on, making getting into it extremely difficult, but she helped me every step of the way. Now, as I wait for her to take the blindfold off, it feels like I can't breathe.
The dress is form-fitting because I can feel the material clinging to my hips, but the fabric is smooth, not itchy, and rather than it being too tight, it fits my body just right.
"Relax," Izzy says, moving her hands to the blindfold. "The minute you see yourself in this, you'll die."
She strips it off my eyes, and when I stare at the reflection in the mirror, I suddenly can't see through the blurriness of my tears. I'm trying to blink them away, but it's no use for a dress like this. I'm practically sobbing with a hand placed over my heart, unable to get a fucking grip while Izzy tries to figure out a way to console me.
"I... Do you not like it?" She asks gently.
"No, Izzy, that's not it at all. This dress is perfect." And I'm about to fuck her brother into next week as soon as I get home.
"Oh, good. What a relief. Everett gave me a picture for inspiration. It's after—"
"The salmon chiffon gown Marilyn Monroe wore in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes," I finish.
Izzy arches a brow. "You're familiar with it?"
"Yeah. I, uh... My mom and I used to watch all of her movies together before she passed along with my dad. It's where my love for fashion stemmed from. I used to go through all of her old clothes and try to recreate all the fashion eras, but I couldn't get this one right. You know, Old Hollywood. I told Everett I never had anything fancy enough."
We stare at each other in the mirror, realizing just how much emotion and thought Everett put behind the idea for this dress.
Izzy swipes at her eyes to grab a few tears of her own but quickly recollects herself. "Well, it's certainly all making sense now. I'm sorry you lost your parents. Mason did, too, when he was younger, and I've seen how much of a toll it's taken. I wouldn't wish that on anyone."
"Thank you," I whisper. "This dress is incredible, Izzy. You outdid yourself."
Inspired by the knee-length dress in the film, it's the same shade of bright orange that makes my tan skin practically glow, but rather than a sweetheart neckline, Izzy created a plunging effect that runs almost to the middle of my stomach, and the inserted bra cups make my breasts look unreal. There's ruching at the hips, just like Marilyn's dress, emphasizing my curves, and intricate beadwork lines the spaghetti straps and down the center of the plunging neckline. I don't even recognize myself.
"It's those hips doing the magic," she says.
I shake my head, still in shock. "I've always felt like I was too much of everything. Too dark, too fat, too poor... But for the first time, this dress makes me feel like I'm none of those things, and you did that for me. I will forever be grateful, Izzy."
