Mr. Nolan put his arm around Erica’s shoulders and kissed her on the top of the head. “Well, you two better go get all dressed up, because it looks like we’re going out tonight after all.”
Erica frowned up at him. “Are you sure you want me tagging along?”
“Don’t be silly.” I reached over to pinch her thigh, like she had done to me.
“Somewhere yummy?” Erica stood and stretched, her blouse pulling out of her uniform skirt.
“Somewhere interesting… and expensive.” He leaned back and looked at her as she cocked her hip at him. “Put on the dressiest thing you’ve got, both of you.”
“Yay!” I clapped my hands. “Come on, Erica, let’s go get dolled up.” He stood, giving me a hand up. “I have reservations for seven, ladies, so don’t take too long in the bathroom, alright?”
Erica was already heading toward the stairs and I felt Mr. Nolan’s hand move over my ass as I slipped by him, giving me a good squeeze. I smiled back at him and followed Erica into her room.
“Dressy, something dressy.” She flipped through her closet. “Nuh-uh… too prom… too 80’s… ugh. I have nothing. We can’t go.”
“What about this?” I pulled out a short, shiny red satin dress.
Erica raised an eyebrow at me. “Um… if you want to wear something that screams ‘I am a whore’… all right then.”
I rolled my eyes at her and hung it back up. “I think you just don’t want to go.”
“I do, too!” She folded her arms and leaned against the wall with a scowl.
Then her eyes brightened, her face changing. “I got it!” She grabbed my arm and I followed her across the hall to Mr. Nolan’s office. It was a third bedroom, really, but it had a desk and a computer and filing cabinets. We didn’t spend a lot of time in there. Erica opened the closet and started flipping through clothes.
“These were my mother’s.” She pulled out a short, light pink dress. It had spaghetti straps and criss-cross trim over the bodice. I watched as Erica stripped down to her white panties and slid it over her head. The skirt was layered asymmetrically, the underskirt barely coming to mid-thigh and the sheer layers almost touching her knees.
She twirled in it, smiling over at me. “Well?”
“It’s adorable,” I said. “You look like a fairy princess.”
“A sexy fairy princess I hope.” She frowned.
I laughed. “Yes. Definitely.”
“Well, do you see anything you want to wear?” She waved me into the closet. I sifted through the material, soft, silky, velvety, trying to decide.
“Oooohh, look at this one!” I pulled out a gorgeous, strapless rust-colored dress, with a ruched bust and empire waist. It was a silk chiffon with a scalloped hem, and the pattern on it was a cross between something oriental and paisley, I couldn’t decide which.
“That’s totally vintage.” Erica held it up to me. “Try it on.” I did, straightening the bust, which I kept threatening to fall out of, and asking, “Well?”
“Perfect.” She smiled. “My dad is gonna melt into a puddle when he sees you.”
I beamed at her and we spent the next hour in the bathroom, putting on our make-up and doing each other’s hair. I had a lot more hair to deal with, but Erica took the time to curl it and put it up, and when I put on heels and looked into the mirror, I really felt all grown-up.
Erica’s blonde hair was finer and shorter than mine, but she had enough for me to pull up and make short little curls, which made her look even more pixie-like in her pink fairy dress.
“Let’s go make an entrance.” Erica pulled at my hand.
At the top of the stairs, I hesitated. “You first.”
She went down, and I heard her father gasp and everything went very quiet.
“Daddy?” Erica’s voice was trembling.
“Oh my god,” he murmured, and I couldn’t help peeking around the railing to see him coming toward her, his eyes sweeping over her. “You look… beautiful.” He hugged her, tilting her chin up and kissing her mouth. It was a short kiss, but it was a kiss and something clenched in my belly. “You look exactly like your mother.” He smiled down at her.
“Okay, stop.” Erica pulled away from him. “Before you make me cry and run my mascara.”
“Leah?” He looked up the stairwell, and I started down, careful in my heels.
Erica was standing beside him, smiling up at me, but I could only see his eyes, they way slipped up my long, slender legs, past the hemline of the dress, lingering on the bodice before meeting mine.
“Well?” I asked, twirling.
He cleared his throat, and the expression on his face was odd, almost perplexed. “You’re stunning.”
“Told you!” Erica grinned. “But I bet she doesn’t look like my mother.”
“No,” he breathed, touching my cheek. “She looks like her mother.” I laughed. “I don’t know if that’s a compliment.”
“When she was young.” He returned my smile. “Are you ready?” I frowned at him, cocking my head. “Yeah, let’s go.”
“I get to drive!” Erica held her hand out for the keys. We both groaned, but he gave them to her, and we managed to make it to the restaurant without a major accident, even though she blew through two stop signs and blamed it on her platform heels.
“Alinea’s!” I gasped when we got out of the car. I’d been too busy covering my eyes and praying on the way over to pay attention where we were going.
“I told you-expensive.” Mr. Nolan’s hand was pressed into the small of my back as he steered me into the restaurant and Erica followed.
“My mom loves this place,” I whispered as we were met by the maitre’d.
“You’ve been here?” Mr. Nolan looked disappointed as he gave the man his name.
“No.” I shook my head as he held out my seat. The maitre’d held Erica’s for her, and she smiled a thank you up at him. It was the first time I noticed that he was young-and cute. “She just talked about it until my ears were bleeding.” My voice was hushed as I stared around at the strange, modern decor.
“I feel like I’m on the set of Star Trek,” Erica whispered.
Mr. Nolan laughed and ordered a bottle of wine. When it arrived, he poured three glasses, and Erica and I grinned at each other but didn’t say anything as we sipped it.
“My name is Charles and I’ll be your server this evening. Have you been to Alinea before?” It was the cute maitre’d who had seated us and brought us the bottle of wine. I shook my head at him, but he was looking at Erica.
“I have.” Mr. Nolan smiled. “But you can give the girls the full treatment.”
“Oh yes, Charles,” Erica purred, practically batting her eyes at him. “I’d love the full treatment.”
“Subtle, Erica,” I whispered under my breath, feeling Mr. Nolan chuckling silently beside me.
“We have two options on our menu, the tasting experience, or the tour…” Charles went on, but I wasn’t listening to him, because Mr. Nolan’s hand had found its way to my knee and his index finger was tracing lazy circles up the skin of my inner thigh, sending shivers through me.
I glanced at him, but his attention was focused on the waiter, or at least it seemed to be, except his hand kept pushing my dress up higher. His fingers reached my panties, brushing over the slightly damp crotch and I gulped, crossing my legs and turning slightly away from him.
He raised his eyebrows and, leaning in toward me, he whispered, “I want the tasting experience.”
I nudged him playfully with my shoulder, turning my attention back to Charles. He seemed to be waiting for something.
“The tour,” Mr. Nolan told him. “I’m giving the girls a real treat tonight.” He nodded, smiling at Erica as he passed and she looked over at me with stars in her eyes.