Chapter 58A

"Cute outfit," Lisa said as Devlin checked herself in the mirror. "Is that your new party dress?"

"I found it in one of Laurie's catalogues," Devlin said. She smoothed it down over her hips, nodding at the way it looked on her. "I've had to have a few things changed." She turned to check the full open back of the dress. "But, yes, this is my new party dress. For regular parties, that is," she added.

"What did you have altered, the bosom?" Devlin nodded. "I'm glad I'm not any bigger than I am," Lisa said.

Devlin shrugged. "You get used to them." She turned, getting a profile look. The dress was bluish-silver with just a hint of glitter that made it a party dress. It was sleeveless with a modest scoop neck in front that was just low enough that she could wear a necklace. It wasn't as short as she'd thought at first, coming to just about halfway up her thighs, which was fine with her. This was her cocktail party dress, suitable to be seen by the public.

Smiling at the result, she glanced at Lisa. "You look good in that," she said. Lisa was wearing a short little black chemise that positively clung to her, emphasizing every curve.

Lisa inspected her reflection. "It makes me feel more... well, bare, as if I wasn't wearing anything at all." She shook her head. "Kind of funny when you think about it, isn't it? I mean, I'm wearing a dress, or what passes for one, and yet I really feel like I have nothing on."

"That depends upon what you wear with it," Devlin said.

"I can't wear much with this," Lisa said, looking down at the chemise. She held out the hem, studying the fabric. "Anything I wore with this would show."

"So... don't."

"I don't intend to." Lisa gave herself another critical look. She laughed self-consciously. "Hard to believe, isn't it? For all of my talk, something like this really makes me take a look at myself."

"Oh?"

"It's just..." Her voice dropped. "It's just I'm not used to thinking in terms of buying a 'fuck me' dress. But this is definitely one, if there ever was one."

Devlin nodded. "I know what you mean. I'm used to presenting a certain image and being seen in a certain way, and changing it is... hard. On one hand... should I? Do I really dare? And on the other, why not?"

"Which one is the true me?" Lisa asked softly. She gave herself another critical look. "What do you think? Those little black sandals I have?"

"The ones with the small heel and the cute little gold clasp?"

Lisa nodded. "I think they'd go well with this."

"I think so, too," Devlin said. "They'd look much better than something with a thicker heel. You want something light, something that goes well with the fluttery nature of that hemline."

"You should wear your white pumps with that outfit," Lisa said. "They'd emphasize your legs."

Devlin turned, examining her legs in the dressing room mirror. "As if I could draw attention away from my bosom."

"It might draw some attention away from your top."

"That's not going to happen," Devlin laughed ruefully. "Yeah, you're right, though. They'd look nice with this. Can't say I didn't try."

"How are things going in here?" Krissi asked from the other side of the curtain.

"Not bad," Lisa said. "Come take a look."

Krissi slipped through the curtained door. "Oh, my, yes," she said after a quick look at both gals. "You both look almost good enough to eat."

"Is that a promise?" Lisa asked, smiling. "Just kidding."

Krissi slipped her arm around Devlin's waist. "Sorry, there's only room for one woman in my life."

"A girl can ask," Lisa said, faking a pout. "So what are you wearing to the party Emma is hosting?"

"It's a secret," Krissi said with a laugh. "You'll know when you see it."

"It's something very naughty and very wicked," Devlin said. "And it looks very good on her."

"You've seen it?" Lisa asked.

"I helped her pick it out."

Lisa sighed. "Seems odd to be going to a party with some of these people and not..." Her voice trailed off as she glanced at the curtained door. There were other shoppers trying on things here, and they could probably hear everything that was being said. "I wasn't sure I liked the idea of a cocktail party."

"I like the idea," Devlin said. "I know it'll seem weird, but Emma does this every year. It's always on the Sunday night before New Years. This is only the second time I've gone."

"And she's sure it'll be adult dress only?" Lisa glanced at herself in the mirror, but was clearly thinking of the party. It wasn't being held at Emma's. Emma and Tim had rented a motel on the outskirts of Peru. It had a reception hall that normally rented for parties and weddings, and they'd been happy to rent it for an Adults-Only New Years Party.

"It's safe," Krissi said. "You can be as daring and as exposed as you want to be. This is my fourth one. People can get pretty wild and imaginative. Skin is definitely in." She dropped her voice. "And if things happen, well, there are always a few available rooms. Most people do."

"New Years Eve is when we'll party in the traditional style," Devlin said. She rubbed her arms. "I'm looking forward to that party. I haven't been to one in years."

"That'll be the real cocktail party," Krissi murmured. "The guy's will have the cocks, and we'll have the tails." All three of them giggled at that.

"You know what I mean," Devlin said. "Anyway, there'll be time enough for that later on. Right now we should enjoy the holiday break. We don't have school for two more weeks."

Lisa nodded and began changing. After a moment Devlin followed suit. She'd freeze if she went outside in this dress. Lisa had grabbed her coat and was part way out the door when she stopped at looked back at Devlin.

"You coming?"

"I'm going to talk to Laurie about the lingerie she's carrying," Devlin said with a shake of her head. "I'll join you guys in a bit."

"Business," Lisa said with a slight grimace. "Think you'll be long?"

"I don't know," Devlin confessed.

"All right. We'll be over at..." She glanced at Krissi. "We'll meet you at that steak house around the corner when you're done. Think you'll have enough time for lunch?"

"I should," Devlin said. She waited until Krissi and Lisa had left. She sighed. She'd thought about this, now she just had to go through with it.

"Laurie?" she asked when the woman was through with another customer.

Laurie was a tall woman, thin, her brown hair cut back in a pageboy. She was wearing brown slacks and a red turtleneck. Now she looked up from the credit card receipts she had laid out on the counter.

"Do you need something else?" she asked. "Do you want any changes with that dress?"

"No, it's pretty much all right the way it is." She thought a moment. "Well, maybe a slit a couple of inches long up the sides. Nothing revealing, just fashionable."

Laurie nodded. "Not a problem. I can have that done this afternoon. Can you think of anything else?"

"That should do it," Devlin said. She pocketed her card and the receipt. After wrapping her muffler around her she pulled her coat on over her thick sweater and sweatshirt. Gloves, hat, she zipped the coat up and shrugged a bit to make sure everything was comfortable. She was swaddled in enough layers she felt like a mummy. She imagined that she was now bigger around than she was tall. But at least she was warm, and with this latest storm coming in over the plains staying warm was more important than anything else.

"I'll see you tomorrow," she said. She glanced at her watch. There should still be enough time for lunch before she and Lisa headed over to the sales meeting Lisa had arranged. If she hurried, she could get more than just a bowl of soup.

#

Devlin made the last adjustment on her dress, and then stepped back to inspect herself in the motel room mirror. Months before she'd bought a very naughty little number to wear tonight, but after seeing this dress in Laurie's catalogue she'd fallen in love with it. It was a translucent sheath done in the sheerest gold lamé. The top left her shoulders bare, but otherwise it covered her, at least in a technical sense, from her ankles to her shoulders. It had a slit up one side to her knees so she could move. The main thing about the dress was that it was mostly transparent. You could see nearly everything, which was the whole idea. In the light she looked like she was encased in gold.

She clipped on her gold earrings with the tiny diamonds, draped the matching pendant around her neck and shook her head to settle her hair. The only thing missing... she picked up her gold sandals and slipped them on. Then she gave herself one final critical inspection. Finally she nodded. Everything was just right.

"About ready?" Krissi asked through the adjoining door.

"In a moment," Devlin said. She put on her cloak, not so much for the warmth as the modesty. Her wrap covered a lot of her, but it didn't cover that much and she didn't feel like parading in front of the motel staff. "Okay, I guess I'm ready. How about you?"

Krissi came through the door between their motel rooms wearing her new dress. It was a floor-length powder blue dress that appeared to be made out of the sheerest nylon. But there were enough layers Krissi could claim to be covered, but only if you stretched the word. The color perfectly matched Krissi's eyes, and blended perfectly with her skin tones.

"Gorgeous," Devlin said, enviously. "Heart-stopping, actually."

"You really think so?" Krissi pirouetted in the middle of the floor, her dress floating around her legs like a wisp of nothing. "Let me get my purse."

Steve joined them in the hall, looking handsome in his tuxedo. "Doesn't look any different than normal," Devlin kidded.

"Oh, no?" Krissi smiled. "Tight pants." She licked her lips and patted his bottom. "Very tight pants. And that shirt is a false-front."

They swept down the hall, only pausing at one of the outside doors to look at the inner courtyard. Snow was piled over the bushes of the garden. The pool was empty and its cover firmly in place. A faint puff of cold wind came under the bottom of the door and Devlin felt it blow up her legs like a giant shiver. No need for rouge, she thought as she shivered. I'll have that rosy-cheeked look without any make-up.

"You're shivering like you don't have anything on under that dress," Steve said in a joking tone as they resumed walking.

"I don't," Devlin said. "This is a far cry from last night."

"Tell me about it," Krissi said. "It's downright freezing out there."

The night before she had gone over to her mother's. Tom had had to work, but after he got home they went to a party at her mother's company. It was supposed to be semi-formal, and Devlin decided to wear her new silver party dress.

Her mother had opened the door happily as she'd knocked. She was wearing festive red top and black slacks, with a pin formed as a green tree on her breast.

"Merry Christmas," she said, hugging Devlin.

"Merry Christmas, mother," Devlin replied after dropping the sacks she was carrying. She quickly shed her coat and muffler.

"Let me look at you." She held Devlin at arm's length for a brief inspection. "Nice dress. New?"

"Brand new," Devlin said. "I just got it the other day. You're looking good." She opened one of the bags she'd brought and began pulling things out. "I brought some things for the baby. I found this sleeper, mittens and a really cute little wool cap."

They spent a while looking at the things she had found, folding them and putting them away. Devlin had brought the receipts so her mother could find other things at the same places if she wanted to. That led to an examination of some of the other things her sister already had. When Tom got home from work, Devlin pulled out her gifts.

"This is for you, Tom," she said. Tom looked at it curiously, then began unwrapping it as Devlin sat back and watched.

"It's a clock," he said. It was a battery operated clock set in a dark oak frame.

"Mom said you didn't have a clock on your desk," she said. "She also said that it was made of dark oak. And when I saw this..."

"It's perfect," her mother said.

"This is really nice," Tom added. "Thank you."

"And this is for you, mother," Devlin said. She handed over the slim package. "I found it in Key West when I was there for Thanksgiving." She'd had to move a little money around, but after she'd gotten back she'd ordered it.

The look on her mother's face when she opened it was priceless. "Pearls," she said. "A strand of pearls."

"Well, pearls grown from seeds," Devlin said. "I thought they'd match those pearl stud earrings you have."

"I think they will," her mother said. She gathered Devlin in a hug. "Oh these are just perfect." She got up and headed into the bedroom, emerging a few seconds later clipping the pearl earrings in place. Tom helped her with the necklace. She touched it a couple of times as if assuring herself they were real.

"Open yours," Tom urged, handing Devlin a small package. Inside was a pair of jade earrings. "I found those on my last business trip," he explained. "I was in Phoenix, and those practically leaped out at me."

"They're terrific," Devlin said. She walked over to a mirror on the wall and held them up to her ears, turning to see how they would look. "I have all sorts of things I can wear with these." She gave herself another look. "They look like they go with this dress, too," she concluded.

"Pretty well," her mother agreed, coming up behind her.

"It's worth a try," Devlin said. She slipped off the earrings she was wearing and tried on her new ones. They did go with the dress. It almost seemed as if the earrings brought out a previously unseen blue in her dress.

She sighed happily. "Well, I suppose we should be going."

"Let me get the baby ready," her mother said. She disappeared into the baby's room. She emerged a few minutes later with the baby already packed in the car seat.

"I didn't know if you wanted to come to this," her mother said. "You know a few people, but not very many, and you're older than the kids who'll be there."

"I've been to other parties," Devlin replied as they got in the car. "And it gets mighty lonesome in the dorms."

"I thought you had a social life," her mother said.

"I do. For instance, I'm going to a New Years party on Sunday night. But with most everyone home for the holidays, and Evan off in Puerto Rico, there isn't much for me to do." She shrugged, though she knew they couldn't see her in the darkness. "I study a bit, I sleep a lot, I read a lot, and I watch some television."

"When's Evan due back?" Tom asked.

"In a few days. His last game is the day after tomorrow. I'm not sure if he's flying back right away, or if he's coming back after the first of the year. Originally he was going to fly back to Key West for a few days, and then come up here. But after we talked, I got the impression he may have changed his plans."

"I'd think he'd be coming back early, what with all the yearend travel going on," Tom said.

"He didn't say," Devlin said.

The party was boring, at least from her point of view. Too many people stood around telling stories that didn't make any sense. She pretended a polite interest in some of the things she heard, then finally retreated a bit and spent time looking at the women and trying to determine which ones needed new bras. It was really hard to tell. Normally 3 out of 5 women were wearing the wrong-sized bra, but not tonight. Most of the women were wearing cocktail dresses, and at least half of those were not wearing bras at all. She watched a pair of gals walk by. Their dresses were very thin and fit as if they were molded on. She suspected a higher percentage of women at Emma's parties wore underthings. The whole idea was almost too funny.

Krissi laughed when Devlin told her about what she had seen the night before. "I bet there won't be much worn under any dress tonight, though," Krissi remarked. "The gals we'll see tonight will be just like the gals you saw last night, only more open about it."

"Wearing underwear would only get in the way," Devlin said with a smile.

There was a table across part of the hall, blocking any entrance to the hall. There were two couples sitting there, both conservatively dressed. Looking at them you could never tell what was going on only a few feet away.

"Invitation please," one of the women said. Devlin recognized her as one of Emma's neighbors. The woman and her husband were regulars at Emma's parties.