You Belong to Me (Stevens Book 6)

Chapter 14

The following month flew by. Alice had quietly accepted the fact that she had fallen in love hard and fast. She knew going in that she would hurt, but she hadn't known how much.  The first thought she had every morning was of Rainer, and the last thought she had every night was of Rainer.  If it wasn't for work she would have lost it.

She hadn't had time to focus on her dissertation since she had returned from Texas.  In fact, she hadn't even wanted to look at it because it was the reason she had met Rainer, but Alice had vowed to herself to finish the draft by the end of winter break. She had started to re-read the books that Steven Douglas had written, but they were different then she remembered, they seemed more familiar to her. She guessed that it was due to the time that she had spent away from the project. It had given her a fresh perspective, and she was eager to get into Rainer's interview notes to see if they helped her make the project more complete.

Alice sighed as she pushed her way into her apartment.  She had promised to go to a benefit concert this evening with her family.  She had put them off since she had returned from Texas, but she couldn't do it any longer. Her father had said something about needing to provide a united front for Frank's latest campaign. She had even bought a new dress for the evening hoping it would bolster herself image.

Her hair had grown out and she had trimmed it into a bell cut that Grace said made her look delicate. The dress that she had chosen was a 1950s style and was reminiscent of a famous dress worn my Marilyn Monroe. It was a halter top, that didn't allow for a bra, a high banded waist, and a full skirt. It was ultra-feminine, showing off her tiny delicate shoulders, small waist, and full curves to their best advantage.  The color was white just like Marilyn's dress and she had picked three inch stilettos to go with it.

That evening, after she was dressed, she was quite pleased with the result. She felt and looked sexy, and it was a shame that she had to cover the dress up with her winter coat, but luckily they were having a warm December so at least there was no snow on the ground.

A car, sent by her father, picked her up and she rode alone to the theater. When she arrived the lobby was full and warm, and she was glad that she had chosen the dress it would keep her cool. Alice took off her coat and checked it so that she wouldn't have to worry about keeping up with it, oblivious of the admiring glances she was getting while she searched the crowd for her family. She eventually saw them which meant that she had to join them. Slowly, she walked towards them, but they were chatting and didn't even notice her until she reached them. The dress was more than worth it when they turned and saw her.  Her mother and father looked thunderstruck, her sister looked peeved, and Frank looked lecherous.

They did their best to cover their reactions and greeted her sedately.

"You look lovely dear," her mother said, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

It was the first time her mother had ever said that to her, and she had to blink back tears. She stood there for the next few minutes people watching and vaguely participating in the conversation, she was pleased when she saw Grace by the bar getting a drink.

"Would you excuse me I see a friend." Her family looked confused.  She had never before seen anyone she knew at one of these events. "I'll be right back," she promised.

She moved as quickly as she could towards Grace, not wanting to lose her in the crowd, and when she reached her, Grace smiled and gave her a warm hug.

"I am so glad to see you. You look damn sexy," Grace said, giving her a kiss on the cheek as she pulled away to admire the dress.

"You look good yourself." Grace always looked good.  She was a classic beauty with pale skin and raven black hair that she wore pulled back at the sides so that it fell in a long cascade down her back. She had on a long midnight blue silk sheath that suited her perfectly.