"No buts! Home. You're drunk" I yelled. Paige wined and turned over and curled up in a fetal position.
"You tell her mom!" Sean said proudly from the backseat. Chase chuckled under his breath.
Chapter 9
"I want you to come with me."
I coughed and choked on an ice cube that went down the wrong pipe. I grabbed the edge of the table trying to compose myself. But my eyes welled up with tears from the burning in my throat. Chase patted my back. When I finally stopped choking I spoke.
"You want me to go with you?" I asked shocked
"Well don't say it like that" Chase said. /
I didn't know how else to say it. It's not often that a guy invites me to go on a five star vacation with him.
"I don't mean it like that" I said "it's just.... Work. I have to work." I lied. He and I both knew I could easily take off. Especially considering my in with the boss' son.
"You can use your vacation days." He pushed "Come on it'll only be for a week at max."
"Well I can't just leave Paige." I argued.
"Paige is an adult. She can survive without you." He said
"I don't know." I said. "She is pretty reckless."
Chase was frustrated now. He threw his head back and covered his face and groaned.
"Come on!" He said now looking at me. He grabbed my hands and covered them with his. "Look. I like hanging out with Paige and you. But I need a break from her. When's the last time we went out without her?" He asked.
I thought for a while and opened my mouth for a rebuttal but he spoke first.
"Exactly. Look. I just want to have you to myself." He said. He saw I was about to argue so he took my captive hands and planted light kisses on my fingers. My argument was replaced by a light sigh.
Chase looked up at me with big handsome eyes and gave me a puppy dog face.
"Please" he asked again.
"I'll go." I mumbled. Chase perked up and a big childish grin stretched across his face.
"You won't regret it. I promise." He said as he came across the table and hugged me.
***
"This is it. Sheilah this is it." Paige said with wide eyes after I told her about my lunch with Chase.
"This is what?" I asked frustrated. I knew what she meant but I wanted to deny it.
"Yea what is it?" Iris asked. Paige had taken a liking to her and now she's been coming over more often. She's actually grown on me too.
"It!" Paige shouted. "The big I-T! The showstopper and the panty dropper! That good good. The bed boogie! The no pants dance. Stuffing the turkey! Getting your-"
"I GET IT!" I interrupted or else she'd never stop.
"Is she talking about having sex?" Iris asked wide-eyed.
"Si mi patito" Paige said "Sheilah is going to get some." Paige squealed. "It's been so long Sheilah. Has your hymen grown back?" Paige joked and I hit her shoulder.
"That can't happen. Right?" Iris asked concerned
"I'm just teasing." Paige said. "But seriously Sheilah." Paige now said with a serious voice. "Are you excited?"
Paige and Iris both looked at me with hungry eyes. These girls wanted to gossip, like teenagers, and giggle over this. But I just wanted to escape.
"Yea sure. I guess." I shrugged. Paige and Iris's expression had completely changed.
"That's it?" Iris asked.
"Well there's no guarantee that it will even happen." I said.
"So you're going away with a guy (That you're dating) For a week. And you're not gonna sleep with him?" Paige asked.
"Well.... Yeah." I said. There was a long silence. Paige and Iris just stared at me with disbelief and confusion written on their faces.
"That's.... That's super uncool." Iris said "I mean why are you even going then?"
"I don't have to have sex with him." I said
"No you don't." Paige said.
"Just make sure he knows that" Iris added. "Guys don't think like that." She warned.
"Yeah. She's right." Paige said all of her excitement gone.
"What Paige?" I asked. Why was she acting so weird?
"I just want you to be happy. Mi amore. And Chase makes you happy." she said
"Yea so then why are you so disappointed?" I asked.
"I'm not. Really. I just think you deserve happiness. You deserve to let him spoil you. Just let him make all of you happy." she said. I smiled at her kind words.
"Including your punani." she added. The smile disappeared from my face and Paige and Iris laughed uncontrollably.
The doorbell rang and I left these cackling fool to themselves. I swung the door open only to see Chase.
"Hey" I said uncomfortably.
"What no kiss?" Chase asked as he pulled me by my waist. I was completely pressed up against him and our faces were less than an inch apart. I gave in and closed the distance between us by pressing my lips against his. Although this moment was short lived because of Paige. As usual.
"I would tell you two to get a room but I think you have that covered" Chase and I broke apart. Paige and Iris were watching from the living room.
"Shoo shoo" I said to the two of them as they scattered back into the bedroom. Chase and I sat down on the couch.
"So about the trip." He said. "The flight leaves on Friday morning. 7am sharp. Do you want me to pick you up?"
"No I'll drop her off." Paige butted in from the room. I shot her a glare and she retreated back into the room.
"Sounds good to me." Chase said.
"Anything else I should know? What should I pack?" I asked.
"Just normal clothes. A bathing suit. Oh and a ball gown." he said nonchalantly.
"A ball gown?" Paige, Iris, and I said together.
"Leave!" I demanded and turned my attention back to Chase. "A ball gown?" I asked again.
"Yea." Chase said. "There's this ball at the end of the week. Is that ok?" he asked confused.
"Yes it's ok. It's just..." I trailed off and tried to figure out how to tell him this but Paige did it for me.
"She doesn't have a ball gown." Paige butted in. She entered and Iris followed. "Incase you haven't been to our apartment and noticed. We're poor. How is she supposed to get a ball gown?" she asked.
"I'll buy it for you" He said to me. He pulled out a credit card from his wallet.
"No no no." I said pushing the card away from me. "I know someone who'll make one for me." I lied.
"Oh really?" Paige asked suspiciously "Who?"
"Her name is...." I searched my mind "Lily. She's Sean's friend. You don't know her" I quickly came up with this lie.
"Mmmhmm." Paige hummed.
***
The next day I drove my newly fixed station wagon to the mall. I ran into dots and searched for something cheap that could pass as an elegant ball gown. I went into the dressing room and tried on a tight hot pink dress with unnecessary colorful beads. I walked out and looked at myself in the mirror.
"This is terrible" I said to myself. I was going to look like a fool at this ball.
"You're not really gonna wear that?" I turned and saw Paige and Iris. Were these girls everywhere?
"What are you guys doing here?" I asked.
"Helping you get a real gown" Paige said. She pulled Chase's credit card out of her purse.
"Why do you have that?" I asked already knowing the answer. I knew that Chase saw right through my lie.
"Just take that ugly thing off and let's go to a real store." Paige said motioning for me to come on.
"That dress is super ugly" Iris pitched in.
"I know you're just trying to help, but I can do this." I told them running in the dressing room to escape from them.
It was a useless plan. They stood right at the door and talked to me through the wall.
"Why won't you let Chase buy you a gown?" Iris asked.
"Sheilah. Let your pride go. You've worked hard for everything you have and now someone wants to give you something. Let him." I said nothing.
"Look at yourself in the mirror. You're a strong beautiful woman," I looked in the mirror to try and see what she saw. "In an incredibly ugly dress. Now come out here and let someone help you for once."
I came out of the dressing room in my own clothes.
"Ok. Let's go." I said. Iris squealed.
We walked out of dots and headed to the Saks Fifth Avenue.
"You should try this one." Iris said pointing to the gown on the mannequin.
"Yes that's muy linda" Paige said eyeing the gown. "Excuse me" Paige said calling the closest salesperson "Can we try on this dress in a size 2?" Paige asked.
"Oh this dress?" she asked "I don't think you'll like this dress."
"Why not?" Paige asked confused
"I don't think... It's your style." she said
"I know my own style" Paige said. "Just let us try on the dress."
"Look. You seem nice so I'll be straight with you." she said "This dress... Cost $5000 and you could try it on. But what's the point? You obviously wouldn't buy it. So how about I show you some discount dresses instead?" she said.
Paige was in shock. She said nothing and turned to Iris and me. "Let's just go somewhere else." She said heading towards the door.
"Hold on." Iris said pushing past Paige as she walked up to the salesperson.
"We didn't ask for your opinion now did we? We asked for you. The worker. To get us. The customer. A dress. But, you're obviously too incompetent to follow simple directions. So we'll be taking our business elsewhere. Hopefully the employees there will have some proper training and etiquette." Iris said as she stormed out of the store and Paige and I followed leaving the salesperson dumbfounded.
"Iris... That was amazing" Paige said "I wasn't even going to say anything." Iris blushed.
"Yea well I just hate rude people."
Next we went into Oscar de la Renta as Paige suggested and the sales associates were much nicer. Paige convinced me to buy two dresses just incase.
***
"Please don't destroy the house." I begged Paige as she dropped me off at the airport.
"Yea, yea, yea. You have fun now. Don't be a stick in the mud." Paige said. I smiled at her crude comment.
"I'll do my best not to." I said. Paige grabbed my arm before I left.
"You're ready for this. You deserve this." She said. I hugged her and exited the car and headed towards the airport terminal where Chase was waiting for me.