Page 33 of A Tempting Seduction

Fallon smiled at me, her expression warm and encouraging. “That outfit looks really nice on you, Ruby.”

I pointed to the obvious problem areas with both hands. “I need the sweater to be three sizes bigger. Look at this.”

“No.” Maddie's voice cut through my protest with decisive authority. “You need a good bra.”

All three women nodded in agreement, like this was the most obvious solution in the world.

Maddie and Zoe turned to look at Fallon with expectant expressions.

“Can you go get one of the clerks from the intimates section to help us?” Maddie’s question sounded more like a command.

Fallon nodded and headed down the hall, out to the main store. “I'll see what I can do.”

Ten minutes later, I stood in my dressing room wearing only my bra and jeans while an older Eastern European woman assessed me with the critical eye of a master craftsman. She pulled out a measuring tape and began her work with professional efficiency.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk.” She shook her head with obvious disapproval. “I be right back.”

The moment she left, Zoe peeked around the dressing room door. I instinctively tried to cover myself even though I was wearing a bra.

“Ain't nothing I haven't seen before.” Zoe waved off my modesty. “How'd it go?”

“I'm thinking she's going to bring me something made out of iron and barbed wire.”

Zoe giggled, the sound echoing off the dressing room walls. “It won't be that bad.” She paused, and I caught a glint in her eyes that made me nervous. “Anyway, you can only buy iron and barbed wire corsets at a little shop down in Nashville.”

I stared at her, genuinely worried she might not be kidding.

The commanding woman returned, carrying what looked like a small mountain of undergarments. She had eight bras to choose from, some white, some black, one pink, one blue with small white flowers.

“You try.” She handed me the first bra with the authority of someone accustomed to being obeyed. “Show me each one. Start with this one.”

I disappeared back into the dressing room and began the process. The first bra felt immediately different. The straps didn't dig into my shoulders, and the cups actually seemed designed for someone with my proportions. When I invited the woman back into the room, she nodded but her face remained impassive.

“Next one.”

I tried on bra after bra, each one fitting better than anything I'd worn in years. For the first time in recent memory, I wasn't spilling out all over the place or forced to hunch my shoulders forward because the straps cut into my skin. Plus, there were no back bulges.

“Is good.” The woman finally nodded with satisfaction after I'd modeled the eighth option. “These three are best.” She selected the ones that had felt most comfortable. “I get one more. You buy. Wear this to try on clothes.” She cut off the tag.

I guess I’m buying this one.

I giggled.

She left again, and the moment she was gone, laughter erupted from the other dressing rooms.

“I'm scared not to do what she says,” I admitted over my wall.

“Then don’t,” Maddie told me. And that was that.

An hour later, I had accumulated three sweaters, two blouses, and two more pairs of jeans. The high-waisted style made my hips look curvy instead of wide and somehow made my waist appear smaller than it actually was.

“You definitely need to tuck in the blouses,” Fallon told me as I modeled the latest combination.

I stared at my reflection, still adjusting to the sight of my actual silhouette instead of the shapeless mass I was used to seeing.

“But look at me. I'm. I'm. I'm all out there.” I flailed my hands about myself.

“The word you want is curvy.” Maddie's voice carried approval. “Curvy is good.”