3 Book Romance Bundle: "Her Last Love Affair" & "Loving Him Peacefully" & "Unwelcome Reunion" by Clara James, Lisa Martin, & Gloria Bryant
***
It was three days later when Allie found herself pacing the stretch of thick cream carpet by the foot of her bed. She wore a large bath towel around her body and a smaller one wrapped around her damp hair. Her iPhone was gripped tightly in her right hand, while her eyes flicked nervously between the floor and the black cocktail dress laid out on the bed.
“I just don’t know how to play it,” she spoke into the phone. “I mean, should I just be upfront about what I want?”
“What do you want?” Rosalind replied, as she crunched on an apple.
“We’ve already been over that one,” Allie sighed, ceasing the nervous movement of her feet.
A moment of noisy chewing was followed by a distorted, “Just want to make sure you know what you’re doing.”
“I know,” Allie replied, her voice low as she stared unflinchingly at the dress before her. “The problem is I don’t know how to get it.”
“Well,” Rosalind began. “If it were me, I’d just see how the night goes. Maybe he’ll make the first move. If not, then don’t be afraid to do it for him.”
“I’m not sure I know how to make the first move,” Allie responded, her eyes growing wide in fear at the thought of it.
“Oh, come on,” Rosalind laughed. “You mean to tell me you’ve never initiated sex before?”
“Not like this,” she protested. “Not on a first date, knowing that it’s just going to be one night.”
“You saying you don’t want to do it?”
“No,” Allie instantly countered. “I definitely want to. I’m just nervous that’s all.”
“Don’t be,” Rosalind cooed warmly. “You’re going to be fine. Just be yourself and let things play out at their own pace. I’m pretty sure you won’t have to drag him back to your lair.”
“Okay,” came Allie’s forced confidence. She grasped the corner of the makeshift turban and yanked her hair free. “I’m going to have to get ready, or I’ll be late.”
“Go get him, girl,” Rosalind encouraged smiling. “Hey,” she added suddenly. “Are you sure everything’s okay?”
“Yep,” Allie quickly lied. “Everything’s fine. We’ll…umm…talk again soon.” Feeling awkward about her dishonesty, Allie tried to wrap the call up quickly. Thankfully, she received no resistance from the other end. “Bye,” she stated, pulling the cell phone away from her ear.
“Have fun,” Rosalind managed to squeeze in, before the call ended.
Tossing the phone onto the bed, Allie sucked in a strangled breath. “You’ve done this before,” she scolded herself. “It’s just a date, it’s no big deal.”