Free Legal Heat by Sarah Castille

so I couldn’t take it home right away.” Also, she hadn’t wanted anyone in the firm to know she had used up two billable hours of her day to shop in the boutique shops of Yaletown.
    They took the box into the kitchen and Melissa perched on one of the bar stools while Katy pulled on the ends of the huge bow. The fabric parted with a soft hiss and she dropped the purple satin into Melissa’s waiting hands before pulling off the lid.
    A froth of pink tissue paper exploded upward.
    Melissa leaned over the box and they pulled the tissue apart.
    “Mom, it’s so pretty!”
    Katy’s eyes widened and she smashed down the paper to hide the contents of the box from Melissa’s innocent seven-year-old eyes. In the store, the helpful, young shop attendant had assured her the dress was edgy but appropriate for someone her age to wear to a club like Carpe Noctem. But here at home, in front of her daughter, it seemed too risqué.
    What on earth was I thinking?
    “Mom, take it out.”
    “Your dad will be here soon, darling. Go and get ready.”
    “But…”
    “Go, please, Melissa. It’s just a dress.”
    Melissa reluctantly left the kitchen and Katy took another peek into the box. Black lace, pink satin ribbons and a brush of pink frills over a very short, black skirt. A corset dress. Her corset dress.
    The kitchen door burst open. Katy slammed the lid back on the box and turned to see Steven heading for the fridge.
    “Everyone ready to go?”
    “Steven, I told you to knock or ring the bell. Close the fridge. I’m sure you have food at your house.”
    Steven ignored her and took a sandwich from Justin’s lunch bag. “What’s in the box?”
    Melissa joined them in the kitchen. “It’s a dress. Mom’s going out tonight.”
    “Don’t you have work to do?” Steven frowned. “Where are you going? Do you have a date? Why are you getting all dressed up?”
    Katy tuned out the barrage of questions and tucked the box under her arm. Why did he care? Ah yes, she had almost forgotten, Sally dumped him. The pretty blonde intern had probably found herself a nice younger man. Steven favored impressionable young girls who never stuck around for long. Katy had been the one unlucky enough to marry him.
    She kissed the kids goodbye and headed upstairs with the box. When she saw Steven’s Volvo heading down the street, she stripped off her clothes and slipped on the dress. The cool, silk inner lining caressed her skin, and the corset top hugged every contour of her body. She struggled with the laces at the back, and then twirled slowly in front of the mirror. The dress smoothed out her jiggles, highlighted her narrow waist, and pushed her breasts dangerously high above the half cups. The pink frills gave it a modicum of decency, but only just.
    She twirled again and frowned. The skirt could have been longer. She wasn’t quite ready for public exposure of her thighs. And yet, compared to the other women in the club, she would still be overdressed. She slipped on a pair of black stilettos and smiled at the vixen in the mirror.
    “What the hell are you wearing?” Steven appeared in her mirror as a reflection in the doorway, his face a mixture of shock and disgust.
    How had he managed to get upstairs without her hearing him?
    Her cheeks blazed. “It’s for a…costume party. What are you doing back here?”
    “Melissa forgot her inhaler.” He stepped into the room and raked his gaze over her body. “A costume party? You’re supposed to actually wear a costume. You can’t go out dressed like that. It’s indecent. You’re a lawyer. You have children, for goodness sake. You aren’t young any more. What would people think?”
    “Get out, Steven.” She trembled with the force of her anger. “The inhaler is on her bedside table.”
    He took a step toward her. “What kind of mother are you? Is this how you’re spending your free time? Parading yourself around the city in your underwear?”
    His all too familiar sneer sent chills