Free Almost Always: A Love Unexpected Novel by Alissa Adams Page A

at Bergdoffs."
    I was tempted to say that I was sure 'many would' but I bit my tongue. "I'll see you at seven-thirty then."
    "Very good then. Bye."
    Half an hour later, I was sitting in a salon with a woman who was trotting back and forth to some unseen room to fetch dresses for me. Taishi had escorted me past racks and racks of beautiful clothes and into a back room with a couch, a triple mirror and the breathless woman who introduced herself as Ms. Summerland. After I had refused champagne, wine, coffee and tea, a tray with some designer water appeared on the table beside me.
    She asked me about my 'tastes'. I'm quite sure that by the time the first three sentences were out of my mouth she realized that I had no 'taste' at least not the kind she could use for guidance. I told her I liked bright colors and black and white but that I wasn't big on earth tones. She asked me which designers I favored. I shrugged. Taishi stood by the door and wore the same expression he always wore—unreadable.
    When she was gone I looked over at the non-committal Taishi. "Look, Taishi," I began. "I get the feeling you don't like me much, but I could really use some help here. I don't know anything about clothes like this or what Kason would expect. Can you at least nod if something looks good to you and shake your head if it's horrible?"
    I think that was the first real smile I ever saw the little Asian guy give. "I think I can help you out."
    "And don't set me up, okay? Don't choose something awful on purpose. Please."
    "I wouldn't do that to you, Miss Annalise."
    I believed him. Something in his attitude had changed. Maybe it was my mother, our life, the way our family was together. I was grateful for the ally.
    In the end, I found a very chic, almost vintage looking dress that had small cap sleeves, a small stand up collar and a slit up the right side to the mid thigh. It was poppy red with black buttons across one shoulder. It fit beautifully, hugging my curves and accentuating my small waist.
    "How about this one? I like this best of all I've seen." I twirled around in front of Taishi who grinned at me.
    "It is very reminiscent of a cheongsam. That's a traditional Chinese dress. I love it. It's classy, but the red is out there. Good choice."
    "Okay, the red one it is. Thanks for your help, Taishi."
    "There's one thing . . . "
    "What's that?"
    "You can't get away with that . . . underwear. You've got all kinds of lines."
    By the time Kason picked me up for dinner my outfit consisted of the red dress, a sleek and seamless black bustier with matching satin thong, thigh high black hose and a pair of Christian Louboutin black pumps whose red soles were perfectly matched to the red of the dress. Taishi insisted I have the matching black clutch as well. "Kason has a penchant for small details, so you might as well get the whole look right." We found some earrings in the 'costume jewelry' department at Bergdoffs that looked great—big black enamel buttons with a Chinese symbol inlaid in red crystals. The earrings were the only part of the ensemble that I had managed to find a price tag on.
    "Taishi, these earrings are $424.00! And they aren't even real!"
    "You're right, they're dime store crap, but Kason will understand. You had to have something to wear in your ears."
    "Taishi . . . ?" He gave me a look that said "go on". "You're awfully good at this. Does Kason pull this Pretty Woman act frequently?"
    "Frankly, I've only known him to do it once before . . . a long time ago."
    Elsa . Should I find that a good thing or a bad thing?
    "The women Kason usually dates can afford to dress themselves in style. They're after a lot more than a cocktail dress and a couple grand in shoes." He smiled at the shock on my face as I clutched the shoe bag a little tighter. "Besides, Annalise, no one's got better taste than a gay man. If anyone can help a pretty woman look her best, I can— if I want to."
    "You're . . . "
    "Yes, I am one tough mutha of a body