Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Chapter 49 - Cocktail Dressing

The light emanating from the halogen torch in Finne’s hand temporarily blinded Sarah.  As she followed its beam forward into the pitch blackness in front of her she was entranced by the glittering reflections it produced down a very constricted pathway.  The bright on black contrast shimmered like icicles hanging abundantly from the branches of a thick forest in a crisp moonlight.  As her pupils contracted, her perception cleared and she recognized where she had been taken.

“Did you bring me here to rip off a dry cleaner?” Sarah asked with a judging tone.

“This is my cleaner and we're not going to steal anything,” Finne responded taking Sarah’s hand and leading her down the path between two double-stacked conveyor racks dripping with plastic covered clothing that appeared now more like a synthetic jungle than frozen woodland. “I keep things here under an agreement with the owner.  We need a change of attire for tomorrow night.”

“What kind of agreement?” Sarah questioned astutely picking up on Finne’s casual explanation of the legitimacy of their endeavor.

“Uh, well… Ok, no lies… I get to keep some stuff here for when I need it, and I agreed to keep the IRS from looking into the books of this cash business.” Jack explained truthfully.  “I have kept this place from being audited for a decade and my investigations for Treasury have benefited many many times more than what could be collected from here.”

“What we need is down at the end.  What are you a size 2?”

“Fuck you too!” Sarah exclaimed. “I wear a zero and that is still big on me.”

Finne was sure Sarah knew her dress size when it came to the fancy shops of Georgetown that regularly reduced the sizes on their expensive couture to flatter the egos of the rich clientele they served.  But, he also trusted his judgment and had determined Sarah to be a 2 before they had left the circus’ loft.

“No offense.” Finne offered as they reached the end of racks. 

“Here we go. Pick a color. I have to wear a penguin suit.” he continued while shining the flashlight upon a wall mounted rack of women’s dresses that spanned the color spectrum.

“Are these bridesmaid dresses? No. No. No.” Sarah refused. “They’re hideous!”

“Bridesmaid and prom dresses, you will likely fit better in a prom dress.” Finne responded hoping the compliment would be recognized and would also sway her opinion.  “You need a dress that works formally, yet also suggests you are on a budget.  You can’t be wearing anything custom or designer or else you will draw attention we don’t want.  We’ve got about twenty minutes to find one that works, so drop your expectations.”

Gradually, Sarah’s gaping jaw closed with her acceptance of Finne’s instruction, and she turned her disgust into a challenge accepted.  “Twenty minutes? Ok, Finne let’s go shopping. Shine the light towards the middle of the rack.  I’ll find a little black dress and make it look fine.”

Sarah kicked off her shoes, removed her blouse over head and peeled off her Juicy jeans that fit like they had been painted on.  The unexpected disrobing surprised Finne, who was now the one open-jawed in amazement of Sarah’s beautiful semi-nude figure.

“Yeah, a zero is all you need. No question.” Finne fumbled to say with humor.

A quarter hour passed as Sarah donned and stripped each dress looking for her best option.  Finne offered her privacy but was told to stay put with the light and “Enjoy the moment.”

The attention Sarah commanded in the situation brought back a confidence in herself and surroundings that she had not felt since walking into Club Atlas many hours ago. 

“How does my ass look in this one?” She asked in a sexy flirtatious wisper.

“Never better!” Finne answered without hesitation.

“Thought so. This is the one. Now it’s your turn.”

“My tuxedo is over there,” Finne stuttered while pointing towards the other side of the room. “It’s mine, so it fits…I don’t need to try it on…”

“You’re no fun, Finne.” Sarah interrupted. “Fine. Go get it. But you owe me some entertainment later. I’ll get you naked one way or another.”

“Promise?” Finne replied hopefully.

Finne gathered Sarah’s clothes from the floor and then retrieved the formal wear he had stored for future use such as this Leading Sarah back to the rear entrance, he felt the softness of her hand in his which further aroused him.  Finne feared yet desired the attraction he was feeling and hoped he could control his sexual urging in order to stay focused on the mission that had been dropped upon him. 

They left the building as discretely as they had entered and returned to the loft across the street without notice. 

“Wow, you do make that dress look fine.  Are you sure it’s your size.” Finne offered complimenting the tight fit around Sarah exotic body curves.

“You used that line on me in college.  Seriously, be original.”

“Ok… Original….” Finne replied as if caught off guard. “Stunning”

“What?”

“Uh, you look stunning. I don’t think anyone has or ever will make that dress look as good as you do.”

Sarah’s cheeks blushed slightly as she smiled in reaction to the compliment.  


“Thank you. Now help me get out of this straight jacket and let’s go to bed. I am exhausted.” Sarah replied, adding wryly, “I sleep naked. How about you?”