problem.
“Let me,” he said, nudging her hand away with his forearm. “It’s caught on the sequins.”
Nodding, she replaced her hand on his shoulder. He tugged downward this time in an effort to get free. The back of her dress plunged dangerously low.
“Jed!” she yelped, then lowered her voice almost to a hiss. “This is not a backless dress, but it’s going to be a frontless dress if you do that again.”
“Think of it as a ‘peekaboo’ dress,” he said, a huge grin on his face as the image of Rae’s dress falling to her ankles flashed across his brain.
“I know,” she grumbled. “One peek and you say, ‘Boo.’ ”
“I’d never boo,” he assured her, twisting his wrist around.
“Jed! Quit fooling around back there and get us free!”
“It’s not easy when I’m doing it no-handed.” He tried rubbing his wrist up and down to free his cuff link.
Rae made a desperate grab for her bodice, as the front slipped again. She barely managed to grasp the edge of it before her nipples were exposed, at the same time pressing herself as hard as she could against him to prevent an accidental peep show. She decided there was only one good thing about their present predicament. It had effectively killed her mind-drugging reaction to him. A hot flush heated her skin, as she realized how she’d given herself up to the dance. Forcing the thought from her mind, she acknowledged the dress was an acceptable embarrassment, compared to making a fool of herself over Jed. Finally, she said, “We’ve got to get loose somehow.”
“Obviously, I can’t do it this way without ripping the dress,” he said. “Let’s get off the dance floor. Then you can turn around and I can use my other hand.”
She glanced around and spotted an alcove trimmed with velvet curtains. It didn’t look too deep, but the curtains would give them a measure of privacy. She’d need some, just in case her dress decided to take a sudden trip to the floor. “That alcove—”
“I see it. Be ready for the fifty-yard dash—”
“Are you having a nice time, dear?”
Rae shuddered in horror at the familiar voice. Pressing even further against Jed, she barely turned her head to acknowledge her pretty, dark-haired mother, who was beaming at her in pleasure. Vivian Barkeley was dancing with an older man who looked very familiar.
“We’re having a great time, Mom,” she said in a rush. She nodded to her mother’s partner, who smiled back. “Hello, sir. Well, see you—”
“But aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend, Rachel?” Her mother beamed a second smile to Jed.
Rae made a strangled sound in her throat, before saying, “Jed Waters, meet my mother. Mom, Jed.”
“You’re even more beautiful than your daughter, Mrs. Barkeley,” Jed said with a charming smile.
“What a lovely thing to say!” Vivian exclaimed happily. She indicated her dancing partner and added, “Have you met the Vice President yet, Mr. Waters? He’s our guest of honor tonight.”
With a quiet moan, Rae dropped her forehead on Jed’s shoulder, as her mother introduced Jed to the Vice President of the United States. Her dress was going to fall off any second now, and her mother was making introductions. That was the trouble with good breeding, she thought in disgust. A person always had to make introductions.
She groaned aloud when Jed, with great aplomb, stuck out his right hand like a flipper to shake hands with the distinguished gentleman, and said,“I’m sorry, Mr. Vice President, but I’m very attached to Rae at the moment.”
“Now isn’t that nice, Rachel!” her mother exclaimed, as the men shook hands. The Vice President, evidently seeing the reason for Jed’s attachment, only chuckled.
“Wonderful, Mom. Just wonderful,” Rae muttered, wondering how she could strangle Jed in front of hundreds of people and get away with it. Instead, she did a fair imitation of a Vulcan nerve pinch.
“It was a pleasure meeting both
“Let me,” he said, nudging her hand away with his forearm. “It’s caught on the sequins.”
Nodding, she replaced her hand on his shoulder. He tugged downward this time in an effort to get free. The back of her dress plunged dangerously low.
“Jed!” she yelped, then lowered her voice almost to a hiss. “This is not a backless dress, but it’s going to be a frontless dress if you do that again.”
“Think of it as a ‘peekaboo’ dress,” he said, a huge grin on his face as the image of Rae’s dress falling to her ankles flashed across his brain.
“I know,” she grumbled. “One peek and you say, ‘Boo.’ ”
“I’d never boo,” he assured her, twisting his wrist around.
“Jed! Quit fooling around back there and get us free!”
“It’s not easy when I’m doing it no-handed.” He tried rubbing his wrist up and down to free his cuff link.
Rae made a desperate grab for her bodice, as the front slipped again. She barely managed to grasp the edge of it before her nipples were exposed, at the same time pressing herself as hard as she could against him to prevent an accidental peep show. She decided there was only one good thing about their present predicament. It had effectively killed her mind-drugging reaction to him. A hot flush heated her skin, as she realized how she’d given herself up to the dance. Forcing the thought from her mind, she acknowledged the dress was an acceptable embarrassment, compared to making a fool of herself over Jed. Finally, she said, “We’ve got to get loose somehow.”
“Obviously, I can’t do it this way without ripping the dress,” he said. “Let’s get off the dance floor. Then you can turn around and I can use my other hand.”
She glanced around and spotted an alcove trimmed with velvet curtains. It didn’t look too deep, but the curtains would give them a measure of privacy. She’d need some, just in case her dress decided to take a sudden trip to the floor. “That alcove—”
“I see it. Be ready for the fifty-yard dash—”
“Are you having a nice time, dear?”
Rae shuddered in horror at the familiar voice. Pressing even further against Jed, she barely turned her head to acknowledge her pretty, dark-haired mother, who was beaming at her in pleasure. Vivian Barkeley was dancing with an older man who looked very familiar.
“We’re having a great time, Mom,” she said in a rush. She nodded to her mother’s partner, who smiled back. “Hello, sir. Well, see you—”
“But aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend, Rachel?” Her mother beamed a second smile to Jed.
Rae made a strangled sound in her throat, before saying, “Jed Waters, meet my mother. Mom, Jed.”
“You’re even more beautiful than your daughter, Mrs. Barkeley,” Jed said with a charming smile.
“What a lovely thing to say!” Vivian exclaimed happily. She indicated her dancing partner and added, “Have you met the Vice President yet, Mr. Waters? He’s our guest of honor tonight.”
With a quiet moan, Rae dropped her forehead on Jed’s shoulder, as her mother introduced Jed to the Vice President of the United States. Her dress was going to fall off any second now, and her mother was making introductions. That was the trouble with good breeding, she thought in disgust. A person always had to make introductions.
She groaned aloud when Jed, with great aplomb, stuck out his right hand like a flipper to shake hands with the distinguished gentleman, and said,“I’m sorry, Mr. Vice President, but I’m very attached to Rae at the moment.”
“Now isn’t that nice, Rachel!” her mother exclaimed, as the men shook hands. The Vice President, evidently seeing the reason for Jed’s attachment, only chuckled.
“Wonderful, Mom. Just wonderful,” Rae muttered, wondering how she could strangle Jed in front of hundreds of people and get away with it. Instead, she did a fair imitation of a Vulcan nerve pinch.
“It was a pleasure meeting both
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