“Just need to find the ladies room.”
He moved closer, lowering his voice as he said into her ear, “You’re coming back, right? If I have to listen to one more golf or fishing story, I’m going to do something drastic. I can’t be held accountable for my actions.”
Ella laughed, then realized that she was slipping out of character and suppressed her amusement. “Behave!” she hissed back at him, then slipped away. She had no idea where the restrooms were, but she didn’t care either. As long as she got away for a few moments where she could relax her cheek muscles and stop smiling at inane, tedious stories.
After several wrong turns, she found a bathroom and stepped in with a sigh of relief. Her feet were killing her and she wanted to get rid of this stupid dress. She would kill for a pair of sweatpants right about now!
Not literally, she corrected mentally as she walked to one of the mirrors. Her lipstick was still in place, but she pulled out a tube of lipstick anyway and touched up the edges. Two other women walked in, talking and appeared to be just as bored now that they were in front of their men.
“Can you believe that stupid story about climbing Mount Everest?” a woman in a pink, low cut dressed groaned. Her friend in a blue dress, shuddered.
“No! I don’t believe any of the stories these blowhards tell at these stupid events. They are all lies.”
Pink-Dress laughed. “Even if he did make it to the top of Mount Everest, I read an article that talked about how it’s actually the Sherpas who do all of the real work. If it weren’t for them, none of us silly Europeans would make it up the mountain.”
“Yeah, well, it makes these guys think they are strong, powerful men. So, I don’t care.”
Blue Dress took her lipstick out and smiled to Ella. “Nice dress,” she said. “Who are you with?”
Ella was stunned to be addressed. For so long tonight, she’d pretended to be invisible and, for the most part, it had worked. The men mingling with the other beautiful women rarely deigned to look in her direction. If they did, it was merely to ogle her breasts before comparing Ella to the woman on their arm. So it was startling that someone addressed her directly.
“Oh, um…I’m here with Malcolm Reynolds,” she said, wondering if she should have said “Marquis” or something more formal.
No need, she realized moments later.
“The Marquis of Theeds?” Pink-Dress exclaimed.
Blue-Dress was equally impressed. “Goodness, I’d love to be with him! He’s the only man in here who can actually see his feet!”
Both ladies laughed as they checked their perfect hair, shifting a pin or two as if that did something dramatic to their appearance. Ella suspected that they were just as bored with the party as she was and trying to find reasons to linger here in the bathroom rather than head back out and listen to the men who most likely paid their bills.
A cynical assumption, and they were probably making the same assumption about her. But hey, it’s a mercenary world out there!
“He’s a very nice man,” Ella replied.
Blue Dress laughed. “Nice? He’s hot and not fat! And he probably has ten times as much money as the rest of those idiots out there combined!”
Pink Dress groaned. “Damn, I bet he’d buy me that Fendi bag! You know, the blue one that would go with my blue shoes?”
“Seriously? There’s no way any of these men would buy a Fendi bag! Those kinds of gifts are reserved for the wife-side of the equation,” Blue Dress admonished, then dabbed at her lipstick. “Look at the time. We have maybe an hour before show time.”
Ella blinked. “Show time? What’s that?”
They both blinked at her with astonishment. “You’re new to this whole mistress thing, right?” Pink Dress chuckled.
Blue Dress reached into her dress and lifted her breasts so they were more visible. “Show Time is when we perform.”
“Perform?” Ella echoed, still not sure what they meant. There was no way she was getting up on stage!
“Perform?” Pink Dress repeated, as if the answer were obvious. “On our men? The whole reason they take us out?”
Blue Dress laughed. “My guy promised that he would take me to Tular for his next business trip. For that, he gets a bit of special attention.”
Pink Dress shrugged. “Don’t fall for it,” she warned. “I was there last month and it was a total drag! And I don’t