Della sat back in the chair, surprised. “You don’t think I’m a...well, a slut?”
Chloe burst out laughing. “No, not at all. It sounds to me like you met a great guy and had a good time. No harm in that. I slept with Justin the first night we met, too. And had fun with quite a few men I knew before him. There’s nothing wrong with sex for fun.”
“Really?”
“Really. Who knows, a one-night stand could be your wedding-dress guy someday. Stranger things happen. People meet in all kinds of ways.”
“I just wish... I’d really like to see him again. Gabe. I feel like last night was kind of a dream, and believe me, the odds of me finding another man like him are not high.”
“Well, why don’t you see him again?”
“Our meeting was totally random and totally random things are not repeatable,” Della said, and then saw that look on her friend’s face.
“This has nothing to do with math, Della. What’s really going on?”
“He made it clear it was just a one-night thing. He’s only here for a short time, works with the government, something with Homeland Security. When he left, he didn’t say he wanted to see me again. Or what if I did, and it wasn’t as good? Maybe last night was just a fluke.”
Chloe paused, sitting back in her chair. “There’s only one way to find out. You contacted him once about your bags, just contact him again. You don’t have to wait for him to ask, Della. You can ask for what you want, and you should.”
Della frowned. “I don’t know, I feel weird calling him again. Especially for, um, you know for—”
“For sex. Believe me, he won’t mind,” Chloe said with a chuckle. “The worst that can happen is that he says no, or doesn’t pick up the call. Then you have your answer.”
Della shook her head. “And if he says yes, what if I miss my chance at someone else really great?”
“By the looks of the responses you have on your dating profile, I don’t think you have to worry about that anytime soon. If you want to see this guy again, you need to go for it.”
Della was tempted, but not convinced. She’d worked with men her entire life, and she was used to being the only woman in the room many times when it came to lectures or think tanks, but this was different. She would feel so foolish if he said no, and that would put a pall on the entire experience. Wouldn’t it be better just to enjoy the memory?
No, she was just making excuses.
“Think of it this way. It’s practice, right? You haven’t had a lot of chances to be with men who really know what they’re doing, and now you met one. Enjoy it, work off some steam and get some mad skills in bed for when you do meet Mr. Forever.”
Della brightened slightly. “That’s true.”
“And if he’s working for DHS, he has to be pretty trustworthy, right? What kind of work does he do for them? Is there some kind of problem in the city? Some new threat?”
Chloe looked slightly worried suddenly.
“Oh no, nothing like that,” Della reassured. “I’m sure he wouldn’t be hooking up with me if it was anything that serious. But we didn’t really talk about work that much.”
“If you must calculate odds, the best bet is that if you meet him again, you’ll have a great time. A guy that good in bed doesn’t lose his skills overnight, so take advantage while you can. Anything else, you can’t know for sure, no matter how many algorithms you apply.”
Della realized Chloe was right. It was her downfall that she often made things more complicated rather than simplifying them. Divide, instead of multiply. Just call Gabe and see what happened, and no matter what happened, she would have made a decision. It was better than drowning in what-ifs.
“You’re right. I feel so much better. I’ll call him after we’re done here,” she said, excitement making her bounce in her seat.
“Great! Maybe we could even do a double date, or if he’s here for a while, he could be your wedding date, perhaps?”
“Let’s see if he even talks to me. I don’t want to count on anything.”
Chloe smiled. “Now you’re learning. Just enjoy the moment. But still, if there’s a chance, I’d love to meet him. He sounds like quite a guy.”
Della smiled in return. “That would be nice. Thanks, Chloe.”
“You’re welcome. Now, what do you think of this dress? It’s the one I keep coming back to, but the cost is through the roof.”
Chloe stood, and Della, having made her decision to call Gabe and take control of her destiny—or at least of her sex life—was able to focus on the task at hand. She followed her friend to the mirror, studying how lovely Chloe looked in the gown. The special moment settled in, and tears burned at the back of her eyes, but she blinked them away.
“I love it. It’s perfect. You only get married once, Chloe, and you should have the dress you dream about.”
Chloe looked like she was blinking away tears as well, and nodded.
“You have a romantic streak, Della. And it’s so good to have you here. I know we’ve known each other for less than a year, and this wedding was sort of a rush, but you’ve been such a good friend. And with none of my own family around, you’ve really become more like a sister.”
Now Della did get teary, as she had no siblings, either. To think that Chloe felt that way about her was very moving.
“Thank you. I feel exactly the same. I’m so honored that you asked me to be your maid of honor, even though you know I have no clue what I’m doing.”
They laughed, and Chloe grinned. “How are the dance lessons coming along?”
Della made a face. “I suck.”
Chloe laughed again. “You’re being too hard on yourself. You haven’t had much time to learn. And you need a good partner. Maybe Gabe can help you out,” she added with a hint of mischief.
Della bit her lip, wondering. She hadn’t considered that, or that perhaps Gabe would be her date to some wedding events, if he was around. Justin’s best man was married, so Della had resigned herself to going solo, but maybe...?
Don’t go there, she reminded herself. That way lay disappointment. Just enjoy whatever happens, if anything does happen.
“So, now that we know what I’m wearing to this event, we need to try on your selections.”
“Selections? I haven’t made any selections yet.”
“I did,” Chloe said mischievously.
Della rolled her eyes, but submitted as Chloe signaled to the saleslady to bring in some of the dresses she had set aside for Della.
Chloe was always chiding her about her bland style, wearing mostly black and grey, wool and cotton, and relatively modest clothes. The skirt and tank top she’d worn out with Gabe the night before had been obtained on a shopping trip with Chloe, who had given in on the black tank top, but convinced her to buy the form-fitting denim skirt.
Gabe had clearly approved, and so Della decided maybe Chloe had a point.
The saleslady brought in three dresses, and all of them made Della gasp.
“Gorgeous, aren’t they?” Chloe cooed. “C’mon, try them on.”
Della was led away by the saleswoman, along with the gowns. The assortment ranged among shades of rose, which was Chloe’s choice, of course, and all three were as daring as they were...sensual.
The first one was a Grecian, off-the-shoulder style of sheer, draped