Tessa's Escape to Athena's Ground(49)
Yours, Tessa
Tessa re-read her email and paused before hitting send. Was David ready to know this? Of course, she thought. The real question was whether she was ready to tell him. It meant opening herself up to his judgment, even his rejection. It also meant opening herself up to acceptance, and maybe even love.
Tessa took a deep breath and hit send.
***
When a tourist, why not act like one? After a hot shower and a lot of coffee, Tessa bought a ticket for the Hop on Hop Off bus and took to the streets of Sydney. Since Jason had taken her to the local clothing optional beach, Tessa decided to ride the bus to famous Bondi Beach. The stretch of white sand and glorious blue water was as breathtaking as the travel brochures promised and the bump and rumble on the top floor of the double decker bus was strangely soothing.
By mid-afternoon, Tessa was famished. She hopped off the bus near China Town and gorged on delicious dishes, the names of which she couldn’t begin to pronounce. The takeout near her hotel had been good, but the fresh greens and succulent fish she devoured in China Town was just this side of heaven.
After lunch, Tessa walked. Much like New York, Sydney was a great town for walking. She wandered out of China Town and eventually found herself surrounded by fabulous shops. Her days between sessions were vacation days, and what’s a vacation without a little shopping?
Tessa noodled around, sometimes drawn into shops out of professional curiosity and other times because an item caught her eye. She looked at one such item now.
“That would look stunning on you,” the sales clerk said, sidling up to Tessa.
“It’s beautiful,” Tessa said, holding silky fabric against her body.
The clerk smiled. “It’s very sexy without being vulgar. Would you like to try it on?”
The clerk led Tessa to a dressing room. “I have the perfect undergarment for that dress. Would you like me to bring it to you?”
The dress was very low cut, though not as wildly provocative as the emerald dress she’d worn with Ben. But without the proper undergarment…“Yes, please do.”
“B? Thirty-four or thirty-six?”
“Thirty-four.”
The clerk hurried off and Tessa examined the dress. It was silk charmeuse the color of ripe pomegranate and the bodice was cut very close to the body. The point of the V-neckline ended several inches below the bust line, but the cut of the gown—if it fit correctly—would keep the fabric where it was supposed to be. The dress flared softly at the hips and ended just below the knees. Tessa imagined how the fabric would move with each step, sensual yet elegant.
“Here it is,” the clerk said, handing Tessa a cream-colored lace bustier with rosy pink piping. “It’s cut very well for that neckline and if the dress should happen to move, no worries. This bustier is beautiful and it covers the essentials.”
“Essentials” was a code word for areolas and nipples, which still left a lot of bare skin showing.
“You can’t know how it will look unless you try them on,” the clerk urged. “I’ve sold this combination several times. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.”
And Tessa was.