Emma turned to look into his mischievously twinkling green eyes. “How can you tell?”
“You’ve got the bunny slippers on.”
* * * *
That weekend, in early October…
Saturday night, Emma stood in front of her mirrored closet door making a final inspection. Half her closet was filled with her work clothing. The other half was now occupied by the items she’d gone shopping for with Maya and Summer. She’d almost felt foolish as the girls had demonstrated how she could mix and match all the pieces she’d purchased.
She’d been so enamored with reading and learning as a child that she’d never gotten into playing dress up and learning about fashion like other girls did. Her mom had always assisted her with putting her clothes together, and she’d just never worried about it.
Once she was in college she’d always worn blue jeans and T-shirts, besides the required clothing for medical students. Her roommate had offered fashion help with special occasions, and Emma had honestly never given it that much thought as long as she was decently covered. As an adult the pattern had only been further ingrained.
Feeling like a new woman, she gazed at her reflection and smiled. She was still the same person, and still Doctor Emma, but she liked this new facet of who she was, too. It was healthy to break out of ruts, and she’d discovered while shopping with Maya and Summer that one of her ruts was buying clothing that was too large for her. When they’d asked why she wanted to try on such large sizes, Emma had told them it was so she could be comfortable. But she knew deep down that she was also hiding inside her clothing because she was self-conscious about her curvy figure.
Looking at herself in her sleek black dress, Emma was glad that all the voluminous tops and bottoms and matronly dresses were gone from her closet. The girls had also confiscated almost all of her shoes, even her floppy leather sandals. When they’d gone shopping, they’d made a point of buying comfortable, casual clothes and shoes that fit her properly since she enjoyed so many outdoor activities. The excursion hadn’t been just about buying sexy dress-up clothes and high heels. It had become a full wardrobe overhaul. Her pocketbook had squealed in protest, but she hardly ever shopped for clothing and had determined she was long overdue.
Of course the overhaul hadn’t ended there. Meeting Camilla O’Neal had also had an impact on her. The striptease lessons had gone a long way toward building confidence in the way Emma handled herself and the way she moved. She only had basic moves for pole dancing down, but Camilla had helped her master the art of striptease, which she planned to try out on Duke and Gage soon.
A thrill raced through her when the doorbell rang. She grabbed her evening bag and her overnight case, because she’d promised to spend the whole night with them. Her cell phone was turned off because she was not on call for that weekend. She turned out the lights in her bedroom and hustled down the hall to answer the door.
Duke and Gage stood there looking like movie stars. Gage was dressed in a long-sleeved, white button-down shirt, worn untucked over gray trousers, and Duke was dressed in a lightweight, black sweater that hugged his biceps and lean, muscular chest.
Her jaw dropped, and she smiled when they had the same reaction to her. “Come in. You both look so handsome.”
“Emma. Wow,” Duke said as he took her overnight bag from her shoulder. He gestured for her to turn for them, and she complied, ignoring the self-conscious voice that whispered they would see all her flaws as she turned. Emma fought down the urge to self-consciously wring her hands together, remembering Camilla’s instructions. “You’re…stunning.”
Those two simple words made all the expense, work, and sore muscles worth it. Both men kissed her gently as though they were concerned about messing up her hair or makeup.
She took a slow breath and felt herself relax as she replied. “I know this is not how you are used to seeing me. I’m glad you like it.”
Duke’s eyes shone with approval as he said, “This is just another part of you that we get to enjoy, Em. In different ways, we were all out of our comfort zones. We’d usually be dressed in flannel and jeans on a Saturday night, playing Call of Duty with friends, not dressed up to take you out to a five-star restaurant.”
Admiration glimmered in Gage’s eyes as he nodded in agreement and said, “You look sexy as hell in those high heels. You’re absolutely beautiful, angel.” Their words filled her with pleasure, and she felt herself stand up a little straighter because of them. Gage pulled the bouquet of red roses from behind his back and held them out to her. “We brought you something.”