Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.
-Oprah Winfrey
“How about that one?” Daniel said, pointing to a picture of a woman wearing a lacy red chemise.
Karma shook her head and made a stink face. “I don’t want red. It’s too cliché.”
Daniel arched a dubious brow. “And yet red is the color you were wearing the night the two of you met.”
“All the more reason to choose a different color,” she said with a decisive nod. “To mix things up.”
“Well, men love red,” Daniel scanned the rest of the pictures on the page. “But if you don’t want red, we’ll find something else.”
Daniel and Lisa had come over to help her look at lingerie. If she and Mark were moving forward, she wanted to be ready, and boxer shorts and a tank top as sexy bedtime attire just didn’t seem grand enough to impress a guy like him. And now that she had squashed the pesky bugs that were Johnny and Jolene, she was eager to shed all her old skins, including the sexually modest one. This required lingerie. Classy, sexy, make-him-stare lingerie.
Lisa had suggested a website called Yandy, where she had bought a few pieces of lingerie in the past, and while Karma had seen a few passable items, so far nothing had jumped out as the one that would turn her first time with Mark into something eternally unforgettable.
Lisa returned from the kitchen with a bowl of freshly popped popcorn. “Any luck?”
Daniel shook his head. “She’s shot down anything red or black, so I’m running out of ideas.”
Lisa set the bowl of popcorn on the coffee table. “Well, what about that one?” She pointed to a slinky garment that looked like purple Band-Aids connected by a whole lot of string.
Karma wrinkled her nose. “The thong I’m wearing has more material in it than that.”
“You’re wearing a thong?” Lisa said.
Daniel leaned forward and lightly smacked her butt. “Since when do you wear thongs?”
“Since a few weeks ago.” Karma buried her nose back into the website, wishing she hadn’t brought it up. “And hands off the merchandise, Danny, or I’ll tell Zach you’re going straight on him.”
“He’ll never believe you.” Daniel nonchalantly munched on a handful of popcorn.
She stuck her tongue out at him.
“My little Karma is finally growing up,” Lisa said, pretending to wipe a tear off her cheek.
Karma slapped Lisa’s leg. “Cut it out. Focus. I need to find lingerie for this guy. Something not sleazy. Something demure. Something—”
“What about that?” Daniel shoved his index finger toward the screen, pointing at a sheer, antique-white baby-doll with a lace and satin bodice. He tapped the screen and pulled up the details. Delicate lace decorated the hem, and a satin sash circled the high waist, which fell just under the model’s breasts.
“It’s innocent,” Lisa said.
“It’s perfect!” No doubt. This was the one.
Daniel clapped once and pumped his fist. “That will drive your man crazy.”
The frilly baby-doll wasn’t overtly sexy in an in-your-face kind of way. It was sexy in an I’m-still-innocent-so-be-gentle-with-me-but-not-too-gentle kind of way that fit her perfectly. Daniel was right. This would drive Mark crazy.
She scowled at the price. Almost sixty dollars. Why was lingerie so damn expensive? This was for a special occasion, though, so her credit card balance be damned.
“I’m getting it.” She added the baby-doll to her cart.
Lisa pointed. “Make sure to buy the white thong, too. It’ll look good underneath.”
“Good call.” Karma added it to the cart. “Can you guys think of anything else I need?”
Daniel sat back with a sigh. “Candle wax, whips, chains, handcuffs.”
“Danny!” She smacked his arm, making him laugh.
Lisa giggled. “You’re going to give him a night he won’t forget, Karma.” She grabbed a handful of popcorn. “I can’t believe you two haven’t already done the deed. I figured that would have been old news by now.”
Karma pulled out her credit card and started filling in the order information. “I wasn’t ready. And besides, he wanted to take his time.”
“I guess.”
Daniel gave Lisa a playful shove. “Leave her alone. Our little Karma is about to become a woman.” The two snickered.
“Fine, laugh it up.” Karma double-checked all her info on the screen, making sure to add two-day shipping, then tapped the icon to place the order before smiling at them over her shoulder. “Done.”
“Mark has been so good for you, girl,” Lisa said, smiling like a proud momma.
Daniel nodded in agreement. “Before long, we’ll be going to your wedding.”
Karma held up her hand and shook her head. “No, that’s not what this is about. Remember, I told you that this is just a temporary thing.”
“Temporary, my ass.” Daniel snagged some popcorn. “I hear the way you talk about him. You’re falling in love with him, Karma. And from the way it sounds, he’s falling in love with you, too. At least from what you’ve said.”
“You’re reading too much into things. Mark doesn’t want that. He made that clear from the get-go.”
“He might have made it clear from the get-go, but sometimes things change, honey. And it sounds like your beau and you are changing, if you get my drift.” Daniel’s eyebrows rose as he gave her a meaningful look.
Lisa remained quiet, but Karma could tell by her expression she agreed with Daniel.
“Well, you’re wrong. This is just about having fun. That’s all.” Karma set her tablet aside, dug her hand into the popcorn, and tried not to acknowledge that Daniel was right. She was falling in love with Mark. But that was her problem. Mark wouldn’t stick around and be her boyfriend after his assignment at Solar was finished, let alone be her fiancé or her husband. She refused to entertain the idea that their relationship would ever be more than two people sharing a mutual attraction for one another. No strings attached.
And if her heart got splattered to hell and back later? Well, that would be her own damn fault for wanting something Mark had warned her he would never give.